MATHMATICAL FORMULATION

INTRODUCTION
Heat Transfer and Temperature Distribution in Fins
In the pin fin shown in Fig. 2.6, heat is removed from the wall at the base and is carried through
the fin by conduction in both the axial and radial directions. At the fin surface, heat is exchanged
with the surrounding fluid by convection. Thus the direction of heat flow is two dimensional.
Examining the temperature profile at any axial location x we note that temperature variation in
the lateral or radial direction is barely noticeable near the center of the fin. However, it becomes
more pronounced near its surface. This profile changes as one proceeds towards the tip. Thus
temperature distribution is also two-dimensional.

Fig-2
The Fin Approximation
An important simplification made in the analysis of fins is based on the assumption that
temperature variation in the lateral direction is negligible. That is, the temperature at any cross
section is uniform. This assumption vastly simplifies the mathematical treatment of fins since it
not only transforms the governing equation for steady state from partial to ordinary, but also
makes it possible to analytically treat fins having irregular cross sectional areas. The question is,
under what conditions can this approximation be made? Let us try to develop a criterion for
justifying this assumption. First, the higher the thermal conductivity is the more uniform the
temperature will be at a given cross section. Second, a low heat transfer coefficient tends to act
as an insulation layer and thus forcing a more uniform temperature in the interior of the cross
section. Third, the smaller the half thickness is the smaller the temperature drop will be through
the cross section. Assembling these three factors together gives a dimensionless ratio, h / k,
which is called the Biot number. Therefore, based on the above reasoning, the criterion for
assuming uniform temperature at a given cross section is a Biot number which is small compared
to unity. That is
h
Biot number = Bi = K

<< 1

Comparisons between exact and approximate solutions have shown that this simplification is
justified when the Biot number is less than 0.1. Note that /k represents the internal conduction
resistance and 1/h is the external convection resistance. Rewriting the Biot number in as (/k) /
(1/h) shows that it represents the ratio of the internal and external resistances.
Assumptions :
Steady-state operation

Constant surrounding air temperature of

One-dimensional heat transfer by conduction in the radial direction

Heat transfer coefficient, h, is uniform along the fin surface
Negligible thermal radiation
Constant properties
Homogeneous isotropic material, with thermal conductivity, k

The Fin Heat Equation: Convection at Surface

To determine the rate of heat transfer from fins it is first necessary to obtain the temperature
distribution. As with other conduction problems, temperature distribution is determined by
solving an appropriate heat
equation based on the principle of conservation of energy. Since conduction in fins is twodimensional which is modeled mathematically as one-dimensional, it is necessary to formulate
the principle of conservation of energy specifically for fins
`

(a)

(b)

We consider a general case of a variable area fin with volumetric energy generation

(c)

q' ' '

under

transient conditions. The fin exchanges heat with an ambient fluid by convection. The heat

transfer coefficient is h and the ambient temperature is

T .

we select an origin at the base and

a coordinate axis x as shown in Fig. 3. We limit the analysis to stationary material and assume
that the Biot number is small compared to unity and thus invoke the fin approximation that the
temperature does not vary within a cross section. Since the temperature depends on a single
spatial variable x, our starting point should be the selection of an appropriate element. We select
a fin slice at location x of infinitesimal thickness dx which encompasses the entire cross section.
This element is enlarged in Fig 3b Conservation of energy for the element requires that
+ E g E
out = E
E
Where

E
= rate of energy change within the element
g
E
= rate of energy added to the element
out
E
= rate of energy generation per unit volume

= rate of energy removed from the element

Energy enters the element by conduction at a rate

Energy also leaves by convection at a rate d

qc

qx

and leaves at (

q x +d q x

) dx a rate

Note that this rate is infinitesimal because the

surface area of the element is infinitesimal. Neglecting radiation, we write

=q x
E
And

out =q x + q x
E
x

dx+ d q c

Substituting (b) and (c) into (a)

g q x dxd q c = E

E
x
We introduce Fourier's law and Newtons law to eliminate
q x =k Ac

T
x

And
dq c =h ( T T ) d A s

qx

and

d qc

respectively. Thus,

Where

A c= A c ( x )

is the cross-sectional area through which heat is conducted. We should

keep in mind that this area may change with x and that it is normal to x. The infinitesimal area
d As
is the surface area of the element where heat is exchanged by convection with the
ambient. The volumetric energy generation is given by
g=q ' ' '
A c (x)dx
E
The rate of energy change within the element is given by
= c p Ac ( x ) T dx
E
t
Substituting (e)-(h) into (d)

T
T
K Ac ( x )
dxh ( T T ) d A s +q ' ' ' A c ( x ) dx= c p Ac ( x )
dx
x
x
t

for constant K
2 T
x2

d Ac T
1
d A s q' ' '
h
T

+ A c ( x) + dx x K A c (x) (T- ) dx + K

A /dx ,
Where is thermal diffusivity. The quantities Ac (x ) , d c

A s /dx

1 T
t

are determined

from the geometry of the fin.

Thermal Stress
Introduction
It is well known that change in temperature cause bodies to expand or contract. The increase in
T0
the length of a uniform bar of length L, when its temperature is raised from
to T, is
L= L (T-

Where is the coefficient of thermal expansion. if the bar is prevented from complete expanding
in axial direction , then the average compressive stress induced is
=E

L
L

Where E is the modulus of elasticity. Thus for complete restrain, the thermal stress needed is

 =E(T T )
Where negative sign indicates the compressive nature of stress . If the expansion is prevented
partially , then the stress induced is
=zE (T T )
Where z represents a restraint coefficient. It is assumed in the above analysis that E and are
independent of temperature. In general . in a elastic continuum, the temperature change is not
uniform throughout . It is function of time and the space coordinates (x,y,z),i.e.
T=T(t,x,y,z)
The body under consideration may be restricted from expansion or movement in some regions
and external tractions may be applied other region.The determination of stresses in under such
situations may be quite complex.
Thermoelastic Stress-strain Relations:
Consider a body to be made up of a large number of small cubicle elements. If the temperatures
of all these elements are uniformly raised and if the boundary of the body is unconstrained, then
all cubical elements will expand uniformly and all fit together to from a continuous body. If
however, the temperature rise is not uniform, each element will tend to expand by a different
amount, and if these elements have to fit together to form a continuous body , then distortions of
the elements and consequently stress should occur in the body.
The total strains at each point of a body are thus made up of two parts. The first part is a uniform
expansion proportional to the temperature rise T. For any cubical element of an isotropic body,
this expansion is the same in all directions and in this manner only normal strains and no
shearing strains occur. If the coefficient of linear thermal expansion is , this normal strain in any
direction is equal to T. The second part of the strains at each point is due to the stress
components. The Total strains at each point can, therefore, be written as