Numerical heat transfer in annular fins of curved profile formed with the intersection of two equal circles

Abstract

Purpose – The focus of this work is to investigate the heat transfer attributes of annular fins with quarter circle profile in terms of the Biot number Bi and the radius ratio r_r. The latter corresponds to the internal radius of the tube divided by the length of the fin in question.Design/methodology/approach – To this end, the governing two-dimensional heat conduction equation in cylindrical coordinates is numerically solved via Finite Element Analysis for different Bi (i.e., 0.1, 1 and 5) and r_r (i.e., 0.5, 1 and 2).Findings – The obtained results for the mid-plane and surface temperatures show that these profiles, which exhibit nearly r_r-independent responses, only present 1-D radially linear distributions for the case Bi = 1. For Bi = 0.1, the temperature profiles also possess a 1-D character but with a clearly defined concave pattern. Finally, for Bi = 5, a 2-D temperature field in a wide zone from the fin base is achieved with a convex pattern for the mid-plane and surface temperatures.Originality/value – Exhaustive assessment of the heat transfer in annular fins with quarter circle profile.