INTRODUCTION

The transfer of heat through fluids occur through convection while the convection currents
facilitate the thermal energy to exchange across the solid-fluid interface. While heat is transferred
via convection, namely there are two types of convection processes. They are natural convection
and forces convection.
In natural convection, the fluid is being heated up when the heated particles move by the
help of the temperature induced fluid density variations. As we know, heated particles have lower
density, therefore they tend to move up while transferring the head to the adjacent particles. In forces
convection, this process is speeded up via a fan or pump.
Convection heat transfer is used in most types of systems which we encounter in our daily
life like Vehicle engines, radiators, condensers, power plants and etc.
During this laboratory process, the behavior of heat flow in both natural and forced
convections will be observed.

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OBJECTIVES
 To conduct tests to obtain necessary measurements and evaluate the thermal behavior of
convection heat transfer processes at a heated cylinder in a flowing fluid medium
APPARATUS
 Combined convection and radiation apparatus (H112D)

Figure 1-Combined Heat transfer apparatus

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THEORY
Due to natural convection, the heat loss Qc can be determined by the following equation;
𝑄𝑐 = ℎ𝑐𝐴𝑠(𝑇𝑠 − 𝑇𝑎)

hc – overall heat transfer coefficient due to natural convection

As – Heated surface area of the cylinder
When radiant component (Qr) is needed to be required, the hc is replaced by hr, (hr=overall
heat transfer coefficient due to radiation convection)
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑓𝑒𝑟 = 𝑄𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 𝑄𝑐 + 𝑄𝑟

The pattern of flow of the convection currents can be observed via the Reynold number of the
fluid. The Reynold number can be calculated by using the equation given below.
𝜌𝑈𝑒 𝐷 𝑈𝑒 𝐷 𝜇
𝑅𝑒 = = ∵ { = 𝑣}
𝜇 𝑣 𝜌
In order to draw the graphs, the convective heat transfer coefficients have to be calculated,
and for that, it is required to obtain the Nusselt number and Prandtl number, where the Prandtl
number can be obtained by a data sheet at the specific temperature, and the Nussetl number has to
be calculated using the equation given below;
0.5
0.62𝑅𝑒 0.5 𝑃𝑟 0.33 𝑅𝑒
𝑁𝑢 = 0.3 + × (1 + ( ) )
0.66 0.25 282000
0.4
(1 + ( 𝑃𝑟 ) )

𝑁𝑢𝑘
ℎ𝑝 =
𝐷
Nu-Nussetl number
Re-Reynolds number
Pr-Prandtl number
Hp-convective heat transfer coefficient
k-thermal conductivity
D-diameter of the cylinder
Ue-velocity of the airflow
v-kinematic viscosity
𝜌-density

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PROCEDURE
Natural Convection
 For this practical, the air velocity had to be made steady at 0m/s. Therefore, the centrifugal
fan was not used.
 First, the output voltage was increased until the surface of the cylinder reached approximately
1000C.
 Then, the respective current, T1 and T2 values were obtained by reducing the voltage in 3 0C
steps
 Then, the results were tabulated
Forced Convection
 For this practical, the air velocity needed to be varied, therefore the centrifugal fan was turned
on
 First, the air was let to reach steady state a velocity of 1m/s and 30V
 Here, the air flow rate is adjusted by moving the throttle valve
 At 1m/s and 30v after reaching steady state, the current (I), temperature of the surface (Ts),
temperature of the upstream air flow (T∞) were recorded
 The above step was repeated for air speeds 1.5m/s, 2 m/s, 2.5 m/s, 3 m/s, 3.5 m/s, 4 m/s, 4.5
m/s and 6.75 m/s and the respective readings were tabulated

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 RESULTS
Table 1-Results for Natural convection

Sample V (Volts) I (Amps) T1(0C) T2(0C)

1 42 0.066 29 74.7
2 37 0.059 29.1 74.4
3 34 0.051 29.2 68.7
4 31 0.045 29.3 66.8
5 29 0.042 29.3 63.5
6 27 0.041 29.3 57.4
7 24 0.032 29.5 53
8 21 0.023 29.5 48.8
9 18 0.025 29.6 42.9
10 15 0.018 29.6 40.6

