An approximate analytical prediction about thermal performance and optimum design of pin fins subject to condensation of saturated steam flowing under forced convection

An approximate analytical method has been suggested for solving the governing equation for horizontal pin fins subject to condensation while saturated steam flowing over its under laminar forced convection. Adomian decomposition method is used for determination of the temperature distribution, performance and optimum dimensions of pin fins with temperature dependent thermal conductivity under the condensation of steam on the fin surface. From the results, a significant effect on the temperature distribution in the fin and its performances are noticed with the variation in fin-geometric parameters and thermo-physical properties of saturated vapor. Next, a generalized scheme for optimization has been demonstrated in such a way that either heat-transfer duty or fin volume can be taken as a constraint. Finally, the curves for the optimum design have been generated for the variation of different thermo-physical and geometric parameters, which may be helpful to a designer for selecting an appropriate design condition.