DESCRIPTION

Technical Description

Heat conduction and convection are among the three basic forms of heat transfer and often occur together.

WL 430 allows basic experiments on both forms of heat transfer: heat conduction and convection.

At the heart of the unit are different metal samples. One of these samples is placed on a heater and heated on one side. The heat is conducted through the sample and dissipated to the environment. The sample used behaves like a cooling fin. In addition there are six fans below the sample. The flow rate of the fans is continuously adjustable in order to influence the convective heat transfer. The air flow is conveyed evenly around the sample. Consequently, besides conducting the experiment with still air (free convection), it is also possible to conduct experiments with flowing air (forced convection). The effect of different materials on heat conduction is demonstrated by comparing different samples.

The experimental unit is equipped with five temperature sensors. Heating power and flow velocity of the air flow are adjusted and displayed via the software.

The microprocessor-based instrumentation is well protected in the housing. The GUNT software consists of a software for system operation and for data acquisition and an educational software. With explanatory texts and illustrations the educational software significantly aids the understanding of the theoretical principles. The unit is connected to the PC via USB.

The well-structured instructional material sets out the fundamentals and provides a step-by-step guide through the experiments.

Learning Objectives / Experiments

- effect of heat conduction and convection on heat transfer
- effect of free and forced convection on heat transfer
- calculate convective heat transfers
- effect of different materials on heat conduction
- effect of sample length on heat transfer