Topic 2

Steady Heat Conduction

Geraldine Chan Sue Ching

Sept 2018

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.
 Objectives
When you finish studying this chapter, you should be
able to:
• Understand the concept of thermal resistance and its
limitations, and develop thermal resistance networks
for practical heat conduction problems,
• Solve steady conduction problems that involve
multilayer rectangular, cylindrical, or spherical
geometries,
• Develop an intuitive understanding of thermal contact
resistance, and circumstances under which it may be
significant,
• Identify applications in which insulation may actually
increase heat transfer,
• Solve multidimensional practical heat conduction
problems using conduction shape factors.
 Steady Heat Conduction in Plane Walls

1) Considerable temperature difference

between the inner and the outer
surfaces of the wall (significant
temperature gradient in the x
direction).
2) The wall surface is nearly isothermal.

Steady one-dimensional modeling approach is

justified.
• Assuming heat transfer is the only energy interaction
and there is no heat generation, the energy balance
can be expressed as Zero for steady
operation

Rate of Rate of Rate of change

heat transfer - heat transfer = of the energy
into the wall out of the wall of the wall

0
or
dEwall
Qin  Qout  0 (3-1)
dt

The rate of heat transfer through the

wall must be constant ( Qcond ,wall  constant ).
• Derivation of Fourier’s Law
Assumptions:
a) Consider a plane wall of
thickness L and average thermal
conductivity of k.
b) The two surfaces are maintained
at constant temperature of T1 and T2.
c) Involve only one dimensional
Steady heat conduction mainly in
X direction so we have T(x).
• Then Fourier’s law of heat conduction for the wall
can be expressed as
dT
Qcond , wall  kA (W) (3-2)
dx
• Remembering that the rate of conduction heat transfer
and the wall area A are constant it follows
dT/dx=constant

the temperature through the wall varies linearly with x.

• Integrating the above equation and rearranging yields
T1  T2
Qcond , wall  kA (W) (3-3)
L
Thermal Resistance Concept- Conduction
Resistance
• Equation 3–3 for heat conduction through a
plane wall can be rearranged as
T1  T2
Qcond , wall  (W) (3-4)
Rwall
• Where Rwall is the conduction resistance
expressed as
L
Rwall  ( C/W) (3-5)
kA
Analogy to Electrical Current Flow
• Eq. 3-5 is analogous to the relation for electric current
flow I, expressed as V1  V2
I (3-6)
Re

Heat Transfer Electrical current flow

Rate of heat transfer  Electric current
Thermal resistance  Electrical resistance
Temperature difference  Voltage difference
 Thermal Resistance Concept-
Convection Resistance
• Thermal resistance can also be applied to convection
processes.
• Newton’s law of cooling for convection heat transfer
rate (Qconv  hAs Ts  T ) can be rearranged as
Ts  T
Qconv  (W) (3-7)
Rconv
• Rconv is the convection resistance

1
Rconv  ( C/W) (3-8)
hAs
 Thermal Resistance Concept-
Radiation Resistance
• The rate of radiation heat transfer between a surface and
the surrounding when the radiation effects is significant.
Ts  Tsurr
Qrad   As T  T s
4 4
surr   hrad As (Ts  Tsurr ) 
Rrad
(W)

(3-9)
1
Rrad  (K/W) Thermal resistance of a surface
against radiation or radiation
hrad As resistance (3-10)

hrad 
Qrad
As (Ts  Tsurr )

  Ts2  Tsurr
2

Ts  Tsurr  (W/m2  K)
(3-11)
 Thermal Resistance Concept-
Radiation and Convection Resistance
• A surface exposed to the surrounding might involves
convection and radiation simultaneously.
• The convection and radiation resistances are parallel
to each other.
• When Tsurr≈T∞, the radiation
effect can properly be
accounted for by replacing h
in the convection resistance
relation by
hcombined = hconv+hrad (W/m2K) (3-12)
 Thermal Resistance Network
• Consider steady one-dimensional heat transfer
through a plane wall that is exposed to convection on
both sides.
 Thermal Resistance Network
• Under steady conditions we have
Rate of Rate of Rate of
heat convection = heat conduction = heat convection
into the wall through the wall from the wall

or
Q  h1 A T ,1  T1  
(3-13)
T1  T2
kA  h2 A T2  T ,2 
L
Rearranging and adding
T,1  T1  Q  Rconv,1

