Thermal Conductivity

Thermal conductivity () is the intrinsic property of a material which relates its ability to conduct heat. Heat transfer by conduction involves transfer of energy within a material without any motion of the material as a whole. Conduction takes place when a temperature gradient exists in a solid (or stationary fluid) medium. Conductive heat flow occurs in the direction of decreasing temperature because higher temperature equates to higher molecular energy or more molecular movement. Energy is transferred from the more energetic to the less energetic molecules when neighboring molecules collide. Thermal conductivity is defined as the quantity of heat (Q) transmitted through a unit thickness (L) in a direction normal to a surface of unit area (A) due to a unit temperature gradient (T) under steady state conditions and when the heat transfer is dependent only on the temperature gradient. In equation form this becomes the following: Thermal Conductivity = heat distance / (area temperature gradient) = Q L / (A T) Approximate values of thermal conductivity for some common materials are presented in the table below.

Heat Loss
The heat transmission through a building wall or similar construction can be expressed as: Ht = U A dt where Ht = heat loss (Btu/hr, W) U = "U-value" (Btu/hr ft2 oF, W/m2K) A = wall area (ft2, m2) dt = temperature difference (oF, K) (1)

U and R-values

U-value (or U-factor) is a measure of the rate of heat loss or gain through a construction of materials. The lower the U-factor, the greater the material's resistance to heat flow and the better is the insulating value. U-value is the inverse of R-value. The U-value of a construction consisting of several layers can be expressed as U=1/R where R = "R-value" - the resistance to heat flow in each layer (hr sq.ft oF/Btu) The R-value of the single layer can be expressed as: R = 1 / C = lt / K where C = layer conductance (Btu/hr ft2 oF) K = layer conductivity (Btu in/hr ft2 oF) lt = thickness of layer (inches) (3) (2)

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Heat Conduction
Conduction is heat transfer by means of molecular agitation within a material without any motion of the material as a whole. If one end of a metal rod is at a higher temperature, then energy will be transferred down the rod toward the colder end because the higher speed particles will collide with the slower ones with a net transfer of energy to the slower ones. For heat transfer between two plane surfaces, such as heat loss through the wall of a house, the rate of conduction heat transfer is:

Calculation

= heat transferred in time = = thermal conductivity of the barrier = area

= temperature = thickness of barrier

Heat Radiation
Radiation is heat transfer by the emission of electromagnetic waves which carry energy away from the emitting object. For ordinary temperatures (less than red hot"), the radiation is in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The relationship governing radiation from hot objects is called the Stefan-Boltzmann law:

Calculation

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