TRANSIENT HEAT CONDUCTION

STRUCTURE
Introduction
Lumped System Analysis
Criteria Of The Lumped System Analysis
Transient Heat Conduction In Large Plane Walls, Long
Cylinders, And Spheres
Transient Heat Conduction In Semi-infinite Solids
Transient Heat Conduction In Multidimensional Systems
TIME DEPENDENT CONDUCTION - Temperature history
inside a conducting body that is immersed suddenly in a
bath of fluid at a different temperature.
Ex: Quenching of special alloys

The temperature of such a body varies with time as well as

position.
T(x,y,z,t)
(x,y,z) - Variation in the x,y and z directions
t - Variation with time

In this chapter, we consider the variation of temperature

with time as well as position in one and multi-
dimensional systems.
 LUMPED SYSTEM ANALYSIS
COPPER BALL WITH UNIFORM TEMPERATURE
70 C
o
o
Temperature of the copper ball changes with time,
70 C
o
but it does not change with position at any given
o 70 C time.
70 C o
70 C
o
70 C Temperature of the ball remains uniform at all
times
POTATA TAKEN FROM BOILING WATER
Large potato put in a vessel with boiling water.
o
o 65 C
60 C
75 C
o
o After few minutes, if you take out the potato,
70 C
temperature distribution within the potato is not
60 C
o
even close to being uniform.

Thus, lumped system analysis is not applicable in

this case.
 Hot metal forging that is initially at a uniform temperature Ti and is
quenched by immersing it in a liquid of lower temperature T < Ti
Ti T<0
T = Ti

E out qconv
L iquid

T (t)
T  Ti t 0
T T t 

During a differential time interval dt, the temperature of the body rises
by a differential amount dT. An energy balance of the solid for the
time interval dt can be expressed as
 Heat transfer int o the   The increase in the energy 
   
 body during dt   of the body during dt 

 h A (T  T ) dt  V C p dT
 h A (T  T ) dt  V C p dT V - Body volume
As - surface area
 T  T  - density of the body material
Cp - specific heat of the body material
VC P d
 
h As dt
VC P  d t
t = 0 and T(0) = Ti
  dt  i Ti  T
h As  i  0

VC P   T  T   h As  
ln  t  exp     t 
h As i  i Ti  T   VC P  

 1 
  
  V C p Rt C t Rt - Resistance to convection heat transfer

 h As 
Ct - Lumped thermal capacitance of the solid
 Transient Temperature Response of Lumped Capacitance Solids

 VC p 
 
 hAs 
Rt Ct
 




  
t ,1 t ,2 t ,3
 t ,4

The rate of convection heat transfer between the body and its environment at
that time can be determined from Newton's law of cooling

Q h As T ( t )  T 
 CRITERIA OF THE LUMPED SYSTEM ANALYSIS
Biot number Bi hLc
Bi 
k
h T Convection at the surface of the body
Bi  
k T Conduction within the body
Lc

Lc
Conduction resis tan ce within the body
Bi  k 
1 Convective resis tan ce at the surface of the body
h

Lumped system analysis is exact when Bi = 0

Generally, accepted norm for assuming lumped system
analysis
Bi  0.1
  D3
S p h e ric a l C o p p e r V D
B a ll Lc   6 2  0.02 m
A D 6
k = 4 0 1 W /m K h L 15 0.02
D = 12cm Bi  c  0.00075  0.1
k 401

Small bodies with higher thermal conductivities and low

convection coefficients are most likely to satisfy the criterion for
lumped system analysis
Heat conduction in a specified direction n per unit surface area is
expressed as
T
q  k
n
Larger the thermal conductivity  the smaller the temperature gradient
 h 2000 W m C
o
50 C
o
7 0 Co
85 C o
11 0 C
o
135 C

C o n v ectio n

When the convection coefficient h is high and k is low, large

temperature differences occur between the inner and outer regions
of a large solid
Problem: A thermocouple junction, which may be approximated as a sphere, is to be used for
temperature measurement in a gas stream. The convection coefficient between the junction
surface and the gas is known to be h = 400 W/m2.K and the junction thermophysical properties
are k = 20 W/m.K, Cp = 400 U/kg.K, and  = 8500 kg/m3. Determine the junction diameter
needed for the thermocouple to have a time constant of one second. If the junction is at 25 0 C
and is placed in a gas stream that is at 2000 C, how long will it take for the junction to reach
1990 C?
Known:
Thermophysical properties of thermocouple junction used to measure temperature of a gas
stream
Find:
Junction diameter needed for a time constant of 1 second
Time required to reach 1990 C in gas stream at 2000 C
Schematic: L eads

