Chapter Two

Conduction Heat
Transfer

Fouriers Law of Heat Conduction

Heat Flux
(Wm-2)

Q x
dT
q x
k
A
dx

Heat Transfer (W)

Per unit Area (m2)
(W/m2)

Thermal Conductivity
(Wm-1K-1)
dT = temperature difference (K)
dx = distance across section (m)

dT
Q x kA
dx

Heat is conducted in the direction of decreasing temperature

Thus, the temperature gradient is negative when heat is
conducted in +ve x-direction
-ve sign to ensure that the heat transfer in +ve x-direction is +ve
quantity

Hot face

Cold face

Hot
face
temp.

dT
Q x kA
dx

Temp.
gradient

Cold
face
temp.

Conduction
Through
Through
Through
Through

a Flat Slab or Wall

a Hollow Cylinder
a Hollow Sphere
Solids in Series

Plane walls in series

Multilayer Cylinders

Combined Convection and Conduction and Overall

Coefficients
Conduction with Internal Heat Generation

Plane wall
From Fouriers Law:

dT

Qx kA
dx
x2

T2

x1

T1

T1

Qx

dx kAdT
Q
x

Q x [ x2 x1 ] kA[T2 T1 ]
[T1 T2 ]

Qx kA
x2 x1
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T2

x1

x2
* T 1> T 2

dT

Qx kA
dx
x2

x1

4/12/15

T at x2

dT

Qx dx kA
dx
dx
T at x1

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T
1
2
The rate of heat transfer :Q x kA

x2 x1
Note that T1 > T2

Thermal Resistance, RTH:

(conduction resistance)

Therefore, RTH = x/kA

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T1

RTH
T2

Calculate the heat loss per square

meter of surface area for an
insulating wall composed of 25.4
mm thick fiber insulating board,
where the inside temperature is
352.7 K and the outside
temperature is 297.1 K.

From App A.3, the thermal conductivity of

fiber insulating board is 0.048 W/m.K. The
thickness x2-x1=0.0254 m:
q
k
0.048

(T1 T2 )
(352.7 297.1)
A
x2 x1
0.0254
105.1 W/m 2
x
352.7 K
(Inside)

297.1 K
(Outside)

25.4 mm on fiber insulating board

Conduction Through
a Hollow Cylinder
Consider the hollow cylinder with an inside radius of r1
r1

r2

T1

T1

T2

T2

A 2rL
where

r2
ln( )
r1
R
2kL

q kAlm

T1 T2
r2 r1

A2 A1
Alm
ln( A2 / A1 )
Alm

( 2Lr2 2Lr1 )
2Lr 2
ln(
)
2Lr1

T1 T2
T1 T2
q

ln( r2 / r1 ) / 2kL
R

r2 r1 ln( r2 / r1 )
R

kAlm
2kL

Length of Tubing for Cooling Coil

A thick-walled cylindrical tubing of hard rubber having an inside
radius of 5mm and an outside radius of 20 mm is being used as a
temporary cooling coil in a bath. Ice water is flowing rapidly inside
and the inside wall temperature is 274.9K. The outside surface
temperature is 297.1K, A total of 14.65W must be removed from the
bath by cooling coil. How many m of tubing are needed?

From Appendix A.3, k = 0.151 W/m.K

5
0.005 m
1000
2
r2
0.02 m
1000
r1

T1 T2 2kL
ln( r2 / r1 )

The calculation will be done first for a length of 1 m tubing:

Alm

A2 A1
0.1257 0.0314

0.068 m 2
ln( A2 / A1 )
ln(0.1257 / 0.0314)

q kAlm

T1 T2
274.9 297.1
0.151(0.0682)(
)
r2 r1
0.02 0.005

15.2W

The negative sign indicates that the heat flow is from r2 on the outside to r1 on the inside.
Since 15.2 W is removed for 1 m length, the needed length is:
length

14.65W
0.964m
15.2W / m

Conduction Through
a Hollow Sphere
r2

r1

T1

T2

T1

q
T2

A 4r 2

T1 T2
T1 T2
q

(1 / r1 1 / r2 ) / 4k
R

1 1
( )
r1 r2
R

where
4k

CONDUCTION
THROUGH SOLIDS
IN SERIES

Plane Walls in Series

A
T1

T2

T3

T1 T4
T1 T4
T T

1 4
x A xB xC RA RB RC
R

k A A k B A kC A

T4

T1

RA

where

x A xB xC
R

k A A k B A kC A

T2

RB

Electrical analogy

T3

RC

T4

EXAMPLE 4.3-1 Heat Flow Through an Insulated Wall of a Cold

Room
A cold-storage room is constructed of an inner layer of 12.7 mm of
pine, a middle layer of 101.6 mm of cork board, and an outer layer of
76.2mm of concrete. The wall surface temperature is 255.4K inside the
cold room and 297.1K at the outside surface of the concrete. Use
conductivities from Appendix A.3 for pine, 0.151; for cork board,
0.0433; and for concrete, 0.762 W/m.K. Calculate the heat loss in W for
1 m2 and the temperature at the interface between the wood and cork
board.

The resistance for each material are

x A 76 .2 10 3
RC

0.100
kAA
0.762
x B 101 .6 10 3
RB

2.346
kB A
0.0433
xC 12 .7 10 3
RA

0.0841
kC A
0.151

T1 T4
T1 T4
q

x A x B xC
R A R B RC

k A A k B A kC A
255.4 297.1
0.084 2.346 0.1
- 41.7

2.530
16.48 W

To calculate the temperature T2,

q

T1 T2
RA

255.4 T2
0.084
T2 256.79 K
16.48

Multilayer Cylinders
q

r2

A
C B

r4

r3

r1

T1

T2

T3 T
4

T1 T4
ln( r2 / r1 ) ln( r3 / r2 ) ln( r4 / r3 )

2k A L
2k B L
2k C L

T1 T4
T1 T4

R A R B RC
R
R

ln( r2 / r1 ) ln( r3 / r2 ) ln( r4 / r3 )

2k A L
2k B L
2k C L

EXAMPLE 4.3-2 Heat Loss from an Insulated Pipe

A thick-walled tube of stainless steel (A) having a k = 21.63 W/m.k
with dimensions of 0.0254m ID and 0.0508m OD is covered with a
0.0254m layer of asbestos (B) insulation, k = 0.2423 W/m.k. The
inside wall temperature of the pipe is 811K and the outside surface of
the insulation is at 310.8K. For a 0.305m length of pipe, calculate the
heat loss and also the temperature at the interface between the metal
and the insulation.

T1 T3
R A RB

The resistances are

RA

ln( r2 / r1 ) ln( d 2 / d1 )

2k A L
2k A L

0.0254
ln(
)
0.0127

2 ( 21.63)(0.305)
0.01673 K/W

RB

ln( r2 / r1 ) ln( d 2 / d1 )

2k B L
2k B L

0.1016
)
0.0508

2 (0.2423)(0.0.305)
1.493 K/W
ln(

The heat transfer rate is

T1 T3
q
R A RB
811 310.8
0.01673 1.493
331.7 W

T1 T2
q
RA
811 T2
331.7
0.01673
T2 805.5 K