Periodic Heat Transfer in Radiating and Convecting Fins or Fin Arrays

Abstract

A finite-element solution is presented for the heat transfer from radiating and converting fins or fin arrays. Consideration is given to thin, straight fins attached to a base surface for which the temperature varies periodically. Fin-to-fin, fin-to-base, and fin-to-environment radiative interactions are considered. It is assumed that the radiating surfaces are gray, the environment is black, and the surrounding fluid is transparent. An absorption factor technique is employed for the computation of energy exchange within the nonisothermal enclosure of the fin array.