T herm ocouple
junction T i = 27 o C
k= 20W /m K
c= 400J/K gK
g/m 3
G as stream
D
Assumptions:
Temperature of the junction is uniform at any instant
Radiation exchange with the surroundings is negligible
Losses by conduction through the leads are negligible
Constant properties
Analysis:
Because the junction diameter is unknown, it is not possible to begin the solution by
determining whether the criterion for using the lumped capacitance method, Bi<<0.1.
However, a reasonable approach is to use the method to find the diameter and to then
determine whether the criterion is satisfied.

As = D2 and V = D3/6 for a sphere,  Lc = r0 /3

1   D3 6 h t 6 400 1
t   C p D    7 .06 10 4
m
h D 2 6  C p 8500 400
With Lc = r0 /3 it follows that

h ro / 3  400  3.53 10 4

Bi    2.35 10 3
k 3  20

Criterion for using the lumped capacitance method, Bi << 0.1 is satisfied and the lumped
capacitance method may be used to an excellent approximation.
The time required for the junction to reach T = 199o C

t
 
  D 3 / 6 C p Ti  T  D C p Ti  T
ln  ln
h D 2
 T  T 6h T  T

8500 7.06 10  4 400 25  200

t ln  5.2 s
6 400 199  200
Comments:
Heat transfer due to radiation exchange between the junction and
the surroundings and conduction through the leads would affect
the time response of the junction and would, in fact, yield an
equilibrium temperature that differs from T.
 SPATIAL EFFECTS
Variation of temperature with time and position in one-dimensional problems such as those
associated with a large plane wall, a long cylinder, and a sphere.
No internal generation and constant properties

In itially In itially
T ,h T Ti T ,h T Ti T ,h T ,h
In itially SIMPLE GEOMETRIES IN
0 r ro WHICH HEAT TRANSFER IS
0 x 0 r ro
L T Ti ONE DIMENSIONAL

(a) A L a rg e P la ne Wa ll (b) A L o n g C ylin d er (c) A Sp h ere

 2T 1 T

x 2
 t
T T
T x , 0   Ti 0  k  hT L , t  T 
x x 0 x x L
Initial condition
Boundary conditions
 TRANSIENT HEAT CONDUCTION IN LARGE PLANE WALLS, LONG
CYLINDERS, AND SPHERES
Variation of temperature with time and position in one-dimensional
problems such as those associated with a large plane wall, a long
cylinder, and a sphere.
In itia lly In itia lly
T ,h T Ti T ,h SIMPLE GEOMETRIES IN
T ,h T Ti T ,h
WHICH HEAT TRANSFER IS
In itia lly
ONE DIMENSIONAL
ro 0 ro
0 L
x 0 r T Ti r

(a ) A L a rg e P la n e Wa ll (b ) A L o n g C y lin d er (c) A S p h ere

Note that all three cases possess geometric and thermal symmetry: the plane wall is
symmetric about its center plane (x = 0), the cylinder is symmetric about its center
line (r = 0), and the sphere is symmetric about its center point (r = 0).
Neglect radiation heat transfer between these bodies and their surrounding
surfaces, or incorporate the radiation effect into the convection heat transfer
coefficient h.
 Transient temperature profiles in a plane wall exposed to convection
from its surfaces for Ti > T
•When the wall is first exposed to the surrounding medium
Ti at T > Ti at t = 0, the entire wall is at its initial
t= 0
temperature Ti.
t  •But the wall temperature at and near the surfaces starts
to drop as a result of heat transfer from the wall
T
to the surrounding medium.
•This creates a temperature gradient in the wall and
0 x
L initiates heat conduction from the inner parts of
h the wall toward its outer surfaces.
Initially
T h T •Note that the temperature at the center of the wall
remains at Ti until t = t2, and that the temperature profile
within the wall remains symmetric at all times about
(a) A L arge P lane Wall
the center plane.
•The temperature profile gets flatter and flatter as time
passes as a results of heat transfer, and eventually
becomes uniform at T = T. That is, the wall reaches
thermal equilibrium with its surroundings. At that point,
the heat transfer stops since there is no longer a
temperature difference. Similar discussions can be
given for the long cylinder or sphere.
The formulation of the problems for the determination of the one dimensional
transient temperature distribution T(x,t) in a wall results in a partial differential
equation, which can be solved using advanced mathematical techniques.
The solution, however, normally involves infinite series, which are inconvenient and
time consuming to evaluate.
Therefore, there is a clear motivation to present the solution in tabular or graphical
form.
However, the solution involves the parameters x, L, t, k, , h, Ti and T, which are too
many to make any graphical presentation of the results practical. In order to reduce
the number of parameters, following dimensionless quantities are defined.

