Numerical study on the effect of fin length variation on the thermal performance of a bus duct conductor

Abstract

This article presents a finite volume-based simulation study on the effect of fin length variation on the thermal performance of a bus duct conductor. The study was conducted by developing a numerical model using ANSYS FLUENT. IEC 60439-1 and IEC 60439-2 standards were employed as a guideline to conduct the experimental setup. It was found that increasing the fin length increases the total heat transfer rate. This is due to an increase in the surface area exposed to the fluid and a decrease in the thermal boundary layer thickness. However, it was observed that longer fin lengths contributed to greater frictional forces on the fluid that resulted in a drop in convective heat transfer coefficient. The current numerical study is expected to provide a better understanding of the effect of fin length on the thermal performance of a bus duct conductor.