Heat Transfer Lab

Heat Transfer Lab

Heat Transfer Experiments

Temperature Measurement Bench

Students will calibrate several thermometers in a water bath to determine linearity and hysteresis. The effect of reference junctions and added resistance on thermocouple circuits, as well as resistance change with temperature for a RTD will be examined. Students will acquaint themselves with the operation of radiation thermometers (pyrometers).

Heat Conduction in Solids Apparatus

Students will be familiarized with measurements of heat transmission in solids and be able to interpret physical phenomena taught in the heat transfer course. The effects of temperature, heat flux, and cross sectional area on thermal conductivity measurements will be examined. Students will experimentally determine conductivity for several samples and compare them to known values.

Free Convection and Lumped Capacitance Apparatus

Students will become familiar with measurements of convective heat transfer and will interpret physical phenomena taught in the heat transfer course. The effects of temperature, heat flux, area, geometry, etc. on heat transfer by natural convection will be examined and the validity of the lumped capacitance method will be explored. Students will be introduced to the use of a data acquisition system.

Convective Heat Transfer (Internal Flow) Test Bench

Students will be familiarized with convective heat transfer for internal flow of a fluid in a tube. Students will be asked to interpret physical phenomena taught in the heat transfer course. The validity and use of known literature correlations for internal flows will be explored.

Liquid to Air Heat Transfer (Heat Exchanger Performance) Apparatus

Students will be familiarized with measurements of convective heat transfer between two fluids divided by a rigid wall, as in a heat exchanger. They will interpret physical phenomena taught in the heat transfer course and verify the validity of known literature correlations for heat exchangers.