Dimensionless Temperature: T ( x , t )  T
 x , t    f X , Bi , 
Ti  T
x
Dimensionless distance from the center: X
L hL
Bi 
Dimensionless heat transfer coefficient: (Biot number) k
t
Dimensionless time: (Fourier number) 
L2
The non-dimensionalization enables us to present the temperature in terms of three
parameters only: X, Bi and .
  2T 1 T
  2 

x 2
 t X 2 
T x , 0   Ti  X , 0  1
T 
0 0
x x 0
X X 0

T 
 k  hT L , t  T   Bi 1 , 
x x L
X X 1

  f X , , Bi 
Exact solution

T ( x , t )  T    2n 
 ( x , t )wall    An e cosn x / L
Ti  T n 1
4 sin n
An 
2n  sin2n 
The discrete values of n ( in the table) are positive roots of the transcendental
equation
nTan n  Bi
 Bi ξ1 ξ2 ξ3 ξ4

The first four roots of the 0

0.001
0
0.0316
3.1416
3.1419
6.2832
6.2833
9.4248
9.4249

Transcendental equation 0.002

0.004
0.0447
0.0632
3.1422
3.1429
6.2835
6.2838
9.425
9.4252
0.006 0.0774 3.1435 6.2841 9.4254

nTan n  Bi
0.008 0.0893 3.1441 6.2845 9.4256
0.01 0.0998 3.1448 6.2848 9.4258
0.02 0.141 3.1479 6.2864 9.4269
0.04 0.1987 3.1543 6.2895 9.429

For transient conduction in a 0.06

0.08
0.2425
0.2791
3.1606
3.1668
6.2927
6.2959
9.4311
9.4333

plane wall
0.1 0.3111 3.1731 6.2991 9.4354
0.2 0.4328 3.2039 6.3148 9.4459
0.3 0.5218 3.2341 6.3305 9.4565
0.4 0.5932 3.2636 6.3461 9.467
0.5 0.6533 3.2923 6.3616 9.4775
0.6 0.7051 3.3204 6.377 9.4879
0.7 0.7506 3.3477 6.3923 9.4983
0.8 0.791 3.3744 6.4074 9.5087
0.9 0.8274 3.4003 6.4224 9.519
1 0.8603 3.4256 6.4373 9.5293
1.5 0.9882 3.5422 6.5097 9.5801
2 1.0769 3.6436 6.5783 9.6296
3 1.1925 3.8088 6.704 9.724
4 1.2646 3.9352 6.814 9.8119
5 1.3138 4.0336 6.9096 9.8928
6 1.3496 4.1116 6.9924 9.9667
7 1.3766 4.1746 7.064 10.0339
8 1.3978 4.2264 7.1263 10.0949
9 1.4149 4.2694 7.1806 10.1502
10 1.4289 4.3058 7.2281 10.2003
15 1.4729 4.4255 7.3959 10.3898
20 1.4961 4.4915 7.4954 10.5117
30 1.5202 4.5615 7.6057 10.6543
40 1.5325 4.5979 7.6647 10.7334
50 1.54 4.6202 7.7012 10.7832
60 1.5451 4.6353 7.7259 10.8172
80 1.5514 4.6543 7.7573 10.8606
100 1.5552 4.6658 7.7764 10.8871
inf 1.5708 4.1724 7.854 10.9956
It can be shown that for values of  > 0.2, the infinite series solution can be approximated by
the first term of the series
Plane wall
T ( x , t )  T  12 
 ( x , t )wall  A1 e cos1 x / L ,   0.2
Ti  T
Cylinder

