HEAT TRANSFER

Introduction:

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Introduction Contd…

• What is a heat transfer

• Heat transfer is the transport of heat energy from one point in a
medium to another or from one medium to another as a result of
temperature gradient or temperature difference
• Temperature gradient is the driving force for the heat transfer
• The subject of heat transfer involves a detailed study of
physical mechanism of transport of heat energy, the methods of
calculating for prediction of rate of transport of heat energy in
various practical situations and the application of the theoretical
principles to sizing, design and improvement of related
equipment used in practice.
Why we learn heat transfer?

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Significance or scope of heat transfer
• Design of steam generators, heat engines, condenses and other
heat exchange equipments, catalytic converters, heat shield for
space vehicles, furnaces, electronic equipments.

• Design of thermal and nuclear power plants

• Internal combustion engines

• Refrigeration and air conditioning units

Significance or scope of heat transfer
Contd..
• Design of cooling systems for electric motors and generators
and transformers

• Construction of dams and structures

• Minimisation of building heat losses using improved insulation

techniques

• Thermal control of space vehicles

• Treatment of metals etc.

Difference between Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer
• The science of thermodynamics deals with relation between
heat and other form of energy without any information
concerning the nature of interaction or the time rate at which it
occurs.
• Heat transfer is the branch of thermal science which deals with
the analysis of the rate of heat transfer taking place in a system
as well as the nature of heat transfer.
Laws of heat transfer/basic laws governing heat
transfer
• The law of conservation of mass
• Newton's second law of motion
• Laws of thermodynamics
• Fourier's law of heat conduction
• Newton's law of cooling
• Stephen Boltzmann law of thermal radiation
• Equation of state
Modes of heat transfer
• There are three distinct modes in which the heat transfer can
take place
• 1. Conduction
• 2. Convection
• 3. Radiation
Conduction, Convection and Radiation

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Conduction
Conduction

Definition
It is the mode of heat transfer from one part of a substance to
another part of the same substance or from one substance to
another in the physical contact with it without any appreciable
movement of individual molecules.

• It is commonly observed phenomenon that when some object is

heated at one of its location its remaining part also gets heated.
• This shows that energy flows through the substance this way of
flow of energy is known as conduction.
In solids, the heat is conducted by the following two mechanisms:

• 1. Lattice vibrations

• 2. Flow of free electrons

1. Lattice vibrations:

• All the molecules of the substance continuously vibrate in

random orientation about some mean position. These vibrations
are known as lattice vibrations.
• While vibrating the molecules in the vicinity collide with each
other.
• At the time of physical contact exchange of energy takes place
between them.
• The process continues to give flow of energy through the
substance.
• The rate of heat flow due to lattice vibration depends upon
number of collisions taking place per unit time.
2. Flow of free electrons:
• The valence electrons in the outermost orbit of the atom gets
excited on availability of energy.
• The overcome the bond and become free to move anywhere
within the boundaries of the solid.
• These electrons are known as free electrons.
• While moving from one location to another these electrons
carry some amount of energy along with them.
• Thus they contribute to the conduction.
• The conduction process occurs in all the states of the substances i.e.
solids, liquids and gases.
• But the pure conduction is found only in the solids.
• In liquids and gases the conduction is always associated with
convection.
• In gases or gaseous medium, conduction of heat occurs through
collisions of molecules having more thermal energy or kinetic
energy with the molecules having less thermal energy or kinetic
energy.
• Similar phenomenon is partially responsible for conduction in
liquids, there are other factors too which involved intermolecular
forces in liquid.
• Transport of heat in solid occurs only by conduction.
Conductors and Insulators
 Some materials conduct heat better than others.
Materials transfer heat are called
that well Usually, the are
conductors. metals good
conductors.
 Materials that resist the transfer of heat through
them are called insulators. They are poor
Conductors of heat. Some examples: Air, wood,
water, polystyrene, styrofoam, wool,
fiberglass, paper and plastic.
 Fourier Law of Heat Conduction
It states that the rate of heat conduction per unit area (heat
flux) is directly proportional to the temperature gradient.

where, Q = rate of heat transfer in W,

A = heat transfer area; normal to direction of heat flow,
= temperature gradient in °C/m ;

k = constant of proportionality, called the thermal

conductivity of material in W/m.°C or W/m.K.

