Conjugate mixed convection-conduction heat transfer along a vertical cylindrical fin in non-newtonian fluids

By considering the interaction between conduction within the fin and convection to the fluid surrounding the fin, an analysis is presented to study the heat transfer characteristics of laminar mixed convection of a non-Newtonian fluid flow over a vertical cylindrical fin. Due to the compatibility conditions of heat flux and temperature at the surface of fin, the boundary layer equations of the fluid are coupled with the heat conduction equation of the fin and should be solved simultaneously. Of interest are the effects of transverse curvature parameter, bouyancy parameter, power-law viscosity index, generalized Prandtl number and conjugate convection-conduction parameter on the local heat transfer coefficient, local heat flux and temperature distribution of the fin. Comparison of the calculated results with available data sets in the open literature for a Newtonian fluid shows a very good performance of the present numerical procedure.