CONDUCTION HEAT

TRANSFER
1-D Steady Conduction
• Conduction through Plane Wall

𝑑𝑇
Fourier’s Law: 𝑄 = −𝐾𝐴 𝑑𝑥
T1
(𝑇1 − 𝑇2 )
𝑄 = 𝐾𝐴
𝐿
T2
(𝑇1 − 𝑇2 ) (𝑇1 − 𝑇2 )
𝑄= =
𝐿/𝐾𝐴 𝑅𝑇

𝑇1 𝑅𝑇
𝑇2 Thermal Circuit
x Q
L
𝑋
𝑇 = 𝑇1 -(𝑇1 -𝑇2 ) Temperature Profile
𝐿
Conduction through composite wall

𝑇1 − 𝑇2
𝑅𝑒 =𝑅1 +𝑅2 +𝑅3 𝑄= 𝑇1 ;𝑇 ′ 𝑇 ′ ;𝑇 " 𝑇 " ;𝑇2
𝑅𝑒 𝑄= = =
𝑅1 𝑅2 𝑅3
Example: The walls of a house in a cold region consists of three layers –an outer
brickwork of 15cm thickness and an inner wooden panel of 1.2cm thickness. The
intermediate layer is made of insulating material 7cm thick. The thermal
conductivities of the brick, wood and insulating material used are 0.70 W/m K, 0.18
W/m K and 0.16 W/m K respectively. The inside and outside temperatures of the
composite wall are 210 C and −150 C respectively. Calculate the rate of heat loss
per unit area of the wall and interface temperatures.

𝐿𝑏 0.15
Solution: Thermal resistance due to brick, 𝑅𝑏 = = =0.214 K/W
𝐾𝑏 𝐴𝑏 0.70×1
𝐿𝑖 0.07
Thermal resistance due to insulating material, 𝑅𝑖 = = =0.438 K/W
𝐾𝑖 𝐴𝑖 0.16×1
𝐿𝑤 0.012
Thermal resistance due to wood, 𝑅𝑤 = = =0.067 K/W
𝐾𝑤 𝐴𝑤 0.18×1

Equivalent Thermal Resistance, 𝑅𝑒 =𝑅𝑏 +𝑅𝑖 +𝑅𝑤 =0.214+0.438+0.067=0.719

(𝑇𝑖 ;𝑇𝑜 ) 21;(;15)
𝑄= = =50.07 W
𝑅𝑒 0.719
𝑇 ′ =𝑇𝑖 -𝑄 × 𝑅𝑤 =21-50.07× 0.067 = 17.60 C

𝑇 ′′ =𝑇𝑜 +𝑄 × 𝑅𝑏 =−15 + 50.07 ×0.214=-4.30 C

Conduction through composite wall
• Conduction through composite wall:
Thermal Circuit

D
A
𝑇1 𝑇2
C

1
𝑅𝐸 =𝑅𝐴 + 1 1 +𝑅𝐷
:
𝑅𝐵 𝑅𝐶

𝐿 𝑇1 − 𝑇2
𝑅= 𝑄=
𝐾𝐴 𝑅𝐸
Variable Thermal Conductivity
• Thermal conductivity of materials varies with temperature.
For air thermal conductivity increases with temperature
while it decreases for metals. Let conductivity of a
material varies linearly as,
• 𝐾 = 𝐾0 1 +∝ (𝑇 − 𝑇0 where ∝ can be +ve or -ve
• For 1-D heat conduction through plane wall
𝑑𝑇 𝑑𝑇
• 𝑄 = −𝐾𝐴 =-𝐾0 1 +∝ (𝑇 − 𝑇0 ) A
𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥
𝐿 𝑄 𝑇2
• 0 dx =− 𝑇 𝑑𝑇 +∝ 𝑇𝑑𝑇 −∝ 𝑇0 𝑑𝑇
𝐾0 𝐴 1
𝐾𝑎𝑣𝑔 𝐴(𝑇1 ;𝑇2 )
•𝑄= where 𝐾𝑎𝑣𝑔 =𝐾0 [1+∝ (𝑇𝑎𝑣𝑔 -𝑇0 )]
𝐿
• Temperature profile will across plane wall will be
parabolic.
Overall heat transfer coefficient
Quote by Kung Fu Tse
• I hear and I forget.

• I see and I remember.

• I do and I understand.