T ( r , t )  T  12 
 ( x , t )cyl  A1 e J o1r / ro ,   0.2
Ti  T
Sphere

T ( r , t )  T  12  sin 1r / ro 

 ( x , t ) sph  A1 e ,   0.2
Ti  T 1r / ro 
where the constants A1 and 1 are functions of the Bi number only, and their values are listed
in Table . 1 against the Bi number for all three geometries.
The function Jo is the zeroth order Bessel function of the first kind, whose value can be
determined from Table . 2.
Noting that cos(0) = Jo(0) =1 and the limit of (sinx)/x is also 1, the above relations simplify to
 Plane wall Cylinder Sphere
Bi λ1 A1 λ1 A1 λ1 A1
0.01 0.0998 1.0017 0.1412 1.0025 0.173 1.003
0.02 0.141 1.0033 0.1995 1.005 0.2445 1.006
0.04 0.1987 1.0066 0.2814 1.0099 0.345 1.012
0.06 0.2425 1.0098 0.3438 1.0148 0.4217 1.0179
0.08 0.2791 1.013 0.396 1.0197 0.486 1.0239
0.1 0.3111 1.0161 0.4417 1.0246 0.5423 1.0298
0.2 0.4328 1.0311 0.617 1.0483 0.7593 1.0592
Table 1 Coefficients used in the
0.3 0.5218 1.045 0.7465 1.0712 0.9208 1.088 one-term approximate solution
0.4 0.5932 1.058 0.8516 1.0931 1.0528 1.1164
0.5 0.6533 1.0701 0.9408 1.1143 1.1656 1.1441
of transient one-dimensional
0.6 0.7051 1.0814 1.0184 1.1345 1.2644 1.1713 heat conduction in plane walls,
0.7 0.7506 1.0918 1.0873 1.1539 1.3525 1.1978 cylinders and spheres (Bi = hL/k
0.8 0.791 1.1016 1.149 1.1724 1.432 1.2236
0.9 0.8274 1.1107 1.2048 1.1902 1.5044 1.2488 for plane wall of thickness 2L,
1 0.8603 1.1191 1.2558 1.2071 1.5708 1.2732 and Bi = hro/k for a cylinder or
2 1.0769 1.1785 1.5995 1.3384 2.0288 1.4793
3 1.1925 1.2102 1.7887 1.4191 2.2889 1.6227 sphere of radius ro)
4 1.2646 1.2287 1.9081 1.4698 2.4556 1.7202
5 1.3138 1.2403 1.9898 1.5029 2.5704 1.787
6 1.3496 1.2479 2.049 1.5253 2.6537 1.8338
7 1.3766 1.2532 2.0937 1.5411 2.7165 1.8673
8 1.3978 1.257 2.1286 1.5526 2.7654 1.892
9 1.4149 1.2598 2.1566 1.5611 2.8044 1.9106
10 1.4289 1.262 2.1795 1.5677 2.8363 1.9249
20 1.4961 1.2699 2.288 1.5919 2.9857 1.9781
30 1.5202 1.2717 2.3261 1.5973 3.0372 1.9898
40 1.5325 1.2723 2.3455 1.5993 3.0632 1.9942
50 1.54 1.2727 2.3572 1.6002 3.0788 1.9962
100 1.552 1.2731 2.3809 1.6015 3.1102 1.999
1.5708 1.2732 2.4048 1.6021 3.1416 2
ξ J0(ξ) J1(ξ) Center of Plane wall (x = 0):
0.0 1.0000 0.0000
0.1 0.9975 0.0499
To  T  12 
0.2
0.3
0.9900
0.9776
0.0995
0.1483
 o ,wall  A1 e ,  0.2
0.4 0.9604 0.1960 Ti  T
0.5 0.9385 0.2423 Center of Cylinder (r = 0) :
0.6 0.9120 0.2867
0.7 0.8812 0.3290
0.8 0.8463 0.3688 To  T  12 
0.9 0.8075 0.4059  o ,cyl  A1 e ,  0.2
Ti  T
1.0 0.7652 0.4400
1.1 0.7196 0.4709
1.2 0.6711 0.4983
Center of Sphere (r = 0) :
1.3 0.6201 0.5220
1.4 0.5669 0.5419
To  T  12 
1.5 0.5118 0.5579
 o , sph  A1 e ,  0.2
1.6 0.4554 0.5699 Ti  T
1.7 0.3980 0.5778
1.8 0.3400 0.5815
1.9 0.2818 0.5812

2.0 0.2239 0.5767

2.1 0.1666 0.5683
2.2 0.1104 0.5560
2.3 0.0555 0.5399
2.4 0.0025 0.5202
Table 2 The zeroth and first order
2.6 -0.0968 -0.4708
2.8 -0.1850 -0.4097 Bessel functions of the first kind
3.0 -0.2601 -0.3391
3.2 -0.3202 -0.2613
 Plane wall

