Thermal Conductivity of some common Materials and Gases

Thermal conductivity of some common materials and gases insulation, aluminum, asphalt, brass, copper, steel and many more ..
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Thermal conductivity is the quantity of heat transmitted through a unit thickness in a direction normal to a surface of unit area, due to a unit temperature gradient under steady state conditions. Thermal conductivity of some common materials and products are indicated in the table below.

1 W/(m.K) = 1 W/(m. C) = 0.85984 kcal/(hr.m. C) = 0.5779 Btu/(ft.hr. F)

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Acetone Acetylene (gas) Acrylic Air, athmosphere (gas) Alcohol Aluminum Aluminium Brass Aluminum Oxide Ammonia (gas) Antimony Apple (85.6% moisture) Argon (gas) 0.16 0.018 0.2 0.024 0.17 205 121 30 0.022 18.5 0.39 0.016 215 250 125 225

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Asbestos-cement board Asbestos-cement sheets Asbestos-cement Asbestos, loosely packed Asbestos mill board Asphalt Balsa wood Bitumen Bitumen/felt layers Beef, lean (78.9 % moisture) Benzene Beryllium Bitumen Blast furnace gas (gas) Brass Breeze block 0.744 0.166 2.07 0.15 0.14 0.75 0.048 0.17 0.5 0.43 - 0.48 0.16 218 0.17 0.02 109 0.10 - 0.20 125 225

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Brick dense Brickwork, common Brickwork, dense Butter (15% moisture content) Cadmium Calcium silicate Carbon Carbon dioxide (gas) Cement, portland Cement, mortar Chalk Chlorine (gas) Chrome Nickel Steel (18% Cr, 8 % Ni) Clay, dry to moist Clay, saturated Cobalt 1.31 0.6 -1.0 1.6 0.20 92 0.05 1.7 0.0146 0.29 1.73 0. 09 0.0081 16.3 0.15 - 1.8 0.6 - 2.5 69 125 225

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Cod (83% moisture content) Concrete, lightweight Concrete, medium Concrete, dense Concrete, stone Constantan Copper Corian (ceramic filled) Corkboard Cork, regranulated Cork Cotton wool Carbon Steel Cotton Wool insulation Diatomaceous earth (Sil-o-cel) Diatomite 0.54 0.1 - 0.3 0.4 - 0.7 1.0 - 1.8 1.7 22 401 1.06 0.043 0.044 0.07 0.029 54 0.029 0.06 0.12 51 47 400 398 125 225

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Earth, dry Engine Oil Ether Ethylene (gas) Epoxy Ethylene glycol Felt insulation Fibreglass Fibre insulating board Fibre hardboard Fireclay brick 500oC Foam glass Freon 12 (gas) Freon 12 (liquid) Gasoline Glass 1.5 0.15 0.14 0.017 0.35 0.25 0.04 0.04 0.048 0.2 1.4 0.045 0.007 0.09 0.15 1.05 125 225

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Glass, Pearls, dry Glass, Pearls, saturated Glass, window Glass, wool Insulation Glycerol Gold Granite Gravel Gypsum board Hairfelt Hardboard high density Hardwoods (oak, maple..) Helium (gas) Honey (12.6% moisture content) Hydrochlor acid (gas) Hydrogen (gas) 0.18 0.76 0.96 0.04 0.28 310 1.7 - 4.0 0.7 0.17 0.05 0.15 0.16 0.142 0.5 0.013 0.168 312 310 125 225

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Hydrogen sulfide (gas) Ice (0oC, 32oF) Insulation materials 0.013 2.18 0.035 0.16 147 80 59 55 0.034 0.15 0.0088 35 0.14 1.26 - 1.33 0.07 4.15 156 68 60 125 225

Iridium Iron Iron, wrought Iron, cast Kapok insulation Kerosene Krypton (gas) Lead Pb Leather, dry Limestone Magnesia insulation (85%) Magnesite Magnesium

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Marble Mercury Methane (gas) Methanol Mica Milk Mineral wool insulation materials, wool blankets .. Molybdenum Monel Neon (gas) Nickel Nitrogen (gas) Nylon 6 Oil, machine lubricating SAE 50 Olive oil Oxygen (gas) 2.08 - 2.94 8 0.030 0.21 0.71 0.53 0.04 125 225

138 26 0.046 91 0.024 0.25 0.15 0.17 0.024

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Paper Paraffin Wax Perlite, atmospheric pressure Perlite, vacuum Plaster light Plaster, metal lath Plaster, sand Plaster, wood lath Plastics, foamed (insulation materials) Platinum Plywood Polyethylene HD Polypropylene Polystyrene, expanded Polystyrol Polyurethane foam 0.05 0.25 0.031 0.00137 0.2 0.47 0.71 0.28 0.03 70 0.13 0.42 - 0.51 0.1 - 0.22 0.03 0.043 0.03 71 72 125 225

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Porcelain Potato, raw flesh Propane (gas) PTFE PVC Pyrex glass Quartz mineral Rock, solid Rock, porous volcanic (Tuff) Rock Wool insulation Rubber, natural Salmon (73% moisture content) Sand, dry Sand, moist Sand, saturated Sandstone 1.5 0.55 0.015 0.25 0.19 1.005 3 2-7 0.5 - 2.5 0.045 0.13 0.50 0.15 - 0.25 0.25 - 2 2-4 1.7 125 225

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Sawdust Sheeps wool Silica aerogel Silicone oil Silver Slag wool Slate Snow (temp < 0oC) Sodium Softwoods (fir, pine ..) Soil, with organic matter Soil, saturated Steel, Carbon 1% Stainless Steel Straw slab insulation, compressed Styrofoam 0.08 0.039 0.02 0.1 429 0.042 2.01 0.05 - 0.25 84 0.12 0.15 - 2 0.6 - 4 43 16 0.09 0.033 17 19 125 225

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Sulfur dioxide (gas) Sugars 0.0086 0.087 0.22 0.14 67 116 0.021 0.058 0.25 0.58 0.016 0.45 0.12 0.055 0.147 125 225

Timber Tin Sn Zinc Zn Urethane foam Vermiculite Vinyl ester Water Water, vapor (steam) Wheat flour Wood across the grain, white pine Wood across the grain, balsa Wood across the grain, yellow pine, timber Wood, oak Wool, felt

0.17 0.07

Thermal Conductivity - k - W/(m.K) Temperature - oC Material/Substance 25 Wood wool, slab Xenon (gas)

125

225

0.1 - 0.15 0.0051

1 W/(m.K) = 1 W/(m.oC) = 0.85984 kcal/(h.m.oC) = 0.5779 Btu/(ft.h.oF) = 0.048 Btu/(in.h.oF) What is conductive heat transfer?

Example - Conductive Heat Transfer through a Aluminum versus Stainless Steel Pot
The conductive heat transfer through a pot wall can be calculated as q / A = k dT / s where q / A = heat transfer per unit area (W/m2) k = thermal conductivity (W/mK) dT = temperature difference ( oC) s = wall thickness (m)
Conductive Heat Transfer through Aluminum Pot Wall with thickness 2 mm and temperature difference 200 C
o

q / A = 250 (W/mK) 200 ( C) / 2 10 (m) = 25000 (kW/m2)

Conductive Heat Transfer through Stainless Steel Pot Wall with thickness 2 mm and temperature difference 200 C
o

-3

q / A = 16 (W/mK) 200 ( C) / 2 10 (m) = 1600 (kW/m )

2

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