Laboratory Experiment In The Free Convection Of A Vertical Heated Constant Temperature Plate Using Labview

The measurement and automation programming language LabVIEW features data acquisition (DAQ) toolboxes that interface with plug and play National Instruments (NI) DAQ hardware. Code can be compiled and packaged as executable files that can then be loaded on multiple PCs without additional licensing. The authors have developed a student laboratory exercise that uses LabVIEW to collect temperature data on and near a vertical plate (Polycarbonate) heated on one side by water (T =~100 oC). Heat is conducted through the plate and then to the air by natural convection. Thermocouples connected to a NI-DAQ PC interface card measured temperatures on and near the plate at six vertical locations, generating temperature profiles within the thermal boundary layer. Students monitored and recorded temperatures on-demand using a LabVIEW program run from an executable file on the host PC. The objective of the lab is to introduce students to experimental and analytical methods of free convective heat transfer analysis including: the application of similarity solutions, experimental measurement, and the analytical and experimental determination of the convective heat transfer coefficient. A description of the experiment and the implementation of LabVIEW are presented along with sample experimental data and results of a student survey.