Pin Fin Temperature Simulation

(Project No. 1 in ME 57 Heat Transfer)

Submitted by:
RALPH JAN AQUINO, BSME3A
Student

JOETINY CATINOY, BSME3A

Student

ARMAND BOY CRISPO, BSME3A

Student

VINCE DOMINICH MADRONERO, BSME3A

Student

JOANNE MARIE SUMEGA, BSME3A

Student

DEVY JONES TALLE, BSME3A

Student

MALVIN KRIS TURBELA, BSME3A

Student

Submitted to:
ENGR. CLEIFFORD S. ALFARERO
Instructor
 I. Introduction

Heat transfer plays a vital role in the requirement of heat transfer technology for the
improvement of heat transfer coefficient for increasing the efficiency, reducing the cost and
the use of lightweight material for the enhancement of the heat transfer in the current high
technology that runs our world. It is Important to increase heat transfer in a surface area to
solve some number of issues such as the functionality, power, components etc. in a modern
technology. Improving the performance of many technology manufacturing processes
becomes a quite relevant in the competitive world does heat transfer plays a key role in
engineering applications for the material selection and machinery efficiency. Basically,
understanding the heat transfer mechanism, engineer help to understand the process of
heat such as convection, conduction, radiation which can use to analyse the effectiveness
for a certain materials selection.

Increasing the heat transfer from heated surfaces is a challenge for engineers
considering a lot of factor such as the budget, the amount of considerably energy to be
transfer from heated surfaces to air and other factors. One of the solutions presented to
increase the heat transfer is increasing the temperature gradient between the object and the
environment or increasing the convection heat transfer coefficient that require the installation
of a pump or fan, or replacing the existing one with larger one however this approach
sometimes it is not feasible and may or may not practical and besides, it may not be
adequate and not a friendly budget. Thus, engineer came up with the solution by increasing
the surface area to an object or what we call fin and can sometimes be an economical
solution to heat transfer problem. Extended surfaces commonly known as fins surfaces are
used in a variety of the engineering applications to dissipate heat surroundings. Mostly,
engineers used pin fin to increase the rate of heat transfer from heated surfaces to air thus,
pin fin regarding heat transfer is always higher than the other fin configurations.

Pin fin is made of highly conductive materials such as aluminum and can transfer
considerably more energy than straight fins. Fins are most commonly used in heat
exchanging devices such as radiators in cars, computer CPU heat sinks, and heat
exchanger in power plants commonly used in newer technology such as hydrogen fuel cells.
Pin fin is designed to optimize the positive attributes of each individual pin fin in a pin fin
arrangement to provide a low-cost overall system and provide better system performance.
 II. Methods

Model System

Theoretical Method Computational Method

Convection
Infinitely Long Adiabatic Solidworks
from Fin tip
Fin Model Fin Tip Model Simulation
Model

Results Results Results Results

Tabulation and
Tabulation of
comparison of
simulation results
results

Tabulation,
graphing, and
comparison of
results

Fig. 1. Flowchart of the project

Based on the flowchart shown above, the activity proper is conducted by means of a
Model System. In the theoretical method, the students followed three models which are the
infinitely long fin, adiabatic fin tip, and convection from fin tip models. Using Microsoft Excel,
the students then input the formulas for each model and the corresponding conditions given
from the model system wherein the results from each process have been tabulated, and
compared. Furthermore, in the computational method the students used SolidWorks to find
the temperature distribution of the same pin fin by performing a simulation. And from that
simulation, data have been collected, and tabulated in the Microsoft excel. The results of the
theoretical method were then compared to the computational method using a scatter plot in
MS Excel to know which model has the same result as the simulation.

To collect the necessary inputs for the theoretical methods, the students used to
following formulas.

hP
m=
kAc

P=2r

Ac=r2
Where m (m-1) is the simplification term, P (m) is the perimeter of the pin fin, Ac (m2)
is the fin cross-sectional area, k (W/m •°C) is thermal conductivity, h (W/m2 •°C) is heat
transfer coefficient, r (m) is the radius.

In order to find and collect the theoretical temperature distribution values, the
students used the following formulas of the three different models.

Table 1. Temperature Distribution Formulas

Model /b T(x)

Infinitely long fin e-mx T+(Tb-T)e-mx

Adiabatic Fin tip T+(Tb-T)

Convection from
fin tip T+(Tb-T)

Where x (m) is the position down the fin, m (m-1) is the simplification term, L (m) is the
fin length, T (oC) is the ambient temperature, Tb (oC) is the temperature at the base, h(W/m2
•°C) is the heat transfer coefficient, k(W/m •°C) is the thermal conductivity.

To collect the computational method of the temperature distribution of the pin fin
model, the students used the Solidworks software 2013 version, where the correct
dimensions and inputs were used to get the desired results.
 III. Discussion of Results

We describe the results of the different pin fin models, which show the temperature
distributions in each of the models. Calculations were made in determining the temperature
distribution for the different pin fin tip models which spans 125 mm in length, and then
comparing the resulting data to the results provided by the Solidworks 3d simulation.

