One-Dimensional, Steady-State

Conduction without
Thermal Energy Generation
 Methodology of a Conduction Analysis
• Specify appropriate form of the heat equation.
• Solve for the temperature distribution.
• Apply Fourier’s Law to determine the heat flux.

Simplest Case: One-Dimensional, Steady-State Conduction with No Thermal Energy Generation

• Alternative conduction analysis

• Common Geometries:
– The Plane Wall: Described in rectangular (x) coordinate. Area
perpendicular to direction of heat transfer is constant (independent of x).
– The Tube Wall: Radial conduction through tube wall.
– The Spherical Shell: Radial conduction through shell wall.
 The Plane Wall
• Consider a plane wall between two fluids of different temperature:

• Heat Equation:
d ⎛ dT ⎞
⎜k ⎟=0 (3.1)
dx ⎝ dx ⎠

• Implications:
Heat flux ( q′′x ) is independent of x.
Heat rate ( qx ) is independent of x.
• Boundary Conditions: T ( 0 ) = Ts ,1, T ( L ) = Ts ,2

• Temperature Distribution for Constant k :

T ( x ) = Ts ,1 + (Ts ,2 − Ts ,1 )
x
(3.3)
L
• Heat Flux and Heat Rate:
= (Ts ,1 − Ts ,2 )
dT k
q′′x = −k (3.5)
dx L
qx = − kA
dT kA
dx
=
L
( Ts ,1 − Ts ,2 ) (3.4)

⎛ ΔT ⎞
• R
Thermal Resistances ⎜ t = ⎟ and Thermal Circuits:
⎝ q ⎠
L
Conduction in a plane wall: Rt , cond = (3.6)
kA
1
Convection: Rt ,conv = (3.9)
hA
Thermal circuit for plane wall with adjoining fluids:

1 L 1
Rtot = + + (3.12)
h1 A kA h 2 A
T∞,1 − T∞,2
qx = (3.11)
Rtot
• Thermal Resistance for Unit Surface Area:
L 1
Rt′′,cond = Rt′′,conv =
k h
Units: Rt ↔ W/K Rt′′ ↔ m 2 ⋅ K/W
• Radiation Resistance:
1 1
Rt , rad = Rt′′, rad =
hr A hr
(
hr = εσ (Ts + Tsur ) Ts2 + Tsur
2
) (1.9)

• Contact Resistance:

TA − TB Rt′′,c
Rt′′,c = Rt ,c =
q′′x Ac

Values depend on: Materials A and B, surface finishes, interstitial conditions, and
contact pressure (Tables 3.1 and 3.2)
 • Composite Wall with Negligible Contact Resistance:

T∞,1 − T∞,4
qx = (3.14)
Rtot

1 ⎡ 1 LA LB LC 1 ⎤ Rtot ′′
Rtot = ⎢ + + + + ⎥ =
A ⎣ h1 k A k B kC h4 ⎦ A

• Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient (U) :

A modified form of Newton’s Law of Cooling to encompass multiple resistances
to heat transfer.
q x = UAΔToverall (3.17)

1
Rtot = (3.19)
UA
• Series – Parallel Composite Wall:

• Note departure from one-dimensional conditions for k F ≠ kG .

• Circuits based on assumption of isothermal surfaces normal to x direction or

adiabatic surfaces parallel to x direction provide approximations for q x .
 ALTERNATIVE CONDUCTION ANALYSIS:

• STEADY STATE
• NO HEAT GENERATION
• NO HEAT LOSS FROM THE SIDES
• A(x) and k(T)

IS TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION ONE-DIMENSIONAL? q x = q x + dx

IS IT REASONABLE TO ASSUME ONE-DIMENSIONAL
TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION IN x?

dT
FROM THE FOURIER’S LAW: q x = − A( x) k (T )
dx
x T
dx
qx ∫ = − ∫ k (T )dT
0
A( x) T0
Tube Wall
The Tube Wall

• Heat Equation:
1 d ⎛ dT ⎞
⎜ kr ⎟=0 (3.23)
r dr ⎝ dr ⎠
What does the form of the heat equation tell us about the variation of qr with
r in the wall?
Is the foregoing conclusion consistent with the energy conservation requirement?

How does qr′′ vary with r ?

• Temperature Distribution for Constant k :
Ts ,1 − Ts ,2 ⎛ r ⎞
T (r ) = ln ⎜ ⎟ + Ts ,2 (3.26)
ln ( r1 / r2 ) ⎜⎝ r2 ⎟⎠
• Heat Flux and Heat Rate:

qr′′ = − k
dT
=
k
dr r ln ( r2 / r1 )
(Ts,1 − Ts,2 )
2π k
qr′ = 2π rqr′′ =
ln ( r2 / r1 )
( Ts ,1 − Ts ,2 )

2π Lk
qr = 2π rLqr′′ =
ln ( r2 / r1 )
( Ts ,1 − Ts ,2 ) (3.27)

• Conduction Resistance:
ln ( r2 / r1 )
Rt ,cond = Units ↔ K/W (3.28)
2π Lk
ln ( r2 / r1 )
Rt′,cond = Units ↔ m ⋅ K/W
2π k

Why is it inappropriate to base the thermal resistance on a unit surface

area?
• Composite Wall with
Negligible Contact
Resistance

T∞,1 − T∞ ,4
qr = = UA (T∞,1 − T∞,4 )
Rtot
(3.30)

Note that
UA = Rtot −1
is a constant independent of radius.

