Introduction :

The naphthalene sublimation technique is an experimental technique employed to determined heat

transfer coefficients in convection flows. The basic characteristic of the techniques is that the heat
transfer problem to be investigated is replaced by analogous mass transfer problem. In the laboratory,
only mass transfer experiments are performed, and then heat transfer results are obtained by exploring
the concept of analogy between heat and mass transfer. Naphthalene is employed in the mass transfer
experiment because of some of its properties, such as the fact that it sublimes at room temperature, its
low toxicity and its good casting and machining properties.
A typical apparatus employed in naphthalene sublimation forced-convection experiments consists
basically of an open loop flow circuit. The circuit includes a test section, where the naphthalene
pieces are exposed to the airstream, a flow or velocity-measurement section and a blower.
The flow circuit is normally operated in the suction mode, and the test section is located at the
upstream end of the circuit. The choice of such an arrangement guarantees that the flowing air will not
be heated or contaminated with lubricating oil in the blower before it reaches the test section.
In typical applications of the technique, it is desirable to make certain that the air entering the flow
circuit is free of naphthalene vapour. In other words, it is convenient that the air entering the test
section has its bulk mass fraction of naphthalene vapour equal to zero. The main reason for such
practice is to avoid complicated mass-fraction measurements in determining the air inlet conditions.
To achieve this zero mass-fraction inlet condition, it is crucial that the environment from where fresh
air is drawn into the flow circuit has no connections with the environment to where air containing
naphthalene vapour is exhausted.
In natural convection experiments, the experimental apparatus acquires different characteristics. The
test section with the naphthalene pieces is normally held by a frame that often allows change of
orientation of the active surfaces with respect to the driving body force field. In situations of external
or open-cavity flows, protection against stray air currents must be provided, such as a protecting
enclosure or a surrounding channel. This protection must be designed such that possible changes in
freestream concentration of naphthalene vapour are kept to a minimum; otherwise the mass transfer
rates may be seriously affected. Due to the typically low mass transfer coefficients, enough
sublimation is achieved only with data runs that last several hours. Hence, to prevent significant
changes in the mass-fraction boundary condition during the experiments, the air temperature should
be controlled very tightly.
Objective:
To determine the rate of naphthalene sublimation and compare with calculated results.
Materials and Apparatus:
1. Naphthalene sphere
2. Aerodynamic unit
3. Pitot tube
4. Thermometer
5. Digital weighing scale



Appendix:


Figure 1: Naphthalene sphere being weighed

Figure 2: Aerodynamic Unit


Figure 3: Placement of specimen in the machine