Wind Chill Factor Regie Hyppolite and Justin Hyatt

Wind Chill

Introduction We would like to show scientific support for the wind chill factor used by meteorologists. We will do this by conducting an experiment with forced convection and creating a derivation of the wind chill factor relationship.

Heat Transfer Experiment We heated a flat plate with a specified wattage and passed air over it in a wind tunnel until the surface temperature of the plate became constant. We recorded the steady-state surface temperature at multiple wind speeds. We compared these measured values to calculated theoretical values.

Equations Used for Calculations 1 st Step – Determine Nature of Flow. Is it Laminar or Turbulent? All Fluid Properties were taken at film temperature.

Experiment Results

Results Discussion The calculated results follow a similar trend as the measured data. The difference is within experimental error. How does this model relate to Wind Chill Factor? Scientists disagree on how to calculate the effect of wind on a human’s perception of temperature. Some assume a constant flux and calculate the changed surface temperature, others find the equivalent air temperature that would create the same flux in free convection, Some use empirical data. It is difficult to create a universal model as many factors affect perceived temperature including air and surface moisture and the shape and area of the surface.