Chapter 2

Transient Heat
Conduction
 Lumped System Analysis

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
the body energy of the body V=volume

during dt
= during dt
=density
Ti=initial temperature
Q& = hAs T T ( t )

T=T(t)

hAs(T-T)dt= mcpdT (I)

 Lumped System Analysis

Noting that m=V and dT=d(T-T) since T constant,

Eq. (I) can be rearranged as

d (T T ) hAs
= dt (II)
T T Vc p

Integrating from time zero (at which T=Ti) to t gives

T (t ) T hAs
ln = t (III)
Ti T Vc p
 Lumped System Analysis

Taking the exponential of both sides and rearranging

T (t ) T bt hAs
=e ; b= (1/s) (IV)
Ti T Vc p

b is a positive quantity whose dimension is (time)-1, and is

called the time constant.
 Lumped System Analysis

There are several observations that can be made from this figure
and the relation above:
1. Equation (IV) 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.
 Rate of Convection Heat
Transfer
The rate of convection heat transfer between the body
and the ambient can be determined from Newtons law of
cooling
Q& (t ) = hAs [T (t ) T ] (W) (V)

The total heat transfer between the body and the ambient
over the time interval 0 to t is simply the change in the
energy content of the body:

Q = mc p [T (t ) T ] (kJ) (VI)

The maximum heat transfer between the body and its

surroundings (when the body reaches T)

Qmax = mc p [Ti T ] (kJ) (VII)

 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

hLc
and a Biot number (Bi) as Bi = (VIII)
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 Rconv
h
Rcond
T Ts Tin
Criteria for Lumped System
Analysis
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
 Example:
Temperature Measurement by
Thermocouples
The temperature of a gas stream is to be
measured by a thermocouple whose junction
can be approximated as a 1-mm-diameter
sphere, as shown in Fig. The properties of the
junction are k=35 W/mC, =8500
kg/m3, and
cp=320 J/kgC, and the convection heat
transfer coefficient between the junction and
the gas is h=210 W/m2C. Determine how long
it will take for the thermocouple to read 99
percent of the initial temperature difference.
 Example:
Predicting the Time of Death
A person is found dead at 5 PM in a room whose
temperature is 20C. The temperature of the
body is measured to be 25C when found, and
the heat transfer coefficient is estimated to be
h=8 W/m2C. Modeling the body as a 30-cm-
diameter, 1.70-m-long cylinder, estimate the
time of death of that person.
Transient Heat Conduction in
Large Plane Walls, Long
Cylinders and Spheres
In many transient heat transfer problems the
Biot number is larger than 0.1, and lumped
system can not be assumed.
In these cases the temperature within the body
changes appreciably from point to point as well
as with time.
It is constructive to first consider the variation
of temperature with time and position in one-
dimensional problems of rudimentary
configurations such as a large plane wall, a
long cylinder,
and a sphere.
Consider a plane wall of thickness 2L initially at a uniform
temperature of Ti, as shown in Fig. above. At time t=0, the wall is
immersed in a fluid at temperature T and is subjected to convection
heat transfer from both sides with a convection coefficient of h.
 Heisler Charts

The solution of the transient temperature for a large

plane wall, long cylinder, and sphere are presented in
graphical form for t>0.2, known as the transient
temperature charts (also known as the Heisler Charts).

There are three charts associated with each geometry:

the temperature T0 at the center of the geometry at a
given time t.
the temperature at other locations at the same time in
terms of T0.
the total amount of heat transfer up to the time t.
 Heisler Charts
Plane Wall

Midplane Temperature
 Heisler Charts
Plane Wall

Temperature
Distribution Heat Transfer
 T ( x , t ) T
Dimensionless =
temperature Ti T
x
Dimensionless distance X=
from the center L

hL
Dimensionless heat
transfer coefficient Bi =
k

t
Dimensionless time
Fourier No. = 2
L
 Heat Transfer

The maximum amount of heat that a body can

gain (or lose if Ti=T) occurs when the
temperature of the body is changes from the
initial temperature Ti to the ambient
temperature

Qmax = mc p (T Ti ) = Vc p (T Ti ) (kJ)
 Remember, the Heisler
charts are not generally
applicable
The Heisler Charts can only be used when:
the body is initially at a uniform temperature,
the temperature of the medium
surrounding the body is constant and
uniform.
the convection heat transfer coefficient is
constant and uniform, and there is no heat
generation in the body.
 Example:
Heating of Brass Plates in an
Oven
In a production facility, large brass
plates of 4-cm thickness that are
initially at a uniform temperature
of 20C are heated by passing them
through an oven that is maintained
at 500C (Fig.). The plates remain
in the oven for a period of 7 min.
Taking the combined convection
and radiation heat transfer
coefficient to be h=120 W/m2C,
determine the surface temperature
of the plates when they come out of
the oven.
 Example:
Cooling of a Long
Stainless Steel Cylindrical Shaft
A long 20-cm-diameter cylindrical shaft made
of stainless steel 304 comes out of an oven at a
uniform temperature of 600C (Fig.). The shaft
is then allowed to cool slowly in an environment
chamber at 200C with an average heat transfer
coefficient of h=80 W/m2C. Determine the
temperature at the center of the shaft 45 min
after the start of the cooling
process. Also, determine the
heat transfer per unit length
of the shaft during this
time period.