 22 From the chart,  o 0.015

1
5   o  factor from sec ond graph
Bi  0.0150.9
 0.0135
T ( x , t )  T  12 
 ( x , t )wall  A1 e cos1 x / L ,   0.2
Ti  T

Center of Plane wall (x = 0):

To  T  12 
 o ,wall  A1 e
Ti  T
Bi 0.2 ; 1 0.4328 , A1 1.0311
To  T  0.4328 2 22  To  T
 o ,wall  1.0311 e ,  0.2  o ,wall  0.0167
Ti  T Ti  T
T ( x , t )  T T ( x , t )  T
 ( x , t )wall  0.0167 cos0.4328 1  ( x , t )wall  0.0167 0. 907795
Ti  T Ti  T
0.01516
 Specified surface temperature corresponds to the case of convection to an
environment at T with a convection coefficient h that is infinite

h    1/Bi = k/hL = 0  case of specified surface temperature T

Surfaces of the body are suddenly brought to the temperature T at t = 0 and kept at
T at all times can be handled by setting h to infinity.

Ts Ts
T Ts T T
h h Ts Ts T Ts
T T
h  h 
(a) Finite convection coefficient
(b) Infinite convection coefficient
 TOTAL ENERGY TRANSFERRED FROM THE WALL

E in  Eout E st

E in 0
E st  E t  E t 0

Q  C P T x , t  Ti  dV
Integration is performed over the volume of the wall

Negative sign indicates that the heat is leaving the body

The temperature of the body changes from the initial temperature Ti to the
temperature of the surroundings T at the end of the transient heat conduction
process.
Maximum amount of heat that a body gain (or lose if Ti > T ) is simply the change in
the energy content of the body.
Qmax m C p T  Ti   V C p T  Ti  kJ

where m is the mass, V is the volume,  is the density, and CP is the specific heat of
the body.
Qmax represents the amount of heat transfer for t  .

The amount of heat transfer Q at a finite time t will obviously be less than this
maximum.

Ratio Q/Qmax is plotted in Figures against the variables Bi and for the large plane
wall, long cylinder and sphere, respectively.

Note that once the fraction of heat transfer Q/Qmax has been determined from these
charts for the given t, the actual amount of heat transfer by that time can be
evaluated by multiplying this fraction by Qmax. A negative sign for Qmax indicates that
The fraction of total heat transfer Q/Qmax up to a specified time t is
determined using the Grober charts.
Q
t=0 Max

T = Ti T = Tinf
m, Cp

h, Tinf
a) Maximum heat transfer (t inf)
.
Q
t=0
Bi  ... Q
T = Ti T = T (r,t) QMax
 ...
h2 t
m, Cp  Bi 2  ....
k2

h, Tinf

b) Actual heat transfer for time t

The fraction of heat transfer can also be determined from the
following relations, which are based on the one-term approximations

Plane wall Cylinder

 Q  sin 1  Q  J  
  1   0 , wall   1  2  0 ,cyl 1 1
 Qmax  wall 1  Qmax  cyl 1

Sphere  Q  sin 1  1 cos 1

  1  3  0 ,sph
 Q max  sph  3
1

The use of the Heisler/Grober charts and the one-term solutions is

limited to the following conditions
• Body is initially at a uniform temperature,
• Temperature of the medium surrounding the body and the
convection heat transfer coefficient are constant and uniform
• There is no energy generation in the body.
The transient temperature charts for a large plane wall, long
cylinder and sphere were presented by M.P.Heisler in 1947
and are called Heisler charts.
They were supplemented in 1961 with transient heat
transfer charts by H.Grober.
There are three charts associated with each geometry:
• First chart is to determine the temperature T0 at the
center of the geometry at a given time t.
• Second chart is to determine the temperature at other
locations at the same time in terms of T0.
• Third chart is to determine the total amount of heat
transfer up to the time t.

These plots are valid for  > 0.2.

 Physical significance of the Fourier number

t k L2 ( 1 / L ) T The rate at which heat is conducted across L of a body of volume L3

 2  
L  C P L / t T
3
The rate at which heat is stored in a body of volume L3

L
L L

Q conducted
Q
 t Q conducted
Fourier Number : = 
L2 Q stored
Q st

What constitutes an infinitely large plate or an infinitely long cylinder ?

