Chapter 2

Conduction Heat
Transfer
 Objectives

Student should be able to:

i. Define & describe heat transfer process
through conduction.
ii. Determine the rate of heat transfer or
heat loss through various geometries
and multilayer system by using
Fouriers Law.
 Revision

Heat Transfer

Temperature Heat Flow

The amount of thermal The movement of
energy available thermal energy
 Heat Transfer
Temp Hot face Cold face
Heat is
transferred from
hot regions to Hot
face
cold regions, take temp.
place whenever
there is a
Cold
temperature Temp. face
gradient
difference. temp.

Figure 1
 Heat Transfer

- The rate at which heat flows from hot to

cold depends on many factors, but there
will always be some flow.

- The shape of the temperature gradient is

defined by the conditions (hot and cold
face temperatures, thermal conductivity
of barrier, heat capacity and thickness of
material etc.).
 Heat Conduction

- Conduction Heat Transfer is the transfer

of heat by the interaction between
adjacent molecules of a material.
or
- Conduction is the transfer of energy from
the more energetic particles of a
substance to the adjacent less energetic
ones as a result of interactions between
the particles.
 Heat Conduction

- All materials transfer heat by conduction

as their component atoms or molecules
exchange energy through collisions.

- Conduction can take place in solids,

liquids, or gases
 Heat Conduction

Solids are the most effective conductors

of heat.
Atoms - fixed positions, constantly
vibrate and interact with their
neighbours.
In hot areas the atoms vibrate more
strongly - tend to pass energy to cooler
regions resulting in heat flow.
Depends the way the atoms are
bonded together.
 Heat Conduction

HOT COLD
(lots of vibration) (not much vibration)

Heat travels
along the rod

Figure 2
 Heat Conduction

- When the thermal energy

(heat) is supplied to one end of
the rod, the particles (atom or
molecules) at the hot end
vibrate vigorously.
- These particles will collide with
neighboring particles, making
them vibrate as well.
- Kinetic energy of the
vibrating particles at the hot
end is transferred to the
neighboring particles.
- Liquids are less good conductors of heat
than solids
The interactions are weaker than in
solids and this makes energy transfer
less efficient.

- Gases are very poor conductors of heat.

The atoms or molecules are widely
separated and interact rarely
compared to solids and liquids.
 Steady versus Transient Heat
Transfer

- Steady implies no
change with time at
any point within the
medium

- Transient implies
variation with time
or time dependence

Transient and steady heat conduction

in a plane wall
 Multidimensional Heat
Transfer
- Heat transfer problems are also classified as
being:
one-dimensional,
two dimensional,
three-dimensional.
- In the most general case, heat transfer through
a medium is three-dimensional. However,
some problems can be classified as two- or one-
dimensional depending on the relative
magnitudes of heat transfer rates in different
directions and the level of accuracy desired.
 One-dimensional

- The temperature in
the medium varies in
one direction only.

- The variation of
temperature and
thus the heat transfer
in other direction
are negligible or zero.

Heat transfer through the window

of a house can be taken
to be one-dimensional
 Two-dimensional

Two-dimensional heat transfer in a long rectangular bar

 Fouriers Law
(One-dimensional heat
conduction)
Fourier determined that Q/A, the heat
transfer per unit area (W/m2) is
proportional to the temperature gradient
dT/dx. The constant of proportionality is
called the material thermal conductivity,
k.

Q dT
q = = k
A dx
 Fouriers Law

Q dT dT
q = = k Q = kA
A dx dx

q = heat flux (Wm-2)

Q = heat transfer rate (W)
k = thermal conductivity (Wm-1K-1)
dT = temperature difference (K)
dx = distance across section (m)
 Fouriers Law

- Note that Fourier's Law is a vector

relationship.
- Therefore, negative sign (-) appears in
Fourier's Law of heat conduction.
 Fouriers Law

- This is because the rate of heat transfer is

a vector with a specific direction.
Remember that heat is always
transferred from hot to cold & energy
(heat) flows in the opposite direction of
the temperature gradient.

- Therefore the rate of heat transfer must

always be in the opposite direction of the
temperature gradient
 Thermal Conductivity

- Thermal conductivity (k), is a physical

property of the material.
- It measures the materials ability to
conduct heat.
- It varies for different materials.

- The S.I unit for k is W/mK.