Table 2-Results for Forced Convection

Sample V (Volts) I (Amps) Ua (m/s) T1 (0C) T2 (0C)

1 30 0.040 1.0 30 45.1
2 30 0.044 1.5 32.3 44.1
3 30 0.045 2.0 31.0 42.1
4 30 0.047 2.5 33.1 43.3
5 30 0.047 3.0 32.7 43.1
6 30 0.05 3.5 32.9 43.2
7 30 0.048 4.0 32.9 42.9
8 30 0.048 4.5 32.0 42.3
9 35 0.053 6.75 31.9 41.2

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CALCULATIONS (Natural Convection)
For reading 4,
𝑄𝑐 = ℎ𝑐 𝐴𝑠 (𝑇w − 𝑇∞ )
𝑄𝑟 = ℎ𝑟 𝐴𝑠 (𝑇w − 𝑇∞ )
𝑄𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 𝑄𝑐 + 𝑄𝑟

0.25
(𝑇𝑤 − 𝑇∞ )
ℎ𝑐 = 1.32 × [ ]
𝐷
𝑇𝑤 4 − 𝑇∞ 4
ℎ𝑟 = 𝜀𝐹𝜎 ( )
𝑇𝑤 − 𝑇∞
here,
ε =Emissivity of the surface
σ = Stefan Boltzman Constant = 5.67 x 10-8W/mK
F=View shape factor that depends upon the surrounding geometry relative to the heat
emitting body
hr = Overall heat transfer coefficients due to radiation convection
hc = Overall heat transfer coefficients due to natural convection
As = Heated surface area of the cylinder

Note: In this case, ε and F are assumed to be 1

0.25
(𝑇𝑤 − 𝑇∞ )
ℎ𝑐 = 1.32 × [ ]
𝐷
0.25
(339.8 − 302.3)
= 1.32 × [ ] (𝐾/𝑚)0.25
0.01
= 10.33 𝑊/𝑚2 𝐾

𝑇𝑤 4 − 𝑇∞ 4
ℎ𝑟 = 𝜀𝐹𝜎 ( )
𝑇𝑤 − 𝑇∞

−8
339.84 − 302.34 3
= 1 × 1 × 5.67 × 10 𝑊/𝑚𝐾 × ( )𝐾
339.8 − 302.3
= 7.53 𝑊/𝑚2 𝐾

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 𝑄𝑐 = ℎ𝑐 𝐴𝑠 (𝑇w − 𝑇∞ )
= 10.33 𝑊/𝑚2 𝐾 × (𝜋 × 0.01𝑚 × 0.07𝑚) × (339.8 − 302.3)𝐾
= 0.85𝑊

𝑄𝑟 = ℎ𝑟 𝐴𝑠 (𝑇w − 𝑇∞ )
= 7.53 𝑊/𝑚2 𝐾 × (𝜋 × 0.01𝑚 × 0.07𝑚) × (339.8 − 302.3)𝐾
= 0.62𝑊
𝑄𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 𝑄𝑐 + 𝑄𝑟
= 0.85𝑊 + 0.62𝑊
= 𝟏. 𝟒𝟕𝑾

Table 2-Tabulated Calculations for Natural Convection

# Volts Current T∞ Tw ∆T Tw4-T∞4 hr Qr hc Qc QT
1 42 0.066 302 347.7 45.7 6.3E+09 7.81 0.79 10.85 1.09 1.88
2 37 0.059 302.1 347.4 45.3 6.24E+09 7.8 0.78 10.83 1.08 1.86
3 34 0.051 302.2 341.7 39.5 5.29E+09 7.6 0.66 10.46 0.91 1.57
4 31 0.045 302.3 339.8 37.5 4.98E+09 7.53 0.62 10.33 0.85 1.47
5 29 0.042 302.3 336.5 34.2 4.47E+09 7.41 0.56 10.09 0.76 1.32
6 27 0.041 302.3 330.4 28.1 3.57E+09 7.19 0.44 9.61 0.59 1.03
7 24 0.032 302.5 326 23.5 2.92E+09 7.05 0.36 9.19 0.47 0.83
8 21 0.023 302.5 321.8 19.3 2.35E+09 6.9 0.29 8.75 0.37 0.66
9 18 0.025 302.6 315.9 13.3 1.57E+09 6.71 0.2 7.97 0.23 0.43
10 15 0.018 302.6 313.6 11 1.29E+09 6.64 0.16 7.6 0.18 0.34