A plate whose thickness is small relative to the other dimensions can be modeled as an
infinitely large plate, except very near the outer edges.
But the edge effects on large bodies are usually negligible, and thus a large plane wall such as
the wall of a house can be modeled as an infinitely large wall for heat transfer purposes.
Similarly, a long cylinder whose diameter is small relative to its length can be analyzed as an
infinitely long cylinder.
 Q 
  exp   Bi , F0 
 Qi 
hV t
Bi  , F0  2
As k Lc
k

cp
hLc k t
BiF0  .
k  c p L2c
ht hAt
 
Lc  c p V  c p
An ordinary egg can be approximated as a 5 cm diameter sphere. The egg is initially
at a uniform temperature of 50 C and is dropped into boiling water at 950 C. Taking
the convection heat transfer coefficient to be h = 1200 W/m2.0 C, determine how
long it will take for the center of the egg to reach 700 C.
Known:
Temperature drop in the egg, convection heat transfer coefficient
Find:
The time taken for the center of the egg to reach 700 C
Schematic:
Egg

Ti = 5°C

h = 1200 W/m2°C
Tinf = 95°C

Assumptions
The egg is spherical in shape with a radius of ro = 5 cm.
Heat conduction in the egg is one dimensional because of thermal symmetry about
the mid point
The thermal properties of the egg and the heat transfer coefficient are constant
The Fourier number is  > 0.2 so that one term approximate solutions are applicable
Properties:
The water content of the eggs is about 74%, and thus the thermal conductivity and diffusivity
of the eggs can be approximated by those of water at the average temperature of (5+70)/2 =
37.50 C; k = 0.627 W/m.0 C and  = k/Cp = 0.151  10-6 m2/s.

Analysis:
The temperature within the egg varies with radial distance as well as time, and the
temperature at a specified location at a given time can be determined from the Heisler charts
or the one-term solutions. Here we will use the latter to demonstrate their use. The Biot
number for this problem is
h ro 1200  0.025
Bi    47.8
k 0.627
which is much greater than 0.1, and thus the lumped system analysis is not applicable. The
coefficients 1 and A1 for a sphere corresponding to this Bi are, from Table 1, 1 = 3.0753, A1 =
1.9958
substituting these and other values into Equation 4.18 and solving for  gives
which is greater than 0.2, and thus the one term solution is applicable with an error of less
than 2 %. Then the cooking time is determined from the definition of the Fourier number to
be
 To  T   12   70  95  3.07532  
 A1 e  1.9958 e   0.209
Ti  T 5  95
which is greater than 0.2, and thus the one term solution is applicable with an error
of less than 2 %. Then the cooking time is determined from the definition of the
Fourier number to be

 r 0.209 0.025 
2 2
t
  0.209 t o
 6
865 s  14.4 min s
ro
2
 0.151 10
Comments:
The time taken for the center of the egg to be heated from 50 C to 700 C
would be around 15 min.
 TRANSIENT HEAT CONDUCTION IN SEMI-INFINITE SOLIDS
• A semi-infinite solid is an idealised body that has a single
plane surface and extends to infinity in all directions. This
idealised body is used to indicate that the temperature change in
the part of the body in which we are interested (the region
close to the surface) is due to the thermal conditions on a single
surface.
• Ex: Earth – temperature variation near its surface
Thick wall – temperature variation near one of its surfaces
• For short periods of time, most bodies can be modeled as
semi-infinite solids since heat does not have sufficient time to
penetrate deep into the body and the thickness of the body
does not enter into the heat transfer analysis.
 

P lan e
S u rface
 x


h T 



Schematic of the semi-infinite medium

  2T 1 T

x 2
 t
T (0 , t ) = Ts ; T ( x → ∞ , t ) = Ti
T ( x ,0 ) = Ti
Convert partial differential equation into ordinary differential equation by combining
the two independent variables x and t into a single variable 
x
η=
4 αt
 2 T 1 T x
 η=
x 2
 t 4 αt

∂ T dT ∂  dT x
  ;
∂ t d ∂ t d 2 t 4t

T dT  dT 1  2T d  T     1 d 2T
  ;    
x d x d 4t  x 2
d  x  x  4 t d
2
Formation of a thermally penetrated skin layer under the surface immersed in a fluid
A, T0 δ
The
temperature
distribution is
k
shown below Core
ρ h, Tinf Region
Tinf , h C
V Ti
Thermal
penetrated
“skin” layer
T
r0
Ti Initial Solid
temperature

