Chapter Two Steady Heat Conduction

Chapter Two
Steady Heat Conduction

 INTRODUCTION
in heat transfer analysis, we are often interested in the rate of heat transfer through a
medium under steady conditions and surface temperatures. Such problems can be
solved easily without involving any differential equations by the introduction of
thermal resistance concepts in an analogous manner to electrical circuit problems. In
this case, the thermal resistance corresponds to electrical resistance, temperature
difference corresponds to voltage, and the heat transfer rate corresponds to electric
current.

 ONE-DIMENSIONAL STEADY HEAT CONDUCTION IN A

PLANE WALL, A CYLINDER, AND A SPHERE

 A PLANE WALL
Consider steady heat conduction through the walls of a house during a winter day. We
know that heat is continuously lost to the outdoors through the wall. We intuitively
feel that heat transfer through the wall is in the normal direction to the wall surface,
and no significant heat transfer takes place in the wall in other directions (Fig. 2–1).

Figure 2-1 Heat flow through a wall is one dimensional when the temperature of the
wall varies in one direction only
Chapter Two Steady Heat Conduction

Recall that heat transfer in a certain direction is driven by the temperature gradient in
that direction. The small thickness of the wall causes the temperature gradient in that
direction to be large. Further, if the air temperatures in and outside the house remain
constant, then heat transfer through the wall of a house can be modeled as steady and
one-dimensional. The temperature of the wall in this case will depend on one
direction only (say the x-direction) and can be expressed as T(x).
The energy balance for the wall can be expressed as

( ) ( )
( )

Or

2-1

But ⁄ = 0 for steady operation, since there is no change in the temperature

of the wall with time at any point. Hence, the rate of heat transfer into the wall must
be equal to the rate of heat transfer out of it. In other words, the rate of heat transfer
through the wall must be constant, = constant.

Consider a plane wall of thickness L and average thermal conductivity k. The two
surfaces of the wall are maintained at constant temperatures of and . For one-
dimensional steady heat conduction through the wall, we have T(x). Then Fourier’s
law of heat conduction for the wall can be expressed as

2-2

where the rate of conduction heat transfer and the wall area A are
constant. Thus we have dT/dx = constant, which means that the temperature through
the wall varies linearly with x. That is, the temperature distribution in the wall under
steady conditions is a straight line (Fig. 2–2).
Chapter Two Steady Heat Conduction

Figure 2-2 Under steady conditions, the temperature distribution in a plane wall is a
straight line.

Separating the variables in the preceding equation and integrating from x = 0, where
T(0) = , to x = L, where T(L) = , we get

∫ ∫ 2-3
Performing the integrations and rearranging gives

(W) 2-4

Note:- The rate of heat conduction is available, the temperature T(x) at any location x
can be determined by replacing T2 in Eq. 2–4 by T, and L by x.

 The Thermal Resistance Concept

 For heat conduction
Equation 2–4 for heat conduction through a plane wall can be rearranged as

(W) 2-5

Where
( C/W) 2-6

is the thermal resistance of the wall against heat conduction or simply the
conduction resistance of the wall. Note that the thermal resistance of a medium
depends on the geometry and the thermal properties of the medium.
Chapter Two Steady Heat Conduction

Equation 2-6 for heat flow is analogous to the relation for electric current flow I,
expressed as

2-7

where ⁄ is the electric resistance and is the voltage

difference across the resistance ( is the electrical conductivity). Thus, the rate of
heat transfer through a layer corresponds to the electric current, the thermal
resistance corresponds to electrical resistance, and the temperature difference
corresponds to voltage difference across the layer (Fig. 2–3).

Figure 2-3 Analogy between thermal and electrical resistance concepts.

 For heat convection

Consider convection heat transfer from a solid surface of area and temperature

to a fluid whose temperature sufficiently far from the surface is , with a convection
heat transfer coefficient h. Newton’s law of cooling for convection heat transfer rate
( ) can be rearranged as

( )
(W) 2-8

Where

( C/W) 2-9

is the thermal resistance of the surface against heat convection, or simply the

convection resistance of the surface (Fig. 2–4).

Chapter Two Steady Heat Conduction

Figure 2-4 Schematic for convection resistance at a surface.

Note:- Equation 2-9 for convection resistance is valid for surfaces of any shape

 Thermal Resistance Network

Now consider steady one-dimensional heat flow through a plane wall of thickness L,
area A, and thermal conductivity k that is exposed to convection on both sides to
fluids at temperatures and with heat transfer coefficients and ,

respectively, as shown in Fig. 2–5. Assuming > , the variation of

temperature will be as shown in the figure. Note that the temperature varies linearly in
the wall, and asymptotically approaches and in the fluids as we move away
from the wall.