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 2.5
Heat Transferred vs Voltage

2
Heat Transferred (W)

1.5

0.5

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Voltage (V)

Qtotal Qc Qr

Figure 2-Heat Transferred vs Voltage

Here;
Qc = Heat loss due to natural convection
Qr = Heat loss due to radiation
Qtotal = Qc + Qr = Total heat transfer from the Cylinder

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CALCULATIONS (Forced Convection)
𝑄𝑐̇ = ℎ𝐸 𝐴(𝑇𝑤 − 𝑇∞ )
It is assumed that the energy supplied from the heater and the convective heat transfer are equal.
𝑄̇𝐶 = 𝑃 = 𝑉𝐼
For sample 7,
𝑃 = 𝑉𝐼 = 30 × 0.048
= 1.44𝑊
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 = 𝐴 = 𝜋𝐷𝑙
= 𝜋 × 10 × 10−3 𝑚 × 70 × 10−3 𝑚
= 0.0022 𝑚2
𝑄𝑐̇ = ℎ𝐸 𝐴(𝑇𝑤 − 𝑇∞ )
𝑄𝑐̇
ℎ𝐸 =
𝐴(𝑇𝑤 − 𝑇∞ )
1.44𝑊
=
0.0022𝑚2 × (42.9 − 32.9)𝑘
= 65.45𝑊/𝑚2 𝐾
Obtaining the mean value of upstream temperature,
30 + 32.3 + 31.6 + 33.1 + 32.7 + 32.9 + 32.9 + 32.0 + 31.9
𝑇∞ =
9
= 32. 160 𝐶 ≈ 32. 20 𝐶
Obtaining the Prandtl number, Nusselt number and Reynolds number at this temperature,
𝜌𝑈𝑒 𝐷 𝑈𝑒 𝐷 𝜇
𝑅𝑒 = = ∵ { = 𝑣}
𝜇 𝑣 𝜌
4𝑚𝑠 −1 × 10 × 10−3 𝑚
=
1.6287 × 10−5 𝑚2 𝑠 −1
𝑣 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑏𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑡 32. 20 𝑐
= 2456
𝑃𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑡𝑙 𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 = 0.7276 𝑎𝑡 32. 20 𝐶
0.5
0.62𝑅𝑒 0.5 𝑃𝑟 0.33 𝑅𝑒
𝑁𝑢 = 0.3 + 0.25 × (1 + (282000) )
0.4 0.66
(1 + ( 𝑃𝑟 ) )

= 26.89
ℎ𝑝 𝐷
𝑁𝑢 =
𝑘
𝑁𝑢𝑘 26.89 × 0.02604𝑊𝑚−1 𝑘 −1
ℎ𝑝 = =
𝐷 0.01𝑚
= 70.02 𝑊/𝑚2 𝐾

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Table 3-Calculated He and Hp values

No V (Volts) I (Amps) Power ∆T He U Re Nu Hp

1 30 0.04 1.2 15.1 36.12 1 614 13.03 33.93
2 30 0.044 1.32 11.8 50.85 1.5 921 16.05 41.79
3 30 0.045 1.35 11.1 55.28 2 1228 18.63 48.51
4 30 0.047 1.41 10.2 62.82 2.5 1535 20.95 54.55
5 30 0.047 1.41 10.4 61.63 3 1842 23.07 60.07
6 30 0.05 1.5 10.3 66.2 3.5 2149 25.04 65.2
7 30 0.048 1.44 10 65.45 4 2456 26.89 70.02
8 30 0.048 1.44 10.3 63.55 4.5 2763 28.65 74.6
9 35 0.053 1.86 9.3 90.66 6.75 4114 35.58 92.65

Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient Vs

Air Velocity
100

90
Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient

80

70

60
(W/m2K)

50

40

30

20

10

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Air Velocity (ms-1)

Experimental Emperical

Figure 3-Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient Vs Air Velocity

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DISCUSSION
Heat transfer usually takes places in 3 ways; Conduction, convection and radiation. As we
all know, for water to move from one place to another, it requires a height difference in the two
places, or an external force. Similarly, for heat to transfer, it requires a temperature difference.

Figure 4-Heat transfer mechanisms

Conduction
Simply, conduction is the transfer of heat via physical contact. This is the main heat transfer
mode in solids. It is happened by the kinetic energy moving from higher temperature areas to lower
temperature areas. In conduction heat transfer process, until an equilibrium is reached, the
molecules will give their energy to adjacent molecules. Here the particles don’t move within the
material, it is only that the energy is moving via the particles.

Figure 5-Conduction
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Convection
Here in this practical, convection and radiation are the heat transfer modes which is
considered. In convection, a flow of matter carries thermal energy with it. As explained in the
previous parts, convection is happened through two means; natural convection and forced
convection. In the natural convection process, buoyancy plays a major role. When the lower air is
heated, the density of the air will decrease. As a result, the molecules will move upwards, and
when the molecules move upwards, the heat within the molecule will be transferred to the adjacent
molecules. This factor is well depicted by the figures below.

Figure 7-Convection heat transfer

Figure 6-Convection heat transfer

In forced convection, a pump or a fan is used in order to do this process. It speeds up the
process. We can get an idea of forced convection by the job which a fan does. When we feel hot,
we turn on the fan, which will direct cold air towards us and that cold air will absorb the heat
within us when the air flow travels along us.

Radiation
In heat transfer via radiation, it is transferred
by the help of electromagnetic waves. Radiation
means spreading out from a specific location. The
heat obtained from the sun is transmitted to earth
via radiation. It does not need a media to transfer
the heat like in conduction and convection.

Figure 8-Radiation heat transfer

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Errors
During the practical process, it was observed that the apparatus contained many errors, and
hence the results obtained had a deviation with the theoretical values.
During the natural convection practical process, it was observed that the voltage regulator in
the apparatus was very much sensitive and it was erroneous too. While reducing the voltage step by
step, it was observed that the variation of voltage with the rotation of the knob was not linear.
Sometimes a small change in position made a big change in the voltage. Also the voltage value did
not stay in a steady position. So in order to keep it steady, the knob had to be adjusted while we
were waiting for the apparatus to reach the steady state. The voltage was not always at the required
value, so a rough value was noted down.
In the forced convection process too, the voltage issue was available. Apart from that, there
was an inaccuracy in the throttling valve too. By opening the valve by a very small amount
sometimes lead the velocity to increase a lot. So the valve has to be adjusted several times to obtain
the required velocity. Even due to slight movements in the apparatus and also people moved near
the apparatus, it was observed that the velocity was changing. Here, since the velocity did not stay
fixed in the required value, a rough value was noted down. The voltage had to be kept constant at
30v, but due to the errors, it did not stay the same, it has small deviations. In the calculations part,
it was assumed that the voltage was same for the first readings. The value obtained for the 9th reading
was noted down as showed since that value was taken at a higher velocity to obtain a far point in
the graph.
As for the values and graphs obtained, it is visible that there are deviations between the
practical and theoretical values for the convective heat transfer coefficient. It is mainly due to the
errors explained above.

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CONCLUSION
Heat transfer is how heat is travelling from high temperature areas to low temperature areas.
This difference in temperature is the potential which allows the heat to travel from one place to
another. During this practical process, it was observed how natural convection and forced
convection is happening.
In conclusion, it can be stated that this experiment is a good experiment to understand the
differences between experimental and theoretical values for heat transfer coefficients in forced and
natural convection heat transfer process, but it could be a successful practical with minimum
deviations in these values if the errors which are explained in the previous sections are minimized.

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REFERENCES
 Physics Classroom [2019] Methods of heat transfer [online] Available at:
https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/thermalP/Lesson-1/Methods-of-Heat-Transfer
Accessed on: March 6, 2019
 Physics [2018] Mechanisms of heat transfer [online] Available at:
https://phys.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/University_Physics/Book%3A_University_Physi
cs_(OpenStax)/Map%3A_University_Physics_II_-
_Thermodynamics%2C_Electricity%2C_and_Magnetism_(OpenStax)/1%3A_Temperatu
re_and_Heat/1.6%3A_Mechanisms_of_Heat_Transfer Accessed on: March 6, 2019

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