T0 Surface temperature

Tinf Fluid temperature

Skin Core region

layer
δ
  2T 1 T

x 2  t
T
 T   T 
2      Initial Solid
 T  x  x ~  x  x ~0 Ti
 temperature
x 2 0

 T   T  T  To
  ~0   ~ i
 x  x ~  x  x ~ 0  T0 Surface temperature

 2T T  To Tinf Fluid temperature

 i
x 2 2
T To  Ti Skin Core region
~
t t 0 laye
r
Ti  To 1 To  Ti δ
 ~
2  t


 2 ~ t   ~  t
  2T 1 T

x 2
 t
 2T 1 d 2T ∂ T dT x
 ;   ;
x 2
4 t d 2
∂ t d 2 t 4t
1 d 2T 1 dT x d 2T 2 x dT dT
    2
4 t d 2
 d 2 t 4t d 2
4t d d

d 2T dT
 2
d 2
d
x  0   0 ; x      
T 0   Ts ; T  → ∞   Ti
Both the differential equation and the boundary conditions depend only on  and
are independent on x and t
  dT 
d  
 d   2
2
d T dT  dT  dT
  2  d 
 d    2 
d 2 d   d dT
Integrating w.r.t  d
 dT 
ln    2  C 
 d 
 dT  dT  2
ln     C  
2
C 1e
 d  d

Integrating second time w.r.t   2
T C 1 e d  C 2
0
T 0   Ts  C 2 Ts

 2
T C 1 e d  Ts
0
T  → ∞   Ti 
 2
Ti C 1 e d  Ts
0
Evaluating definite integral T  Ts 
2
2Ti  Ts   e
 2
d erf  
C1  Ti  Ts 
 0
 
T  Ts 2
 e
 2
d erf  
Ti  Ts  0

erf   Guassian error function is the standard mathematical function

The surface heat flux may be obtained by Fourier’s law at x = 0

dT d erf   
qx  k  k Ti  Ts 
dx x 0 d x  0
2   2 
qx k Ts  Ti  e x
 x  0 η=
4 αt
2 1
qx k Ts  Ti  e  2

 4t  0

k Ts  Ti 
qx 
t
Case 1 Constant surface temperature T(0,t) = Ts
T x , t  Ts  x  k Ts  Ti 
erf  
2 t  qx 
Ti  Ts   t
Case 2 Constant surface Heat flux qx q0
1

t 2
2 qo  
     x 2
 qox  x 
T x , t  Ts  exp   erfc 
k 4  t k 2 t 
   
Case 3 Surface Convection dT
 k h T  T 0 , t 
dx x 0

T  x ,t   Ti  x    hx h2 t    x  h t 
erfc     exp   2   erfc    
T  Ti   k k  k 
2 t     2 t 

Complementary error function erfc   1  erf  

 w erf w w erf w w erf w
0.00 0 0.36 0.38933 1.04 0.85865
0.02 0.02256 0.38 0.40901 1.08 0.87333
0.04 0.04511 0.40 0.42839 1.12 0.88679
The Gaussian error function is
0.06 0.06762 0.44 0.46622 1.16 0.8991 defined as
0.08 0.09008 0.48 0.50275 1.20 0.91031 w
2  v2
0.10
0.12
0.11246
0.13476
0.52
0.56
0.5379
0.57162
1.30
1.40
0.93401
0.95228
erf w 
 e
0
dv

0.14 0.15695 0.60 0.60386 1.50 0.96611

0.16 0.17901 0.64 0.63459 1.60 0.97635
The complementary error
0.18 0.20094 0.68 0.66378 1.70 0.98379
function is defined as
0.20 0.2227 0.72 0.69143 1.80 0.98909
0.22 0.2443 0.76 0.71754 1.90 0.99279 erfc w 1  erf w
0.24 0.267 0.80 0.7421 2.00 0.99532
0.26 0.2869 0.84 0.76514 2.20 0.99814
0.28 0.30788 0.88 0.78669 2.40 0.99931
0.30 0.32863 0.92 0.80677 2.60 0.99976
0.32 0.34913 0.96 0.82542 2.80 0.99992

0.34 0.36936 1.00 0.8427 3.00 0.99998

Problem: In areas where the air temperature remains below 0C for prolonged periods of
time, the freezing of water in underground pipes is a major concern. Fortunately, the soil
remains relatively warm during those periods, and it takes weeks for the subfreezing
temperatures to reach the water mains in the ground. Thus, the soil effectively serves as
an insulation to protect the water from subfreezing temperatures in winter.
The ground at a particular location is covered with snow pack at -10C for a
continuous period of three months. The average soil properties at that location are k =
0.4 W/m.C and  = 0.15  10-6 m2/s. Assuming an initial uniform temperature of 15 C
for the ground, determine the minimum burial depth to prevent the waterpipes from
freezing.