Thermal Conductivity

Thermal
Material Conductivity
Wm-1K-1
Silver 410
Copper 385
Glass 0.78
Glass Wool 0.038
Water 0.556
Air 0.024
Thermal Conductivity
Steady Heat Conduction in
Plane Walls

Heat transfer through a wall is one-dimensional

when the temperature of the wall
varies in one direction only.
Steady Heat Conduction in Plane
Walls

From Fouriers Law : T2 T1

dT
Q = kA q
dx
x2 T2

Q.dx = kAdT
x1 T1
x2 x1
* T1> T2
Q[ x2 x1 ] = kA[T2 T1 ]
[T1 T2 ]
Q = kA
x2 x1
Steady Heat Conduction in Plane
Walls
The rate of heat transfer : T T
Q = kA 1 2
x2 x1

Note that T1 > T2

Thermal Resistance, RTH: RTH

T1 T2

Therefore, RTH = x/kA

Thermal Resistance Concept

Analogy between thermal and electrical resistance concepts

 Example 1

Calculate the rate of heat

q transfer through the fiber
insulating board composed
of 25.4 mm thick where the
inside temperature is 79.7C
and the outside temperature
is 24.1C. Given k = 0.048
W m-1 K-1 and A = 0.5 m2.

25.4 mm
 Example 2

The roof of an electrically heated home is 6 m long, 8 m

wide, and 0.25 m thick, and is made of a flat layer of
concrete whose thermal conductivity is k 0.8 W/m C.
The temperatures of the inner and the outer surfaces of
the roof one night are measured to be 15C and 4C,
respectively, for a period of 10 hours. Determine

(a) the rate of heat loss through the roof that night and
(b) the cost of that heat loss to the home owner if the
cost of electricity is $0.08/kWh.
 Hollow Cylindrical Heat
Conduction

From Fouriers Law :

dT
Q = k Ar
dr
ro To
ri
Q.dr = k A dT
ri Ti
r

ro To ro
1 L
r r r dr = T 2 k LdT
Q
i i

Qr [ln r ]rroi = 2 k L[Ti To ] Where: Ar = 2rL

Ti To
Qr = 2 k L
ro
ln
ri
 Hollow Cylindrical Heat
Conduction
The rate of heat transfer :
Qr = 2kL
[Ti To ]
ro
ln
ri

Thermal Resistance, RTH: RTH

Ti To
r
ln o
ri
Therefore, RTH =
2 k L
 Example 3

Consider a steam pipe of length L = 20 m,

inner radius r1 = 6 cm, outer radius r2 = 8 cm
and thermal conductivity k = 20 W/mK. The
inner and outer surfaces of the pipe are
maintained at average temperatures of T1 =
150C and T2 = 60C respectively. Determine
the rate of heat loss from the steam through
the pipe.
 Example 4

A stainless steel pipe with a length of 35 ft has an

inner diameter of 0.92 ft and an outer diameter of
1.08 ft. The temperature of the inner surface of the
pipe is 122F and the temperature of the outer
surface is 118F. The thermal conductivity of the
stainless steel is 108 Btu/hr-ft-F.

a) Calculate the heat transfer rate through the pipe.

b) Calculate the heat flux at the outer surface of the
pipe.
 Spherical Heat Conduction

From Fouriers Law :

dT
Q = k Ar
dr
ro To

Q.dr = k A dT
ri Ti
r

ro To
ro
1 ri
r r r 2 dr = T 4 k dT
Q
i i

ro
1
Qr = 4 k [Ti To ] Where: Ar = 4r2
r ri
Ti To
Qr = 4 k
1 1

ri ro
Spherical Heat Conduction

The rate of heat transfer : [Ti To ]

Qr = 4 k
1 1

ri r0

Thermal Resistance, RTH: RTH

Ti To
1 1

r r
Therefore, RTH = i o
4 k
 Example 5

Consider a spherical container of inner radius r1 8 cm,

outer radius r2 10 cm, and thermal conductivity k 45
W/m C, as shown in Fig. below. The inner and outer
surfaces of the container are maintained at constant
temperatures of T1 200C and T2 80C, respectively, as
a result of some chemical reactions occurring inside.
Under steady conditions, determine the rate of heat loss
from the container.
 Summary

i. Define & describe heat transfer process

through conduction.
ii. Define & understand the Fouriers Law.
iii. Differentiate between the terms
thermal conductivity and thermal
resistance.
iv. Determine the rate of heat transfer or
heat loss through various geometries
(plane wall, cylinder and sphere).
Thank You