Lecture-3

Conduction Heat Transfer

Dr. Chetan S. Mistry
Associate Professor,
Mechanical Engg. Dept.
Institute of Technology, Nirma University
We know,

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.

Conduction can take place in solids, liquids, or gases.

In gases and liquids, conduction is due to the collisions

and diffusion of the molecules during their random
motion.

In solids, it is due to the combination of vibrations of the

molecules in a lattice and the energy transport by free
electrons.
Dr. Chetan S. Mistry
The rate of heat conduction through a
medium depends on
• The geometry of the medium,
• Thickness
• The material of the medium,
• The temperature difference across the
medium.

Dr. Chetan S. Mistry

 The rate of heat conduction through a medium
depends on

• The geometry of the medium,

• Thickness (Δx)
• The material of the medium, (??)
• The temperature difference across the medium.
(T2-T1)
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.

Area ´ Temperature difference

Rate of Conduction a
thickness
Dr. Chetan S. Mistry
 Area ´ Temperature difference
Rate of Conduction a
thickness
A ´ (T1 - T2 )
Q=k
Dx

A ´ DT
Q = -k (W)
Dx
W here
k is the thermal conductivity of the
material, which is a measure of the ability of
a material to conduct heat.

dT
Q = - kA (W)
dx
Fourier’s law of heat conduction after J. Fourier, who expressed it
first in his heat transfer text in 1822. Dr. Chetan S. Mistry
 Fourier’s law of heat conduction
dT
Q = - kA (W)
dx
Here dT/dx is the temperature gradient

Heat is conducted in the direction of decreasing

temperature, and the temperature gradient
becomes negative when temperature decreases
with increasing x.

The negative sign ensures that heat transfer in the

positive x direction is a positive quantity.

The heat transfer area “A” is always normal to

the direction of heat transfer.

Dr. Chetan S. Mistry

Thermal Conductivity
We know
The property specific heat “Cp” as a measure of a
material’s ability to store thermal energy.
For example, Cp = 4.18 kJ/kg·°C for water
Cp = 0.45 kJ/kg·°C for iron at room temperature,
which indicates that water can store almost 10 times the energy
that iron can per unit mass.

Likewise,
The thermal conductivity “k” is a measure of a material’s
ability to conduct heat.
For example, k=0.607 W/m·K for water
k=80.2 W/m·K for iron at room temperature,
which indicates that iron conducts heat more than 100 times
faster than water can.
Thus we say that water is a poor heat conductor relative to iron,
although water is an excellent medium to store thermal energy.
High value for thermal conductivity
indicates that the material is a good
heat conductor.
Low value indicates that the material
is a poor heat conductor or insulator.
The kinetic theory of gases predicts
and the experiments confirm that the
thermal conductivity of gases is
proportional to the square root of the
thermodynamic temperature T, and
inversely proportional to the square
root of the molar mass M.
T
k gas =
M
Thermal conductivity of gases is
independent of pressure
The range of thermal conductivity of
various materials at room temperature.

Dr. Chetan S. Mistry

Dr. Chetan S. Mistry
THE SOLID STATE
A solid may comprised free electrons and of atoms bound in a periodic
arrangement called the lattice .
Accordingly, transport of thermal energy is due to two effects:
• the migration of free electrons and
• lattice vibrational waves.

These effects are additive, such that the thermal conductivity k is the sum of
the electronic component “ke” and the lattice component “kl ”
k = ke +kl
Where, ke is inversely proportional to the electrical resistivity “ρe”.
•For pure metals, which are of low ρe, “ke” is much larger than “kl”
•For alloys, which are of substantially larger “ρe”, the contribution of “kl”
to ‘k’ is no longer negligible.

Dr. Chetan S. Mistry

 k= ke +kl

• For non-metallic solids, ‘k’ is determined primarily by “kl”, which

depends on the frequency of interactions between the atoms of the
lattice.

• The regularity of the lattice arrangement has an important effect on

“kl”, with crystalline (well ordered) materials like quartz having a
higher thermal conductivity than amorphous materials like glass.

• In fact, for crystalline, non metallic solids such as diamond and

beryllium oxide, “kl” can be quite large, exceeding values of “k”
associated with good conductors, such as aluminium.

• Crystalline solids such as diamond and semiconductors such as

silicon are good heat conductors but poor electrical conductors.
Despite their higher price, diamond heat sinks are used in the
cooling of sensitive electronic components because of the excellent
thermal conductivity of diamond.
Dr. Chetan S. Mistry
The thermal conductivity of a substance is normally highest in the
solid phase and lowest in the gas phase.

The thermal conductivity of liquids is generally insensitive to pressure

except near the thermodynamic critical point.

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.

Liquid metals such as mercury and sodium have high thermal

conductivities and are very suitable for use in applications where a
high heat transfer rate to a liquid is desired, as in nuclear power
plants.
Mercury is in solid state at 1930C and conductivity is 48 W/m0C
At 00C in liquid state k =8 W/m0C
At 200C gasesous phase k =0.034 W/m0C
Dr. Chetan S. Mistry
The range of thermal conductivity of
various materials at room temperature.

Dr. Chetan S. Mistry

The variation of the thermal conductivity of various
solids, liquids, and gases with temperature.

Dr. Chetan S. Mistry

Example:

The wall of an industrial furnace is constructed from 0.15-m-thick fireclay

brick having a thermal conductivity of 1.7 W/mK. Measurements made
during steady-state operation reveal temperatures of 1400 and 1150 K at
the inner and outer surfaces, respectively. What is the rate of heat loss
through a wall that is 0.5 m x1.2 m on a side? [ Heat Flux=2833 W/m2 ,
Heat loss=1700W]

Dr. Chetan S. Mistry