Since the temperature gradient is negative in the positive X

direction, thus the negative sign in the equation gives the
positive heat flow
Dr. M. M.
Rathore
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Example
• Heat transfer in metal rod
• Heat treatment of Steel forging,
• Heat transfer through the walls of heat exchange equipment.
Convection
• The convection is a mode of heat transfer in which the energy
is(transported) transferred by moving fluid particles.

• The convection heat transfer

• comprises of two mechanism:

• 1.Transfer of energy due

• to random molecular motion
• i.e. diffusion
• 2. Energy transfer by bulk or macroscopic motion of fluid.
The molecules of the fluid are moving collectively thus carry
energy from high temperature region to the low temperature region.

• The heat transfer depends upon the properties of the fluid

and is independent of the properties of material of the
substance.

• But the shape of the surface will influence the flow and hence the
heat transfer.
• According to the nature of the fluid flow there are two types of the
convection:
1. Natural or free convection.
2. Forced convection
In natural or free convection
• The circulation of fluid medium is caused by buoyancy effects
i.e. by the difference in the densities of cold and heated
particles.
• e.g.: consider heat flow from hot
plate to the atmosphere.
• The stagnant layer of air in the
immediate vicinity of the plate
gets thermal energy by convection.
• The energy thus transferred serves
to increase the temperature and the
internal energy of the air particles.
• Because of temperature rise these particles become less dense
and lighter than the surrounding air
• The lighter particles move upwards to a region of low
temperature where they mix with and transfer part of their
energy to the cold particles.
• Simultaneously the cold air particles descends downwards to
fill the space with vacated by the hot hair particles.
• The circulation pattern i.e. upward movement of warmer and
downward movement of cold air is called convection currents.
Example
• 1. Hot water heating system.
• 2. Chilling effect of cold wind on warm body.
• 3. Heating of air in a room by burner.
• 4. Heat exchange on the outside of cold and warm types etc.
In forced convection
• The flow of fluid is caused by a pump, fan or by atmospheric
winds.

• These mechanical devices provide definite circuit for

circulating currents and that speeds up the heat transfer rate.
Example
• 1. Flow of water in condenser tubes.
• 2. Fluid passing through the tubes of heat exchanger.
• 3. Cooling of IC engines.
• 4. Air conditioning installation.
The convection heat transfer rate equation between a surface and adjacent fluid
is prescribed by Newton's law of cooling.

• where,
• Q= convective heat flow rate.
• A= Area exposed to heat transfer.
• ts-tf = surface and fluid temperatures.
• h = heat transfer coefficient whose value depends upon
thermodynamic and transport properties
(e. g.: Density, viscosity, specific heat, thermal conductivity of the
fluid.
• The geometry of the surface, nature of the fluid flow and
prevailing thermal conditions.
Radiation

• It is the mode of heat transfer in which the medium is not required.

• Thermal radiation is the energy emitted by the surface because of its temperature.
 
• A body at a temperature above absolute zero always emit energy in the form of
electromagnetic waves.
 
• all the bodies above absolute temperature are capable of emitting the radiation
energy.

• Energy released by radiating surface is not a continuous but is in the form of

discrete packets or quanta of energy called photos.

• The photons are propagated through the space as rays.

• Movement of swam of photons is described as electromagnetic
waves.

• The photos are the carriers of energy which travel with an

change frequency in straight paths with a speed equal to that of
light.

• When the photons approach the cold receiving surface, there

occurs reconversion of wave motion into thermal energy which
is partly absorbed, reflected or transmitted through the
receiving surface.