 T1  T2  Q  Rwall

T2  T ,2  Q  Rconv ,2
T ,1  T ,2  Q( Rconv ,1  Rwall  Rconv ,2 )  Q  Rtotal
T,1  T,2
Q (W) (3-15)
Rtotal
where
1 L 1
Rtotal  Rconv ,1  Rwall  Rconv ,2    ( C/W)
h1 A kA h2 A
(3-16)
• It is sometimes convenient to express heat transfer
through a medium in an analogous manner to
Newton’s law of cooling as

Q  UAT (W) (3-18)

• where U is the overall heat transfer coefficient.

• Note that
1
UA  ( C/K) (3-19)
Rtotal
 Overall heat transfer coefficient
The overall heat transfer by combined
conduction and convection is frequently
expressed in terms of an overall heat
transfer coefficient U

Q  UAToverall

q3 = convection
U ?
q1 = convection
q2 = conduction

q = q1 = q2 = q3
 Overall heat transfer coefficient
Convection Boundary condition

Qconv  hA(Tw  T )
Tw  T
Qconv 
1 / hA
Rconv  1 / hA

Conduction
kA
Qcond   (T2  T1 )
x
T1  T2
Qcond 
x / kA
x
Rcond  n
kn A
 Overall heat transfer coefficient

kA
Q  h1 A(TA  T1 )  (T1  T2 )  h2 A(T2  TB )
x
TA  TB
Q
1 / h1 A  x / kA  1 / h2 A
Overall heat transfer coefficient
1 1
U  
1 / h1  x / k  1 / h2 R
 Multilayer Plane Walls
• In practice we often encounter plane walls that consist
of several layers of different materials.
• The rate of steady heat transfer through this two-layer
composite wall can be expressed through Eq. 3-15
where the total thermal
resistance is
Rtotal  Rconv ,1  Rwall ,1  Rwall ,2  Rconv,2
1 L1 L2 1
   
h1 A k1 A k2 A h2 A
(3-22)
 Heat flow through plane wall
The temperature gradients in the three
materials are shown, and the heat flow may
be written:

T2  T1 T T T T
Q  k A A  k B A 3 2  kc A 4 3
x A xB xc

Solving these three equations

simultaneously, the heat flow is written
composite wall

T1  T4
Q
x A / k A A  xB / k B A  xc / kc A
Note: the heat flow must be
the same through all sections.
 Heat flow through plane wall

x T1  T4
Rcond  n Q
kn A RA  RB  RC

A relation quite like Ohm’s law in electric-

circuit theory
composite wall
Toverall
Q
 Rth
Note: the heat flow must be
the same through all sections. Rth = the thermal resistances of the various
materials
 Generalized Thermal Resistance
Network
• The thermal resistance concept can be used to solve
steady heat transfer problems that involve parallel
layers or combined series-parallel arrangements.
• The total heat transfer of two parallel layers
T1  T2 T1  T2 1 1 
Q  Q1  Q2    T1  T2    
R1 R2  R1 R2 
1
Rtotal (3-29)
1 1 1  RR
     Rtotal = 1 2 (3-31)
Rtotal  R1 R2  R1  R2
Combined Series-Parallel Arrangement
The total rate of heat transfer through
the composite system
T1  T
Q (3-32)
Rtotal

where
R1 R2
Rtotal  R12  R3  Rconv   R3  Rconv
R1  R2 (3-33)
L1 L2 L3 1
R1  ; R2  ; R3  ; Rconv  (3-34)
k1 A1 k2 A2 k3 A3 hA3
Combined Series-Parallel Arrangement
T1  T4
Q
 R R 
B RA   B c   RD
 RB  RC 
A D
x n
C Rcond 
kn A

