Course: Heat Transfer( MEC301)

Major Topic: Introduction to Heat Transfer

Sub Topics:
➢Conduction Heat Transfer

Prepared By: Sudhanshu Dogra

Assistant Professor/COD(Thermal Engineering)
UID: 16900
School of Mechanical Engineering
Lovely Professional University
Conduction
Conduction. ‘Conduction’ is the transfer of heat from one part of a substance to another part of the same
substance, or from one substance to another in physical contact with it, without appreciable displacement of
molecules forming the substance.

In solids, the heat is conducted by the following two mechanisms :

(i) By lattice vibration (The faster moving molecules or atoms in the hottest part of a body transfer heat by
impacts some of their energy to adjacent molecules).

(ii) By transport of free electrons (Free electrons provide an energy flux in the direction of decreasing
temperature—For metals, especially good electrical conductors, the electronic mechanism is responsible for
the major portion of the heat flux except at low temperature).
Contd…

In case of gases, the mechanism of heat conduction is simple. The kinetic energy of a molecule is
a function of temperature. These molecules are in a continuous random motion exchanging
energy and momentum.

In liquids, the mechanism of heat is nearer to that of gases. However, the molecules are more
closely spaced and intermolecular forces come into play.
Steady and Unsteady state Heat Conduction

If the temperature of the body does not vary with time, it is said to be in steady state.

But if there is an abrupt change in its surface temperature, it attains an equilibrium temperature or
a steady state after sometime. During this time, the temperature varies with time and is said to be
in unsteady or Transient state.
Fourier law of Heat Conduction
The rate of heat conduction through a medium depends on the geometry of the medium, its
thickness, and the material of the medium, as well as the temperature difference across the
medium.
• Consider steady heat conduction through a large plane wall of thickness x = L and area A.
• The temperature difference across the wall is T = T2 - T1.
• According to this law, It is concluded that the rate of heat conduction through a plane layer is
proportional to the temperature difference across the layer and the heat transfer area, but is
inversely proportional to the thickness of the layer.
 Contd…
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑇𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝐷𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒
𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑓𝑒𝑟 ∝
𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠
𝐴 𝑇1 − 𝑇2
𝑄ሶ 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑. ∝
∆𝑥
𝐴 𝑇1 − 𝑇2 𝐴∆𝑇
𝑄ሶ 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑. = 𝑘 = −𝑘
∆𝑥 ∆𝑥

The constant of proportionality k is the thermal conductivity of the material, which is a

measure of the ability of a material to conduct heat.

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Thermal Conductivity(Solids)
➢The thermal conductivity k is a measure of a material’s ability to
conduct heat.
➢For example, k = 0.608 W/m·°C for water and k = 80.2 W/m·°C for
iron at room temperature, which indicates that iron conducts heat
more than 100 times faster than water can.
➢Thus, water is a poor heat conductor relative to iron, although water
is an excellent medium to store thermal energy.
𝑑𝑇
➢𝑄ሶ 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑. = −𝑘𝐴 𝑑𝑥
➢Thermal conductivity of a material can be defined as the rate of heat
transfer through a unit thickness of the material per unit area per unit
temperature difference.
➢The thermal conductivity of a material is a measure of the ability of
the material to conduct heat.
Thermal Conductivity(Gases)
➢A high value for thermal conductivity indicates that the material is a good heat conductor, and a
low value indicates that the material is a poor heat conductor or insulator.
➢In case of gases, The higher the temperature, the faster the molecules move and the higher the
number of such collisions, and the better the heat transfer.
➢The kinetic theory of gases predicts and the experiments confirm that the thermal conductivity of
gases is proportional to the square root of the absolute temperature T, and inversely proportional
to the square root of the molar mass M.
➢Therefore, the thermal conductivity of a gas increases with increasing temperature and
decreasing molar mass.
Thermal Conductivity(Liquids)
➢The mechanism of heat conduction in a liquid is complicated by the fact that the molecules are
more closely spaced, and they exert a stronger intermolecular force field.
➢The thermal conductivities of liquids usually lie between those of solids and gases.
➢The thermal conductivity of a substance is normally highest in the solid phase and lowest in the
gas phase.
➢Unlike gases, the thermal conductivities of most liquids decrease with increasing temperature,
with water being a notable exception.
➢Like gases, the conductivity of liquids decreases with increasing molar mass
Contd…

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THANKS