Experimental Study on Horizontal Cylinders with Triangular Fins under Natural Convection

• Main Authors: Gu-Won Lee, Hyun Jung Kim, Dong-Kwon Kim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-04-01
• Series: Energies
• Subjects: finned cylinders; natural convection; Nusselt number
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/11/4/836

In this study, thermal resistances of horizontal cylinders with triangular fins were measured in regard to fin numbers, fins heights, and temperature differences. Thereafter, an empirical correlation was proposed and validated for predicting the Nusselt numbers under the following conditions: Rayleigh number, 200,000–1,000,000; fin aspect ratio, 1.6–5.0; and fin number, 9–72. Finally, with the proposed correlation, the effects of fin numbers, fins heights, and fin thicknesses on the thermal resistances of the horizontal cylinders with triangular fins were investigated. It was shown that the thermal resistance generally increases as the fin number, fin height, and fin thickness increase. It is expected that horizontal cylinders for various cooling devices with triangular fins can be designed based on the findings of the present study.