1. Theoretical Methods

Using MS Excel, the findings that we have attained from the activity proper
are as follows:

Fig. 2.1. Theoretical Values

Fig. 2.2. Theoretical Values

Fig. 2.3. Theoretical Values

Fig. 2.4. Theoretical Values

Fig. 2.5. Theoretical Values

Fig. 2.6. Theoretical Values

The above figures show the input values converted and calculated, as well as the
theoretical results of the pin fin at three different models such as infinitely long fin, adiabatic
pin fin model, and the convection from fin tip model.

In fig. 2.1, the table 1(Inputs) were collected from Frankie Skaggs youtube tutorial
video entitled “SolidWorks - Pin Fin Temperature Distribution”. Though the tutorial did not
show the computations of the value m, the students calculated the value using the formula
and the inputs given. The resulting m is equal to 12.24744871 m-1, it was then rounded to
12.25 m-1 since the video also used the rounded value.

The table 2 (Infinitely long fin) in the figure above represents the values of
temperature distributed every 1mm of the fin assumed to be in an infinitely long fin model
where the temperature at the fin tip is equal to the ambient temperature.

The table 3 (Adiabatic fin tip) in the figure above represents the values of
temperature distributed every 1mm of the fin assumed to be in an adiabatic fin tip model
where the heat loss at the fin tip is negligible.

The table 4 (Convection from fin tip) in the figure above represents the values of
temperature distributed every 1mm of the fin assumed to have convection from the fin tip.
 2. Computational Method

Using Solidworks 2013, the pin fin model was sketched using the dimensions
provided in the tutorial and then subjected to a simulation. The results are as
follows:

Fig. 3. Pin Fin Model

The above figure shows the pin fin model sketch with the dimensions given. The
material that was specified was a 1060 alloy and after careful 2 dimensional sketching, it
was then extruded to the desired length (125 mm).
Fig. 4. Pin Fin Thermal Simulation

The figure above shows the temperature distribution on the pin fin with 125oC as
the base temperature and 25oC as the ambient temperature. The simulation was specified to
have a heat transfer coefficient of 75 W/m2 oC.

After carefully examining the values inputted, the results were then extracted in an
MS Excel format, the values are as follows:

Fig. 5.1 Solidworks Result

Fig. 5.2 Solidworks Result

Fig. 5.3 Solidworks Result

Fig. 5.4 Solidworks Result

Fig. 5.5 Solidworks Result

Fig. 5.6 Solidworks Result

The figures above show the solidworks simulation results of the pin fin model. The
positions of the temperatures were in millimeters, thus, the students had converted the
results to meters but it does not exactly show a 0.001 m difference.

By using Table 4 (Convection from Fin Tip) to represent the results attained from the
Theoretical Method, this is then correlated with the values attained from Table 5 (Solidworks
Simulation) by means of a scatter plot:

Theoretical vs Solidworks

Temperature (oC)
 Fig. 6. Comparison of theoretical and computational method results
The figure above shows the comparison of results using the values of the
convection from fin tip model temperature distribution and the solidworks computational
methods. It shows that the theoretical methods computed in the video tutorial uses the
convection from fin tip model to be compared to a computational method.
IV. Conclusion

The findings showed that the Solidworks simulation on pin fins were about as
exact as what would be calculated theoretically through the use of mathematical
models like the Convection from Fin Tip Model. This implies that in the analysis of
pin fins, the mathematical model would be sufficient enough in determining the
nature of the transfer of heat energy through a pin fin. This provides practical
significance, since in designing machines with a pin fin component, such as
radiators and heat sinks, the designer would not require, unless necessary, to
conduct vigorous testing of the pin fin to determine its performance.

The pin fin is a result of the application of thermodynamics in machine design.

How the pin fin is designed is what determines the effectiveness of heat transfer
and temperature control in machinery, and thus make machines more durable. Its
importance in machine design requires a thorough understanding of heat
transfer, thus making it crucial for mechanical engineers and mechanical
engineering students in particular to learn Heat Transfer as an elementary core
subject in their college course.
V. References

TeachEngineering, (n.d). “Teaching heat Transfer”. Retrieved from

https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/uoh_magic_lesson01#:~:text=
Heat%20is%20a%20concept%20that,efficiency%20and%20reaction%20kinet
ics%2 C%20respectively

Zografos A, (July, 1990). “Natural Convection from pin fin arrays”. Retrieved from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0894177790900426#:~:text=
Pin%20fins%20are%20used%20to,more%20energy%20than%20straight%20
fins.

International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, (1986). “Orientation Effects on

natural convection/radiation heat transfer from pin fin arrays”. Retrieved from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0017931086902061.

International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, (1986). “International Journal of

Heat and Mass Transfer, (1986)”. Retrieved from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S001793101400430X.

Concord, Ontario, (n.d.). “Cooling the pin-fin way”. Retrieved from

https://www.machinedesign.com/archive/article/21814903/cooling-the-pinfin-
way.