T1  T4
Q
 xB xC 

x A  k B A / 2 kC A / 2  xD
 
k A A  xB  xC  k D A
 k B A / 2 kC A / 2 
Combined Series-Parallel Arrangement
 Thermal Contact Resistance
• In reality surfaces have some roughness.
• When two surfaces are pressed against each other, the
peaks form good material contact but the valleys form
voids filled with air.
• As a result, an interface contains
numerous air gaps of varying sizes
that act as insulation because of the
low thermal conductivity of air.
• Thus, an interface offers some
resistance to heat transfer, which
is termed the thermal contact
resistance, Rc.
• The value of thermal contact resistance
depends on the
– surface roughness,
– material properties,
– temperature and pressure at the interface,
– type of fluid trapped at the interface.
• Thermal contact resistance is observed to
decrease with decreasing surface roughness
and increasing interface pressure.
• The thermal contact resistance can be
minimized by applying a thermally conducting
liquid called a thermal grease.
Example Problem
Consider a composite structure shown on below. Conductivities of the
layer are: k1 = k3 = 10 W/mK, k2 = 16 W/mK, and k4 = 46 W/mK. The
convection coefficient on the right side of the composite is 30 W/m2K.
Calculate the total resistance and the heat flow through the composite.
First, draw the thermal circuit for the composite. The circuit must span between the
two known temperatures; that is, T1 and T∞.

Next, the thermal resistances corresponding to each layer are calculated:

Similarly, R2 = 0.09, R3 = 0.15, and R4 = 0.36

To find the total resistance, an equivalent resistance for layers 1, 2, and 3 is found first.
These three layers are combined in series:

The equivalent resistor R1,2,3 is in parallel with R4:

Finally, R1,2,3,4 is in series with R5. The total resistance of the circuit is:

Rtotal = R1,2,3,4 + R5 = 0.46 ← total thermal resistance

The heat transfer through the composite is:

= 173.9 W. ← heat flow through the composite

 Heat Conduction in Cylinders
Consider the long cylindrical layer
Assumptions:
– the two surfaces of the cylindrical
layer are maintained at constant
temperatures T1 and T2,
– no heat generation,
– constant thermal conductivity,
– one-dimensional heat conduction.
Fourier’s law of heat conduction
dT
Qcond ,cyl  kA (W) (3-35)
dr
Heat flow through radial system
Fourier’s law:
dT
Q  kA A  2 rL
dr

dT
Q  2 krL
dr

Boundary conditions:
T=Ti at r=ri
T=T0 at r=r0

2 kL(Ti  T0 )
Q
ln( r0 / ri )
cylinder
 dT
Qcond ,cyl  kA (W) (3-35)
dr
Separating the variables and integrating from r=r1,
where T(r1)=T1, to r=r2, where T(r2)=T2
r2 T2
Qcond ,cyl

r  r1
A
dr  
T T1
 kdT (3-36)

Substituting A =2rL and performing the integrations

give
T1  T2
Qcond ,cyl  2 Lk (3-37)
ln  r2 / r1 
Since the heat transfer rate is constant
T1  T2
Qcond ,cyl  (3-38)
Rcyl
 Thermal Resistance with Convection
Steady one-dimensional heat transfer through a
cylindrical or spherical layer that is exposed to
convection on both sides
T,1  T,2
Q (3-32)
Rtotal
where
Rtotal  Rconv ,1  Rcyl  Rconv ,2 
1 ln  r2 / r1  1
  
 2 r1L  h1 2 Lk  2 r2 L  h2 (3-43)
 Multilayered
Cylinders
• Steady heat transfer through
multilayered cylindrical or
spherical shells can be handled just like multilayered plane.
• The steady heat transfer rate through a three-layered
composite cylinder of length L with convection on both
sides is expressed by Eq. 3-32 where:
Rtotal  Rconv ,1  Rcyl ,1  Rcyl ,3  Rcyl ,3  Rconv,2  (3-46)
1 ln  r2 / r1  ln  r3 / r2  ln  r4 / r3  1
    
 2 r1L  h1 2 Lk1 2 Lk 2 2 Lk3  2 r2 L  h2