Chapter 2

CONDUCTION HEAT
TRANSFER
2.1 Principles of
Conductive Heat
Transfer

 To describe the
principles of
conduction heat
transfer (solid,
liquid and gas)

Objective
s

Heat Conduction
Conduction is the process of thermal energy
transfer without
medium.
HOT
(lots of vibration)

any flow

of the material

COLD
(not much vibration)

Heat
travels
along the
rod

When the thermal energy(heat) is supplied

to one end of the rod, the particles (atom or
molecules) at the hot end vibrate vigorously.
These particles will collide with
neighbouring particles, making them vibrate
as well.
Kinetic energy of the vibrating particles at
the hot end is transferred to the
neighbouring particles.

Vibrate

Collide

Transfer

In metals, not only do the atoms vibrate more

when heated, but the free electrons charge
around more as well. These transfer the energy
much faster than just vibrations in bonds.
This fast moving electrons then diffuse into the
cooler parts of the metal.
In the process, they collide with the atoms in
the cooler parts of the metals and transfer their
kinetic energy to them.
This explains why good conductors like metals
are capable of transferring thermal energy much
faster than insulators.(i.e. non-metals)

Conduction can take place in solids, liquid and gases

provided no bulk motion involved.

Solid

-Metals are good conductors

of electricity.
- They are also good
conductors of heat. In
metals, not only do the
atoms vibrate more when
heated, but the free electrons
charge around more as well.
These transfer the energy
much faster than just
vibrations in bonds.

Liquid

-Less good conductors of

Gas

-Very poor conductors of heat

heat than solids

- The interactions are weaker
than in solids and this makes
energy transfer less efficient

- Molecules are widely

separated and interact rarely
compared to solids and
liquids

Good conductors of heat:

Metals such as copper, iron and silver
Bad conductors of heat/insulators:
Non metals such as glass, plastics, bricks, wool, wood,
air and water.

Examples

The metal conducts

heat from the cup of
warm water to the cup
of cool water

Your Cokes become cold

because the heat from soda
transfers into the ice, not
the other way round.

Heat transfer is a vector quantity; it has both direction

and magnitude

+ve quantity indicates heat

transfer in the positive
direction

-ve quantity indicates heat

transfer in the negative
direction

Steady versus Transient(Unsteady)

Steady

Transient

Steady
state
No change
with time
at any
point
within the
medium

Variation
with time or
time
independence

One dimensional heat transfer

The temperature in the
medium varies in

one

direction only.

Another example:
Heat transfer through
a hot water pipe (radial
direction from the hot
water to ambient)

The variation of
temperature and thus the
heat transfer in other
direction are

or zero.

negligible

(for one dimensional heat conduction)

Heat Flux
(Wm-2)

Heat Transfer (W)

Perunit Area (m2)
(W/m2)
Thermal Conductivity
(Wm-1K-1)
dT = temperature difference (K)
dx = distance across section (m)

q
dT
Q k
A
dx

dT
q kA
dx

(T1 T2 )
q kA
( x2 x1 )

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

dT
q kA
dx
Hot face

Cold face

Hot
face
temp.

Temp.
gradient

Cold
face
temp.

The rate of heat transfer through a unit thickness of the

material per unit area per unit temperature difference.

Thermal conductivity (k), is a physical property

of the material
Measures the materials

ability to conduct heat.

(High value of k = good heat conductor, & otherwise).

Varies for different materials
The SI unit is W/mK

Material

Thermal Conductivity
Wm-1oC-1

Diamond

2300

Silver

429

Copper

401

Gold

317

Aluminum

237

Iron

80.2

Mercury (liq)

8.54

Glass

0.78

Brick

0.72

Water (liq)

0.63

Air (g)

0.026

Human skin

0.37

Helium (g)

0.152

Try ya!
Calculate the heat loss per square meter
of surface area for an insulating wall of a
food cold-storage room where the outside
temperature is 299.9K and the inside
temperature is 276.5K. The wall is
composed of 25.4 mm of corkboard
having a thermal conductivity of 0.0433
W/(m K)

q/A = -k dT/dX
= -k (T2 T1)/(x)
= - (0.0433)(299 276.5)
25.4 x10-3
= - 39.89 W/m2
x
276.5 K

299 K

-ve sign means the

flux is in the x
direction; from the
outside inwhich is

correct!
25.4 mm on corkboard

Try lagi deh!

Calculate the heat loss per m2 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 outside temperature is 297.1 K.
Thermal conductivity of fiber insulating
board is 0.048W/m.K.

q/A = k dT/dX
= k (T1 T2)/(x)
= 0.048/0.0254(352.7-297.1)
= 105.1 W/m2

End