Heat Transfer - Sheet three conduction

1. Circular fins with diameter of 10mm and length of 50mm are attached to a wall with surface
temperature of 350°C. The fins are made of material with thermal conductivity of 240 W/m.K,
and they are exposed to ambient air at 25°C and convection heat transfer condition of 30
W/m2.K. Determine the heat transfer rate, fin effectiveness and fin efficiency using the following
boundary conditions, (a) infinitely long fin, (b) adiabatic fin tip, (c) fin with tip temperature of
250°C and (d) convection from the fin tip.

2. A straight fin fabricated from 2024 aluminum alloy (k= 185 W/m.K.) has a base thickness of
t=3mm and a length of L = 15mm. Its base temperature is Tb = 100°C and it is exposed to a fluid
for which T∞= 20°C and h = 50 W/m2.K. For the previous conditions and for a fin of unit width,
determine the heat transfer rate, fin effectiveness and fin efficiency using the following boundary
conditions, (a) infinitely long fin, (b) adiabatic fin tip, (c) fin with tip temperature of 50°C and
(d) convection from the fin tip.
3. The extent to which the tip conditions affect thermal performance of a fin depends on the fin
geometry and thermal conductivity as well as the convection coefficient. Consider an alloyed
aluminum (k=180 W/m.K) rectangular fin of length L= 10mm, thickness t=1mm and width
w>>t. The base temperature of the fin is Tb= 100°C and the fin is exposed to a fluid of
temperature T∞=25°C. Assuming uniform convection coefficient of h = 100 W/m2.K over the
entire fin surface determine per unit width of the fin the heat transfer rate, fin effectiveness and
fin efficiency using the following boundary conditions, (a) infinitely long fin, (b) adiabatic fin
tip, (c) fin with tip temperature of 50°C and (d) convection from the fin tip.
4. Two copper rods A and B of the same material (k= 400W/m.K) having same diameter of 20 mm
but different lengths. The two rods are to be soldered together end to end with soldering material
having melting point of 580°C. The two rods are exposed to ambient air at temperature of 40°C
with convective coefficient 18 W/m2.K, if rod A has finite length of 250 mm with adiabatic tip,
while rod B is very long, calculate the minimum power needed to achieve the soldering and the
tip temperature of rod A.
5. Consider two long solid rods A and B of same diameter but different materials. One end of each
rod is attached to the same base surface maintained at 100°C while the surfaces of the rods are
exposed to air at 20°C. By traversing the length of each rod with thermocouples, it was observed
that the temperature of the rods were equal at positions xA = 15cm and xB = 7.5 cm, where x is
measured from the base surface. If kA = 70 W/m2.K, determine kB.
6. A very long pin fin of 5mm diameter has a base temperature of 200°C. The pin surrounding
surface is exposed to air at 25°C with h = 100W/m2.K. Calculate the heat loss through the fin and
the fin effectiveness. Also estimate how long the fin must be in order to use the assumption of
very long fin with high accuracy. Take k= 335 W/m.K.

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7. A straight fin of rectangular profile is made of stainless steel (k= 16.3 W/m.K) has a length of 75
mm and 2.5 mm thickness. The base temperature is maintained at 100°C while the fin is exposed
to ambient temperature T∞ = 20°C with h= 45 W/m2.K. Calculate the heat loss by the fin per
meter width, the fin effectiveness. Also calculate the tip temperature of the fins considering the
end is adiabatic tip.
8. Determine the percentage increase in heat transfer rate associated with attaching aluminum fins
(k=237 W/m.K) of rectangular profile to plane wall. The fins are 50mm long, 0.5mm thick and
are equally spaced at distance of 4mm (250 fins/meter). The convective coefficient with the base
wall is 40 W/m2.K and with fins is 30 W/m2.K.
9. A brass slab is 20mm thick (k=110 W/m2.K) has gases on one side T1 = 500°C with h1 = 15
W/m2.K, while liquid flows on the other side with T2 = 40°C and h2 = 2000 W/m2.k. Calculate
the rate of heat transfer from the gases to the liquid through the bare slab. It is advised to add
brass fins of 1mm thick, 10mm apart on centers to increase the heat transfer rate from gases to
liquid. Explain if it is better to attach the fins to the gas or liquid side of the slab. Also calculate
the percent increase in heat transfer rate based on your choice.
10. A plane wall with surface temperature of 300°C is attached with straight aluminum triangular
fins (k = 236 W/m.K). The fins are exposed to an ambient air condition of 25°C and the
convection heat transfer coefficient is 25 W/m2.K). Each fin has a length of 55mm, a base of
4mm thick and width of 110mm. Determine the efficiency, heat transfer rate and effectiveness of
each fin.

11. An annular aluminum fin of rectangular profile is attached to a circular tube having an outside
diameter of 25 mm and a surface temperature of 250°C. The fin is 1mm thick and 10mm long.
The temperature and convection coefficient associated with the adjoining fluid are 25° and 25
W/m2.K respectively, calculate the heat lost per fin. If 200 such fins are spaced at 5mm
increments along the tube length, calculate the heat loss per meter length of the tube with fins
attached on it.
12. Annular aluminum fins of rectangular profile are attached to a circular tube having an outside
diameter of 50mm and an outer surface temperature of 200°C. The fins are 4mm thick and 15mm
long. The system is in ambient air at temperature 20°C and the surface convection coefficient is
40 W/m2.K. Determine the fin efficiency and effectiveness. If there are 125 of such fins per
meter of tube length, calculate the rate of heat transfer per unit length of the tube.
13. Annular fins of rectangular cross section surrounds a 25mm diameter tube. The fin length is
37.5mm and the thickness is 3.2mm. The fins are made of mild steel (k = 45 W/m.K). If the air
passes over the tube such that h= 28 W/m2.K and the temperatures of the base and air are 260°C
and 93°C respectively. Calculate the rate of heat transfer per meter length of the tube if the fin
spacing (pitch) is 6.8mm.

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14. An air heater consists of a steel tube (k=20 W/m.K) with inner and outer radii r1 = 13mm and r2 =
16mm respectively. Eight longitudinal fins are attached to the outer surface of the tube each of
thickness t=3mm. The fins extend to concentric tube of radius r3 = 40mm and insulated from the
outer surface. Water at temperature of T∞ = 90°C flows through the inner tube while air at T ∞2 =
25°C flows through the annular space formed by the larger concentric tube. If h i = 5000 W/m2.K
and ho = 200 W/m2.K, Determine the heat transfer per unit length. Also calculate the percentage
increase in heat transfer due to the addition of fins.

15. Heat transfer from a transistor can be enhanced by inserting the transistor in a stainless steel
sleeve (k=40 W/m.K) having 12 longitudinal fins on its surface. The transistor's radius is 5mm
and its height is 10mm. The fins are of length 10mm and have uniform thickness t = 1.5mm. The
thickness of the sleeve base is 2.5mm and the contact resistance of the sleeve-transistor interface
is Rc = 1.2×10-3 m2.K/W. Air at 24°C flows over the fins surfaces with convective coefficient h =
84 Wm2.K. If the sleeve surface temperature is at 85°C, calculate (a) the fin effectiveness and (b)
the fins base temperature and their tip temperature assuming adiabatic tip condition.
16. It is proposed to air cool the cylinder wall of a combustion chamber by adding an aluminum
casing with 30 annular fins of k=215 W/m.K to the cylinder wall of k = 50 W/m.K. The cold air
is at 45°C with h = 150 W/m2.K. The heat transfer rate from the inner cylinder wall is q = 7.5
kW. If the contact resistance between the cylinder wall and the casing is 10 -4 m2.K/W, draw the
temperature distribution and the thermal resistance for the configuration and then calculate, (a)
the fin efficiency ηf and overall efficiency ηo, (b) the temperature of the inner and outer cylinder
wall (Ti and To) and the fin base temperature Tb and (C) The fin effectiveness.