Development of Numerical Model of Natural Convection Heat Transfer for Wire-mesh Vertical fin

Abstract

Finite difference method in union with least square scheme and previously experimental temperature data is used to predict the approximate value of heat transfer coefficient on the wire-mesh fins in natural convection for various fin spacing and height of the fin and size of wire. Convection phenomenon is used to predict the heat transfer coefficient in natural convection. Since distribution of temperature on the entire surface is assumed to be uniform, the heat transfer coefficient on this wire-mesh fin is assumed to be uniform. Entire fin surface is divided into several sub-fin regions or discretized in small domain to predict the value of heat transfer coefficient and distribution of temperature as well. Obtained value of heat transfer coefficient and average fin temperature along the height of the fin are then compared with the experimental data for validation. The result shows that the value of (heat transfer coefficient, h (W/m2 k) increases with increasing the fin spacing. The fin temperature departs from the ideal isothermal situation and decreases more rapidly away from the base with increasing the fin spacing. In order to validate the accuracy of the present finite difference method, a comparison of temperature value at different location obtained by experiment and by finite difference method on the fin, is also made.