But, U itself is tied to specification of an interface.

−1
U i = ( Ai Rtot ) (3.32)
 Spherical Shell

• Heat Equation
1 d ⎛ 2 dT ⎞
2 dr ⎜
r ⎟=0
r ⎝ dr ⎠
What does the form of the heat equation tell us about the variation of
qr with r ? Is this result consistent with conservation of energy?

How does qr′′ vary with r ?

• Temperature Distribution for Constant k :

T ( r ) = Ts ,1 − (Ts ,1 − Ts ,2 )
( )
1 − r1/ r
(
1 − r1 / r 2 )
• Heat flux, Heat Rate and Thermal Resistance:
dT
qr′′ = − k = 2
k
dr r ⎣⎡(1/ r1 ) − (1/ r2 ) ⎤⎦
(Ts,1 − Ts,2 )
4π k
qr = 4π r 2 qr′′ =
( 1) ( 2 )
1/ r − 1/ r
( Ts ,1 − Ts ,2 ) (3.35)

Rt ,cond =
(1/ r1 ) − (1/ r2 ) (3.36)
4π k

• Composite Shell:
ΔT
qr = overall = UAΔToverall
Rtot
UA = Rtot −1 ↔ Constant
−1
U i = ( Ai Rtot ) ↔ Depends on Ai
 Problem 3.23: Assessment of thermal barrier coating (TBC) for protection
of turbine blades. Determine maximum blade temperature
with and without TBC.

Schematic:

ASSUMPTIONS: (1) One-dimensional, steady-state conduction in a composite plane wall, (2) Constant
properties, (3) Negligible radiation
ANALYSIS: For a unit area, the total thermal resistance with the TBC is

R ′′tot, w = h o−1 + ( L k ) Zr + R ′′t,c + ( L k )In + h i−1

( )
R ′′tot, w = 10−3 + 3.85 × 10−4 + 10−4 + 2 × 10−4 + 2 × 10−3 m 2 ⋅ K W = 3.69 × 10−3 m 2 ⋅ K W

With a heat flux of

T∞,o − T∞,i 1300 K
q ′′w = = = 3.52 × 105 W m 2
R ′′tot, w 3.69 × 10−3 m 2 ⋅ K W

the inner and outer surface temperatures of the Inconel are

( )
Ts,i(w) = T∞,i + ( q ′′w h i ) = 400 K + 3.52 × 105 W m 2 500 W m 2 ⋅ K = 1104 K

( ) ( )
Ts,o(w) = T∞,i + ⎡⎣(1 h i ) + ( L k )In ⎤⎦ q ′′w = 400 K + 2 × 10 −3 + 2 × 10−4 m 2 ⋅ K W 3.52 × 105 W m 2 = 1174 K
Without the TBC,

−1 −1 −3
R ′′tot, wo = h o + ( L k ) In + h i
2
= 3.20 × 10 m ⋅K W

(
q ′′wo = T∞,o − T∞,i ) R ′′tot, wo = 4.06×105 W/m2

The inner and outer surface temperatures of the Inconel are then

Ts,i(wo) = T∞,i + ( q ′′wo h i ) = 1212 K

Ts, o(wo) = T∞ ,i + [ (1 h i ) + ( L ]
k ) In q wo
′′ = 1293 K

Use of the TBC facilitates operation of the Inconel below Tmax = 1250 K.

COMMENTS: Since the durability of the TBC decreases with increasing

temperature, which increases with increasing thickness, limits to its thickness are
associated with reliability considerations.
 Problem 3.62: Suitability of a composite spherical shell for storing
radioactive wastes in oceanic waters.

SCHEMATIC:

ASSUMPTIONS: (1) One-dimensional conduction, (2) Steady-state conditions,

(3) Constant properties at 300K, (4) Negligible contact resistance.

PROPERTIES: Table A-1, Lead: k = 35.3 W/m⋅K, MP = 601K; St.St.: 15.1

W/m⋅K.

ANALYSIS: From the thermal circuit, it follows that

T − T∞ ⎡4 ⎤
q= 1 = q& ⎢ π r13 ⎥
R tot ⎣3 ⎦
 The thermal resistances are:
⎡ 1 1 ⎤
R Pb = ⎡⎣1/ ( 4π × 35.3 W/m ⋅ K ) ⎤⎦ ⎢ − = 0.00150 K/W
⎣ 0.25m 0.30m ⎥⎦
⎡ 1 1 ⎤
R St.St. = ⎡⎣1/ ( 4π × 15.1 W/m ⋅ K ) ⎤⎦ ⎢ − = 0.000567 K/W
⎣ 0.30m 0.31m ⎥⎦

( )
R conv = ⎡1/ 4π × 0.312 m 2 × 500 W/m 2 ⋅ K ⎤ = 0.00166 K/W
⎢⎣ ⎥⎦

R tot = 0.00372 K/W.

The heat rate is then

q=5 × 105 W/m3 ( 4π / 3)( 0.25m ) = 32, 725 W
3

and the inner surface temperature is

T1 = T∞ + R tot q=283K+0.00372K/W ( 32,725 W ) = 405 K < MP = 601K.

Hence, from the thermal standpoint, the proposal is adequate.

COMMENTS: In fabrication, attention should be given to maintaining a good

thermal contact. A protective outer coating should be applied to prevent long
term corrosion of the stainless steel.