Enhanced heat transfer from a horizontal finned tube situated in a vertical channel

Experiments were performed to determine the heat transfer characteristics of a horizontal finned tube situated in a vertical channel which is open to the ambient at the top and bottom. The heat transfer from the finned tube is by natural convection and radiation. The response of the finned-tube heat transfer to three geometric parameters was investigated: (1) the vertical position of the tube in the channel, (2) the clearance between the fin tips and the channel walls, and (3) the height of the channel. Experiments were also carried out with the finned tube situated in free space. It was found that in-channel positioning of the finned tube gave rise to substantially higher heat transfer rates than did free-space positioning. With the finned tube situated in the channel, the heat transfer was enhanced by: (1) positioning the tube at the bottom of the channel, (2) small tip-to-wall clearances, and (3) tall channels.