Figure 2-5 The thermal resistance network for heat transfer through a plane wall
subjected to convection on both sides, and the electrical analogy.
Chapter Two Steady Heat Conduction

Under steady conditions we have

( ) ( ) ( )

Or
( ) ( ) 2-10

which can be rearranged as

( ) ( )
⁄ ⁄ ⁄
( ) ( )
= 2-11

Adding the numerators and denominators yields

( )
(W) 2-12

Where
⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ( C/W) 2-13

Note that the heat transfer area A is constant for a plane wall, and the rate of heat
transfer through a wall separating two mediums is equal to the temperature difference
divided by the total thermal resistance between the mediums.
We can rewrite equation (2-12 ) as below:
( C) 2-14

which indicates that the temperature drop across any layer is equal to the rate of heat

transfer times the thermal resistance across that layer.

 Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient

It is sometimes convenient to express heat transfer through a medium in an analogous
manner to Newton’s law of cooling as
(W) 2-15
Chapter Two Steady Heat Conduction

where U is the overall heat transfer coefficient

A comparison of Eqs. (2–12) and (2–15) reveals that

2-16

Therefore, for a unit area, the overall heat transfer coefficient is equal to the inverse of
the total thermal resistance.

 Multilayer Plane Walls

In practice we often encounter plane walls that consist of several layers of different materials. The
thermal resistance concept can still be used to determine the rate of steady heat transfer through
such composite walls. As you may have already guessed, this is done by simply noting that the
conduction resistance of each wall is L/kA connected in series, and using the electrical analogy.
That is, by dividing the temperature difference between two surfaces at known
temperatures by the total thermal resistance between them.
Consider a plane wall that consists of two layers (such as a brick wall with a layer of
insulation). The rate of steady heat transfer through this two-layer composite wall can
be expressed as Fig. 2–6.

Figure 2-6 The thermal resistance network for heat transfer through a two-layer plane wall subjected to
convection on both sides

( )

where l is the total thermal resistance, expressed as

Chapter Two Steady Heat Conduction

⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ 2-17

The and in relations above indicate the first and the second layers,
respectively.
This result for the two-layer case is analogous to the single-layer case, except that an
additional resistance is added for the additional layer. This result can be extended to
plane walls that consist of three or more layers by adding an additional resistance for
each additional layer.
Note:- The thermal resistance concept is widely used in practice because it is
intuitively easy to understand and it has proven to be a powerful tool in the solution of
a wide range of heat transfer problems. But its use is limited to systems through which
the rate of heat transfer remains constant; that is, to systems involving steady heat
transfer with no heat generation (such as resistance heating or chemical reactions)
within the medium.

Example 1/

Figure 2-7 Schematic for Example 1

Chapter Two Steady Heat Conduction

Solution:
A= 0.8 m x 1.5 m = 1.2 m2

 GENERALIZED THERMAL RESISTANCE NETWORKS

The thermal resistance concept or the electrical analogy can also be used to solve
steady heat transfer problems that involve parallel layers or combined series-parallel
arrangements. Consider the composite wall shown in figure 2–8, which consists of
two parallel layers.

Figure 2-8 Thermal resistance network for two parallel layers

Chapter Two Steady Heat Conduction

The thermal resistance network, which consists of two parallel resistances, can be
represented as shown in the figure. Noting that the total heat transfer is the sum of the
heat transfers through each layer, we have

( )( ) 2-18

Utilizing electrical analogy, we get

2-19

Where

2-20

since the resistances are in parallel.

Now consider the combined series-parallel arrangement shown in figure 2–9.

Figure 2-9 Thermal resistance network for combined series-parallel arrangement

The total rate of heat transfer through this composite system can again be expressed as

2-21

Where
Chapter Two Steady Heat Conduction

2-22
And

, , , 2-23

Once the individual thermal resistances are evaluated, the total resistance and the total
rate of heat transfer can easily be determined from the relations above.

Note:- there are two assumptions commonly used in solving complex

multidimensional heat transfer problems by treating them as one-dimensional (say, in
the x-direction)
1- Any plane wall normal to the x-axis is isothermal (i.e., to assume the temperature
to vary in the x-direction only)
2- Any plane parallel to the x-axis is adiabatic (i.e., to assume heat transfer to occur in
the x-direction only).

Example 2/

Figure 2-10 Schematic for Example 2

Chapter Two Steady Heat Conduction

Solution: