1.

0 TITLE
FORCED & NATURAL CONVECTION

2.0 OBJECTIVE
Demonstrate the use of a flat plate to improve the thermal properties of heat transfer in
forced convection.

3.0 INTRODUCTION

Convection is the transfer of energy between a solid surface and the adjacent fluids that
is in motion, and it involves the combined effects of conduction and fluid motion. Convective
heat and mass transfer take place through both diffusion of the random Brownian motion of
individual particles in the fluid and by advection, in which matter or heat is transported by the
larger scale motion of currents in the fluid.

Convection is also the mode of energy transfer between a solid surface and the adjacent liquid
or gas that is in motion, and it involves the combined effects of conduction and fluid motion.
The faster the fluid motion, the greater heat convection heat transfers. In the absence of any
bulk fluid motion, heat transfer between a solid surface and the adjacent fluid is by pure
conduction. The presence of bulk motion of the fluid enhances the heat transfer between the
solid surface and the fluid, but it also complicates the determination of heat transfer rates.

Convection is called forced convection if the fluid is forced to flow over the surface by external
means such as a fan or the wind. In contrast, convection is called natural (or free) convection
if the fluid motion is caused by buoyancy forces that are induced by density differences due to
the variation of temperature in the fluid. Convection can also be qualified in terms of being
natural, forced, gravitational, granular, or thermo magnetic.
4.0 THEORY

Heat transfer from an object can be improved by increasing the surface area in contact with air by
adding fins or pins normal to the surface. This can be seen in Newton`s Law of Cooling, which defines
the convection heat transfer rate:

Q  hAs Ts  T 

The effect of the surfaces can be demonstrated by comparing finned and unfinned surfaces with a
flat plate under the same conditions of power and flow.