Research Article Open Access

Method of Weighted Residual Approach for Thermal Performance Evaluation of a Circular Pin fin: Galerkin Finite element Approach

Abstract

Method of weighted residual has been one of the foremost approximation solution to partial differential equation problem. Thermal performance efficiency of a tapered cast Aluminium (4.5% copper) fin with varying crossectional area in an electronic equipment cooling, has been determined using Galerkin finite element method. The fin is made of Aluminium and has a thermal conductivity k of 168 W/m2-°C. The base is held at Tb = 90°C at x = 0 and the ambient fluid temperature Ta = 25°C. The fin has a Varying cross-section Area length Lf of 0.03 m, and diameter of (D = 0.005 m, d = 0.002 m) with convective heat transfer coefficient h is 75 W/m2-°C and the tip at X = Lf is insulated. The material is discritized into four elements with five equally spaced nodes, designed to take to take a one dimensional setting and solved by the Galerkin finite element method, the fin efficiency is calculated and implemented in a matlab computer to be 80% fin efficient.

Olanipekun AT, Oladosu TL, Faola AE

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