Universidad de La Serena

Facultad de Ingeniera
Departamento de Ingeniera Mecnica
Transferencia de Calor

Heat Conduction Example

Homework No. 2

GONZALO SALFATE MALDONADO

PROFESSOR: Ph.D. NELSON MORAGA BENAVIDES

September 6, 2017

Abstract
The steady state heat diffusion in a two-dimensional flat plate with two materials and mixed
boundary conditions was studied. The problem is solved using the finite volume method in
two open source programs, CONDUCT and SIMPLE2D. A study of the mesh effect was
carried out. The results given by the programs were quite different but with a similar
behavior, it could be due to the entry of the boundary conditions.
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Contents
1.Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 3
2.Physical Situation ................................................................................................................ 3
2.1. Steady Conduction with Mixed Boundary Conditions ................................................ 3
3.Mathematical Model ............................................................................................................ 4
4.Metodology.......................................................................................................................... 4
5. Computational Implementation .......................................................................................... 5
6.Results ................................................................................................................................. 5
7. Results Analysis and Discussion ........................................................................................ 7
8.Conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 7
9.References ........................................................................................................................... 7
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1.Introduction Due to the difficult presented in the

There are three basic mechanism of heat problem it couldnt be solved in finite
transfer, conduction, convection and difference method, in this case was only
radiation. Conduction is the transfer of solved with FVM in CONDUCT and
energy from the more energetic particles SIMPLE.
of a substance to the adjacent, less
The obtained results agree with the results
energetic ones as a result of interactions
proposed by Patankar [2], but using the
between the particles. Convection is the
SIMPLE method the values of the
mode of heat transfer between a solid
isotherms are quite different with respect
surface and the adjacent liquid or gas that
to the values given by CONDUCT.
is in motion, and it involves the
Despite the above, the behavior describe in
combined effects of conduction and fluid
the profiles temperature are very similar
motion. Radiation is the energy
for both results.
emitted by matter in the form of
electromagnetic waves. All modes of heat
transfer require the existence of a 2.Physical Situation
temperature difference, and all modes are
from the high-temperature medium to a 2.1. Steady Conduction with Mixed
lower-temperature one [1]. Boundary Conditions
The physical layout for the 2D steady state
Many engineering problems involves heat heat diffusion in a flat plate with two
conduction, like dwelling thermal materials, variable properties and mixed
isolation, heat loss in heat exchangers, heat boundary conditions is shown in the figure
transfer from finned surfaces, heat 1. The plate has a x-length of 1 and a
treatment, etc. Therefore, is important to height equal to 0.5, with a 0.3x0.25 section
have a very good understanding of this of another material set in the right upper
heat transfer mechanism, its governing corner. The parameters are dimensionless
equations and the different kinds of because are only reference for the
boundary conditions that could be involve understanding of this fairly complex
in this sort of problems. situation [2].
In this case we will analyze the heat
conduction in 2-D domains, a very general
problem that involve different kind of
boundary conditions at the same time,
which is illustrated in Pantakars book
Computation of Conduction and Duct
Flow Heat Transfer [2].

The first problem is solved using the finite

volume method (FVM) in the open source
Figure 1. Flat plane with two materials.
program CONDUCT [2] and SIMPLE.
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Where 1 , 2 are the sources terms; 1 , 2 Where 1 is for the unshaded area and 2
are the thermal conductivity in the is for the shaded area as can be seen in
respectively areas. figure 1.

1 = 100 , 2 = 20 , = 5 are We can see the mixed boundary conditions

temperatures, is the heat transfer present in the problem 1, Dirichlet (4 ,5),
coefficient and = 800 is a constant Neumann (7,8) and Robin (6).
heat flux.

3.Mathematical Model
The steady state 2D heat conduction in a
flat plate with variable properties and
internal heat source is governed by a
diffusion equation, the heat equation, a
partial differential equation which is non-
linear and non-homogeneous:
4.Metodology
The partial differential equation that
govern this present problem, with the
boundary conditions previously shown
were solved numerically using the finite
volume method in the CONDUCT
program [2] and with the same method in
another open source code SIMPLE 2D.

This method discretizes the continuous

( ) + ( ) + () = 0 (1)
domain in control volumes as shown in
figure 2, and integrates with respect each
The problem has the following properties
independent variable the PDE in every
and boundary conditions respectively:
control volume.
1 = 1000 4 105 3
(2) (9)
2 = 0

1 = 5 2 = 1 + 0.01 (3)
(10)
(0, ) = 100 ; 0 0.5 (4)

(, 0.5) = 20 ; 0.7 1 (5)

(11)
(1, )
= [(1, ) 5] (6)

Where = 1 < 0.25 and

= 2 > 0.25 (12)

(,0)
1
= 800 ; 0 1 (7)

(, 1) In (9) we have the 2D steady state

1 = 0 ; 0 0.7 (8)
diffusion equation. After the integration
we have the balance of generation of the
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quantity and the fluxes through its cell positioned in the discontinuity, therefore,
faces (10). To reach an equation in terms the mesh used were the following:
of we linear interpolate the gradients in
CONDUCT SIMPLE
the faces and get (12). Rearranging its
10x6 20x12
equation, we have the general discretized
20x12 40x12
equation: Table 1. Numbers of control volumes.

(13) The coefficients of the transport equation

as next:
In this case of heat diffusion we have that
= = .

This generate a system of equation which
is solved by TDMA.

Figure 3. 10x6 uniform grid.

Figure 2. A part of the two-dimensional staggered

grid.

5. Computational Figure 4. 20x12 uniform grid.

Implementation In the SIMPLE algorithm it was used a

As it was said the problem were solved sub-relaxation coefficient = 0.8.
using two open source programs
CONDUCT and SIMPLE. The post-
6.Results
processing of the data was realized in
First, the problem was calculated in
Tecplot and the graphics were made in
CONDUCT using the grid that is indicated
MATLAB.
in the book (10x6), then the resolution was
Due to the discontinuity in the material of duplicated to see the effect of it in the
the flat plate, it was necessary that the results.
faces of the control volumes were
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CONDUCT SIMPLE
10X6 20X12 20X12 40X24
()
()
Contours

Table 2. Resume of results obtained in CONDUCT and SIMPLE.

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Discontinuities in the material affect in

7. Results Analysis and
Discussion
As we can see at first sight in the
temperature contours in table 2 the effect
of the resolution in the used grid, for a big
mesh the contours are more smooth, due to
the post-processor has more data for
interpolate the values of the temperature.
In all temperature profiles shown it can be
seen the effect of the discontinuity in the
material, it produces a break in the
behavior of the temperature and make it
decrease faster in the respective
coordinate.
great part the distribution of temperature.
9.References
[1] Y. A. Engel y A. J. Ghajar,
Transferencia de calor y masa:
fundamentos y aplicaciones. Mxico,
D.F.: McGraw-Hill Interamericana,
2011.
[2] Suhas V. Patankar, Computation of
Conduction and Duct Flow Heat
Transfer. CRC Press LLC, 1991.

The results given by SIMPLE are different

from those given by CONDUCT, although
it can be seen a quite similar behavior in
the temperatures profiles and the contours.
Those different results may be produced
by a wrong entry of the boundary
conditions, that is fairly probably due the
complex present in those. A good idea
could be implement the easy way to
introduce boundary condition, that
CONDUCT have, in SIMPLE to ease the
entry of it in this more general problem
solver.

8.Conclusions
The CONDUCT program is very useful
because it can work with very complex
boundary conditions in a simple way.

The convective heat flux boundary

condition makes that the problem cant be
solve with a direct method.