×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Natural Convection of Pipe fitted with fin

Natural Convection of Pipe fitted with fin

Natural Convection of Pipe fitted with fin

(OP)
Dear Colleague and Guru,

I would like to get some opinion for natural convection of a finned pipe.

I was trying to calculated how much temperature can be dropped by simple natural convection of a pipe which is attached with  radial fins. The pipe is 16" dia and the pipe length is about 500 ft (any kind of cooler is not a choice).

I've search all my references and found in Perry about what so called "fin area efficiency". This term refer to fraction of fin area that efectively added to the bare surface for heat transfer. however, nothing about heat transfer coefficient for finned surface in a natural convection so i guess it will be roughly the same as bare pipe natural convection.

So in my thought, i have to know the additional fin area, calculate the fin area efficiency and then added the effective fin area to the bare pipe surface and then calculate the heat transfer using bare pipe natural convection model by adding additional pipe length proportionally. In other word if i have "A" area of pipe and "A" area of fin with 0.5 efficiency so the heat transfer area is 1.5 "A". So if the pipe length is "B", i should calculate the bare pipe natural convection with 1.5 "B" pipe length.

What do you think about that?

thanks before for any comments and opinion,

regards,

-RAYZ-
  

RE: Natural Convection of Pipe fitted with fin

Rayz-

One question: How do you plan to inspect this 500' length of pipe?

I recall seeing the remnants of a similar brilliant idea which had to be discarded due to not being able to get thickness readings on it. Keep it practical not only for the initial installation, but for the inspection and maintenance folks as well. Anything less is inconsiderate and will lead to the early demise of the system.

Perhaps you could achieve the heat transfer you seek through several smaller bore pipes with more surface area. Without fins they are easy to inspect. Add block valves and each pipe can be repaired or replaced on the run.

jt

RE: Natural Convection of Pipe fitted with fin

(OP)
Jte,

I also don't like the idea for problem that will be arise, including handling and installation... However, i still curious with the heat transfer issues..

regards,

-bay-

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources