INTRODUCTION & THEORY

This experiment is about the principles of heat transfer in conduction. In this

experiment, there are two ways to practice heat conduction; Radial Module and Linear Module.
The principles involved in this experiment is Fourier’s Law in which states that heat flow rate
(Q) is proportional to the temperature differences (dT) and cross-sectional area (A) per unit
length (dx) where the thermal conductivity (K) is a constant. In conjunction to that statement,
thermal energy (heat) will always maneuver from warmer objects to cooler objects.

Heat can be transferred in 3 different modes; conduction, convection and radiation. All
modes of heat transfer require the existence of temperature difference, and all modes are from
high-temperature medium to a lower-temperature medium. In this experiment, heat of
conduction was investigated which comprises the linear heat conduction through brass, cork
and paper. Generally, 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.
In this experiment, there is one electrically heated module mounted on a bench support frame
which contains a cylindrical metal bar arrangement for linear conduction experiments. The test
module is equipped with an array of temperature sensors. Cooling water supplied from a
standard laboratory tap is fed to one side of the test pieces in order to maintain a steady
temperature gradient. One of the laws associated with the heat of conduction is the Fourier’s
Law.

The Fourier’s Law states that the rate of heat transfer through a material is proportional to
the negative gradient in the temperature and to the area, at right angles to that gradient, through
which the heat is flowing. The relationship is as shown below :

𝑘𝐴𝑑𝑇
Q=
𝑑𝑥

Where :

Q = Heat flow rate, [W] dT = Changes in temperature, [K]

A = Cross-sectional area of the conduction, [m2 ] dx = Changes in displacement, [m]
k = Thermal conductivity of the material, [W/mK]
 Heat always conducts from warmer objects to cooler objects. The composition of a material
affects its conduction rate. For cylinders, Fourier’s Law states that the heat flux (Q) is
proportional to the temperature differences per unit length. The proportionality constant is the
thermal conductivity (k). The relationship is shown below:

2𝜋𝑘𝐿( 𝑇1 − 𝑇0 )
Q=-
ln 𝑅𝑅𝑜
𝑖

Where:

Ri = Inner radius, [m] Ti = Inner section temperature, [K]

Ro = Outer radius, [m] To = Outer section temperature, [K]

Q = Heat flow rate, [W] L = Thickness of the material, [m]

k = thermal conductivity of the material, [W/mK]

Experiment 1

Test Wattmeter, TT1 TT2 TT3 TT4 TT5 TT6 TT7 TT8 TT9
No. Q (Watts) (ºC) (ºC) (ºC) (ºC) (ºC) (ºC) (ºC) (ºC) (ºC)
1 10 40.5 37.5 33.6 31.3 30.9 30.7 30.6 30.6 30.5

2 15 61.6 58.3 44.9 40.0 39.6 38.9 30.9 30.8 30.7

3 20 83.1 80.2 59.0 52.8 52.5 50.5 31.2 31.0 30.9
Distance Between 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
TT (mm)
Table 1: Data for Experiment 1

Temperature Vs Distance
90 y = -0.1122x + 37.398
80 R² = 0.7045
70 y = -0.392x + 57.424
Temperature (℃)

60 R² = 0.8753 10W
50 y = -0.6905x + 79.976 15W
R² = 0.9133
40 20W
30 Linear (10W)
20 Linear (15W)
10
Linear (20W)
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Distance Between TT (mm)

Figure 1 Distance vs Temperature

The distance between each temperature detector was noted 10mm from one another.

Fourier’r Law stated that:

𝑑𝑡
𝑄 = −𝑘𝐴
𝑑𝑥

𝑄 𝑑𝑡
𝑘=− 𝑥
𝐴 𝑑𝑥

𝑑𝑡 1
representing the 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 of the linear equation provided in the Figure 1.
𝑑𝑥

Given from the manual D=25mm, the cross-sectional area, A was determined by:

𝜋𝐷2
𝐴=
4

𝜋(25)2
𝐴=
4

𝐴 = 490.87 𝑚𝑚2

1°𝐶
W/m°C x = W/mK
1𝐾

Calculation for the value of thermal conductivity, k showed as below:

y = -0.1122x + 37.398

𝑑𝑡 1
= −0.1122 = -8.913mm/°C
𝑑𝑥

𝐽
10 𝑠 𝑥 (−8.913 𝑥 10−3 𝑚°𝐶 −1 )
⸫𝑘 =−
(490.87 𝑥 10−6 )𝑚2
 𝐽
⸫ 𝑘 = 181.576 . 𝑚. ℃ @ 𝑊/𝑚𝐾
𝑠

Test Wattmeter, Q dx/dT Thermal Conductivity, k

No. (W) (mm/°𝐶) ((𝐽/𝑠. 𝑚. °𝐶) @ W/mK)

1 10 -8.913 181.576

2 15 -2.551 77.953

3 20 -1.448 58.997

Table 2: Values of thermal conductivity for different power.

Experiment 2

Test Materials Wattmeter, Q TT1 TT2 TT3 TT7 TT8 TT9

No. (Watts) (ºC) (ºC) (ºC) (ºC) (ºC) (ºC)

A Paper 10 51.2 50.1 42.3 31.2 31.1 31.0

B Cork 10 50.5 48.5 41.6 31.1 31.0 31.0

C Blank 10 51.5 49.4 41.8 31.2 31.0 31.0

Distance Between TT (mm) 0 10 20 60 70 80

Table 3: Data for Experiment 2

 Distance Vs Temperature for Different Insulator
60
y = -0.2759x + 50.518
R² = 0.9415
50
y = -0.2612x + 49.398
Temperature (℃)

40 R² = 0.943 Paper
Cork
30
Blank
20 Linear (Paper )
y = -0.2731x + 50.241 Linear (Cork)
10 R² = 0.9394
Linear (Blank)
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Distance Between TT (mm)

Figure 2: Distance vs Temperature for Different Insulator

Wattmeter, Q dx/dT Thermal Conductivity, k

Test No.
(W) (mm/°𝐶) (𝑘𝐽. 𝑚/𝑠°𝐶)

A: Paper 10 -3.625 73.894

B: Cork 10 -3.828 77.984

C: Blank 10 -3.662 74.602