Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

3-1 Lumped System Analysis

3-2 Nondimensional Heat Conduction Equation
3-3 Transient Heat Conduction in Semi-Infinite Solids
3-4 Periodic Heating

Advanced Heat Transfer Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

Y.C. Shih Spring 2009
3-1 Lumped System Analysis (1)

In heat transfer analysis, some bodies are essentially

isothermal and can be treated as a lump system.
An energy balance of an isothermal solid for the time
interval dt can be expressed as
As

h
SOLID BODY T
Heat Transfer into The increase in the m=mass
V=volume
the body energy of the body
during dt
= during dt
=density
Ti=initial temperature
Q& = hAs T T ( t )

T=T(t)

hAs(T-T)dt= mcpdT
3-1

Advanced Heat Transfer Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

Y.C. Shih Spring 2009
3-1 Lumped System Analysis (2)

d (T T ) hAs
= dt
T T Vc p
Integrating from time zero (at which T=Ti) to t gives
T (t ) T hAs
ln = t
Ti T Vc p
Taking the exponential of both sides and rearranging

T (t ) T bt hAs
=e ; b= (1/s) (1)
Ti T Vc p
b is a positive quantity whose dimension is (time)-1,
and is called the time constant. 3-2

Advanced Heat Transfer Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

Y.C. Shih Spring 2009
 3-1 Lumped System Analysis (3)

There are several observations that can be made from this figure and
the relation above:
1. Equation (1) enables us to determine the temperature T(t) of a
body at time t, or alternatively, the time t required for the
temperature to reach a specified value T(t).
2. The temperature of a body approaches the ambient temperature T
exponentially.
3. The temperature of the body changes rapidly at the beginning,
but rather slowly later on.
4. A large value of b indicates that the body
approaches the ambient temperature in a
short time.
3-3

Advanced Heat Transfer Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

Y.C. Shih Spring 2009
 3-1 Lumped System Analysis (4)

Criteria for Lumped System Analysis

Assuming lumped system is not always appropriate,
the first step in establishing a criterion for the
applicability is to define a characteristic length
Lc = V As
and a Biot number (Bi) as Bi = hLc
k
It can also be expressed as
Lc
k Rcond Conduction resistance within the body
Bi = = =
1 Rconv Convection resistance at the surface of the body
h R
h
conv R cond
T Ts Tin
3-4

Advanced Heat Transfer Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

Y.C. Shih Spring 2009
3-1 Lumped System Analysis (5)

Lumped system analysis assumes a uniform

temperature distribution throughout the body, which is
true only when the thermal resistance of the body to
heat conduction is zero.
The smaller the Bi number, the more accurate the
lumped system analysis.
It is generally accepted that lumped system analysis is
applicable if

Bi 0.1
3-5

Advanced Heat Transfer Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

Y.C. Shih Spring 2009
3-2 Nondimensional Heat Conduction Equation (1)

One-dimensional transient heat conduction equation

problem (0 x L):
T 1 T
2

Differential equation: x2 = t

T ( 0, t )
=0
x
Boundary conditions:
k T ( L, t ) = h T L, t T
( )
x

Initial condition: T ( x, 0 ) = Ti 3-6

Advanced Heat Transfer Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

Y.C. Shih Spring 2009
3-2 Nondimensional Heat Conduction Equation (2)

A dimensionless space variable

X=x/L
A dimensionless temperature variable
(x, t)=[T(x,t)-T]/[Ti-T]
The dimensionless time and h/k ratio will be obtained
through the analysis given below
Introducing the dimensionless variable
L T 2 L2 2T 1 T
= = ; = ; =
X ( x / L ) Ti T x X 2
Ti T x 2
t Ti T t
2 L2 2T (1, t ) hL ( 0, t )
= ; = (1, t ) ; =0
X 2
x t
2
X k X 3-7

Advanced Heat Transfer Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

Y.C. Shih Spring 2009
3-2 Nondimensional Heat Conduction Equation (3)
Therefore, the dimensionless time is =t/L2, which is called
the Fourier number (Fo).
hL/k is the Biot number (Bi).
The one-dimensional transient heat conduction problem in a
plane wall can be expressed in nondimensional form as
2
Differential equation: =
X 2

( 0, )
=0
X

Boundary conditions: (1, ) = Bi 1,
X ( )
Initial condition: ( X , 0) = 1 3-8

Advanced Heat Transfer Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

Y.C. Shih Spring 2009
3-2 Nondimensional Heat Conduction Equation (4)

Fourier number:

t kL (1/ L ) T
2
The rate at which heat is conducted
= = = across L of a body of volume L3
L2
cp L / t T
3
The rate at which heat is stored
in a body of volume L3

The Fourier number is a measure of heat conducted

through a body relative to heat stored.
A large value of the Fourier number indicates faster
propagation of heat through a body.

