Application of the Transient Heat Transfer Measurement Technique in a Low Aspect Ratio Pin Fin Cooling Channel

Abstract

This study investigates on heat transfer enhancement in pin fin cooling channels. Experiments are conducted in a staggered pin fin array consisting of 15 rows. Heat transfer measurements are conducted in the pin fin cooling channel using the transient liquid crystal technique. The reference temperature is approximated by the fluid bulk temperature, acquired by thermocouples at specific positions. Thermal inertia of the used thermocouples is considered. One other problem that occurs while using relatively long thermocouples in short aspect ratio ducts is the heat conduction along the wires, the so-called stem effect. This can lead to erroneous temperature measurements. The impact of the thermocouple immersion length on the temperature measurement is investigated. A detailed assessment of the space and timewise varying temperature distribution is conducted for the appropriate reference temperature. This paper gives an overview about the experimental setup and the used transient measurement technique. Results are represented in terms of temperature distribution, heat transfer distribution, and averaged Nusselt number at the endwall.