ME601 1/18/06 Slide 1

Heat Transfer
Heat transfer modes:
conduction - heat transfer through a solid

convection - heat transfer from a surface to a fluid

radiation - heat transfer from surface-to-surface via electromagnetic
waves

In this class, you will concentrate on solving heat transfer problems
numerically rather than analytically

However, proper use of numerical software requires that you understand
heat transfer theory sufficiently to:
understand the important aspects of your problem (what can and
cannot be neglected)
develop appropriate sanity checks for your solution
ME601 1/18/06 Slide 2
Conduction
Conduction is governed by Fouriers law:
x
T
q k A
x
c
=
c
heat transfer in x-direction
thermal conductivity
temperature gradient
x
T
x
q
area x-direction
one sanity check is that the temperature distribution makes sense relative to Fouriers law
ME601 1/18/06 Slide 3
Conduction Resistances
T
H
T
C
L
The analysis of conduction within
simple geometries can be concisely
summarized in the form of thermal
resistances

For example, the analysis of 1-D,
steady state conduction through a
plane wall leads to:
A

T
H

T
C
q
( )
H C
k A
q T T
L
=
ME601 1/18/06 Slide 4
Resistance Concept
( )
H C
k A
q T T
L
=
heat transfer temperature difference
( )
1 2
1
e
I V V
R
=
Ohms Law Heat Transfer
current
voltage difference
electrical resistance (thermal resistance)
-1

( )
1
H C
pw
q T T
R
=
( ) ( )
length you have to conduct
conductivity area available for conduction
pw
L
R
k A
= =
where R
pw
is the thermal resistance associated with conduction through a plane wall:
ME601 1/18/06 Slide 5
Conduction through Other Shapes
ln
2
out
in
cyl
r
r
R
Lk t
| |
|
\ .
= ( )
1
H C
cyl
q T T
R
=
where
ME601 1/18/06 Slide 6
Conduction through Other Shapes
1 1 1
4
sph
in out
R
k r r t
(
=
(

( )
1
H C
sph
q T T
R
= where
ME601 1/18/06 Slide 7
Convection Resistance
surface temperature = T
s

fluid temperature = T
f

conv
q
Newtons law of cooling:
( )
conv s s f
q h A T T =
heat transfer temperature difference
(thermal resistance)
-1

( )
1
conv s f
conv
q T T
R
=
1
conv
s
R
h A
= where R
conv
is the thermal resistance associated with convection:
ME601 1/18/06 Slide 8
Radiation Resistance
surface emissivity, c
surface temperature = T
s

surrounding surfaces at temperature = T
sur

rad
q
heat transfer
temperature difference
(thermal resistance)
-1

( )
1
rad s f
rad
q T T
R
=
( )( )
3
2 2
1 1
4
rad
s
s s sur s sur
R
A T
A T T T T
c o
c o
= ~
+ +
where R
rad
is the thermal resistance associated with radiation:
( )
4 4
rad s s sur
q A T T c o =
( )( )( )
2 2
rad s s sur s sur s sur
q A T T T T T T c o = + +
-8
2 4
W
5.67x10
m K
o =
ME601 1/18/06 Slide 9
Why Should I Care?
Understanding you can quickly discern what is controlling the heat
transfer in your problem by estimating thermal resistances

Analytical Verification you can sometimes simplify your numerical
problem to a point where it can be exactly verified against these
analytical, resistance solutions

Sanity Check you can always see if your numerical solution makes
sense by calculating thermal resistances
ME601 1/18/06 Slide 10
Heater in a Bathroom Floor
ME601 1/18/06 Slide 11
Resistance Network Model
air at T
air,1
= 15C
air at T
air,2
= 5C
plywood
studs
air
drywall
strip heater
lineoleum
ME601 1/18/06 Slide 12
T
h

T
air,2
= 5C
h
q
R
p
=
0.002 K/W
R
s
=
0.15 K/W
R
air
=
0.46 K/W
R
d
=
0.014 K/W
R
conv
=
0.011 K/W
R
L
=
0.016 K/W
T
air,1
= 15C
R
conv
=
0.011 K/W
T
L

1
q
2
q
Resistance Values
What can you learn from this?
most of the heat will go to the bathroom
most of the heat will go through the studs
the characteristics of the drywall, plywood and basement convection do not matter
the characteristics of the studs, linoleum, and bathroom convection do matter
you can estimate the heater temperature and heater power required
ME601 1/18/06 Slide 13
Bracket
k = 14 W/m-K
thickness = 1 cm
ME601 1/18/06 Slide 14
FE Analysis
predicted heat flow is 1.84 W
ME601 1/18/06 Slide 15
Resistance Analysis Sanity Check
2
19cm m K 100 cm K
136
14 W 1 cm m W
bracket
L
R
k A
= = =
( )
( )
200 C 20 C
W
1.33W
136 K
H C
bracket
T T
q
R

= = =
( ) ( )
length you have to conduct
conductivity area available for conduction
pw
L
R
k A
= =