3-9

Advanced Heat Transfer Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

Y.C. Shih Spring 2009
3-3 Transient Heat Conduction in Semi-Infinite
Solids (1)
A semi-infinite solid is an idealized
body that has a single plane surface
and extends to infinity in all
directions.
Assumptions:
constant thermophysical properties
no internal heat generation
uniform thermal conditions on its exposed surface
initially a uniform temperature of Ti throughout.
Heat transfer in this case occurs only in the direction
normal to the surface (the x direction)
one-dimensional problem. 3-10

Advanced Heat Transfer Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

Y.C. Shih Spring 2009
3-3 Transient Heat Conduction in Semi-Infinite
Solids (2)
2T 1 T
Differential equation: =
x 2
t
T ( 0, t ) = Ts

T ( x , t ) = Ti
Boundary conditions:

Initial condition: T ( x, 0 ) = Ti

The separation of variables technique does not work

in this case since the medium is infinite.
The partial differential equation can be converted into
an ordinary differential equation by combining the
two independent variables x and t into a single
variable h, called the similarity variable. 3-11

Advanced Heat Transfer Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

Y.C. Shih Spring 2009
3-3 Transient Heat Conduction in Semi-Infinite
Solids (3)
Similarity Solution:
For transient conduction in a semi-infinite medium
x
=
Similarity variable: 4t
Assuming T=T(h) (to be verified) and using the chain rule, all
derivatives in the heat conduction equation can be transformed
into the new variable

2T 1 T 2T T
= = 2
x 2
t 2

3-12

Advanced Heat Transfer Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

Y.C. Shih Spring 2009
3-3 Transient Heat Conduction in Semi-Infinite
Solids (4) 2
T T
= 2
2
Noting that h=0 at x=0 and h as x (and also at t=0)
and substituting into Eqs. 437b (BC) give, after simplification

T ( 0) = Ts ; T ( ) = Ti
Note that the second boundary condition and the initial
condition result in the same boundary condition.
Both the transformed equation and the boundary conditions
depend on h only and are independent of x and t. Therefore,
transformation is successful, and h is indeed a similarity
variable.
3-13

Advanced Heat Transfer Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

Y.C. Shih Spring 2009
3-3 Transient Heat Conduction in Semi-Infinite
Solids (5)
Let w=dT/dh.
dw dw
= 2 w = 2d ln ( w) = 2 + C0
d w
where C1=ln(C0).
Back substituting w=dT/dh and integrating again,
2
w = C1e
where u is a dummy integration variable. The boundary condition at h=0
gives C2=Ts, and the one for h gives

T = C1 e u2
du + C2
0

2 (Ti Ts )
Ti = C1 e u2
du + C2 = C1 + Ts C1 =
0
2 3-14

Advanced Heat Transfer Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

Y.C. Shih Spring 2009
3-3 Transient Heat Conduction in Semi-Infinite
Solids (6)

T Ts 2
= e
u2
du = erf ( ) = 1 erfc ( )
Ti Ts 0

Where

2 2
erf ( ) = e erfc ( ) = 1 e
2
u u2
du ; du
0 0
are called the error function
and the complementary error
function, respectively, of
argument h.

3-15

Advanced Heat Transfer Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

Y.C. Shih Spring 2009
3-3 Transient Heat Conduction in Semi-Infinite
Solids (7)

Knowing the temperature distribution, the heat flux at

the surface can be determined from the Fouriers law
to be

T T 2 1 k (Ts Ti )
&qs = k = k = kC1e =
x x =0 x =0 4t =0 t

3-16

Advanced Heat Transfer Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

Y.C. Shih Spring 2009
3-3 Transient Heat Conduction in Semi-Infinite
Solids (8)
Other Boundary Conditions:
Analytical solutions can be obtained for other boundary conditions on the
surface and are given in the book
Specified Surface Temperature, Ts = constant.
Constant and specified surface heat flux.
Convection on the Surface,

3-17

Advanced Heat Transfer Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

Y.C. Shih Spring 2009
3-3 Transient Heat Conduction in Semi-Infinite
Solids (9)
Application: Solidification

x
T = (TM T0 )erfc + T0
2 t

3-18

Advanced Heat Transfer Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

Y.C. Shih Spring 2009
3-4 Periodic Heating

3-19

Advanced Heat Transfer Chapter 3: Transient Heat Conduction

Y.C. Shih Spring 2009