Known: Ts = -10C ; Ti = 15C ; k = 0.4 W/m.C and  = 0.15  10-6 m2/s

SCHEMATIC Ts = -10C

pipe

Ti = 15 C
Assumptions:
1. The temperature in the soil is affected by the thermal conditions at one surface only
and thus the soil can be considered as semi-infinite medium
2. The thermal properties of the soil are constant
Ts = -10C ; Ti = 15C ; k = 0.4 W/m.C and  = 0.15  10-6 m2/s

ANALYSIS T x , t  Ts  x 
erf  
Ti  Ts 2 t 
 
0   10   x 
erf  
15   10   
 2 0.15 10  6 3 30 24 60 60  
 
 x 
0.4 erf  
 
 2 0.15 10  6 3 30 24 60 60  
 
x
0.3708 x 0.8 m

2 0.15 10 6
3 30 24 60 60 
Water pipes must be buried to a depth of atleast 80 cm to avoid
freezing under the specified conditions
 TRANSIENT CONDUCTION IN MULTI-DIMENSIONAL SYSTEMS
The transient temperature charts presented earlier can be used to determine the
temperature distribution and heat transfer in one-dimensional heat conduction
problems associated with a large plane wall, a long cylinder, a sphere, and a semi-
infinite medium.

Using a superposition principle called the product solution, these charts can also
be used to construct solutions for the two dimensional transient heat conduction
problems encountered in geometries such as a short cylinder, a long rectangular
bar, or a semi-infinite cylinder or plate, and even three dimensional problems
associated with geometries such as a rectangular prism or a semi-infinite
rectangular bar, provided that all surfaces of the solid are subjected to convection
to the same fluid at temperature , with the same heat transfer coefficient h , and
the body involves no heat generation (Fig. 4.18).

The solution in such multi-dimensional geometries can be expressed as the

product of the solutions for the one-dimensional geometries whose intersection
is the multidimensional geometry
 T (r,t)
T (r,x,t)

H eat H eat
Tran sfer Tran sfer

(a ) L o n g cylin d er (b ) S h o rt C ylin d er (tw o -d im en sio n a l)

When the properties are assumed to be constant, it can be shown that the solution
of this two dimensional problem can be expressed as

 T ( r , x , t )  Ti   T ( x , t )  Ti   T ( r , t )  Ti 
      
 Ti  T  cylinder
short  Ti  T  wall
plane  Ti  T  cylinder
inf inite
The solution for a long solid bar whose cross section is an a  b
rectangle is the intersection of the two infinite plane walls of
thicknesses a and b
Transient temperature distribution
Plane for this rectangular bar
Wall
h, T
 T ( x , y , t )  T 
   wall ( x , t ) wall ( y , t )
 Ti  T rec
 bar tan gular

Plane
Wall
a
 x
r r
r0 x-coordinate is measured
x
r
from the surface in a semi-
 r ,t   cyl r ,t    x ,r ,t   cyl r ,t  semi  inf  x ,t    x ,r ,t   cyl r ,t  wall  x ,t 
infinite solid, and from the
Infinite cylinder Semi-infinite cylinder Short cylinder
midplane in a plane wall.
The radial distance r is
always measured from the
centerline.

y
x
y
x z x

  x ,t   semi  inf  x ,t    x , y ,t   semi  inf  x ,t  semi  inf  y ,t    x , y , z ,t   semi  inf  x ,t  semi  inf  y ,t  semi  inf  z ,t 

Semi-infinite medium Quarter-infinite medium Corner region of a large medium

 2L 2L

x y
L y
x
z
x

  x ,t   wall  x ,t    x , y ,t   wall  x ,t  semi  inf  y ,t    x , y , z ,t   wall  x ,t  semi  inf  y ,t  semi  inf  z ,t 

Infinite Plate (or plane wall) Semi-infinite plate Quarter-infinite plate

y
x
z
y
z
y x
x

  x , y ,t   wall  x ,t  wall  y ,t    x , y , z ,t   wall  x ,t  wall  y ,t  semi  inf  z ,t    x , y , z ,t   wall  x ,t  wall  y ,t  wall  z ,t 

Infinite rectangular bar Semi-infinite rectangular bar Rectangular parallelepiped

A modified form of the product solution can also be used to determine
the total transient heat transfer to or from a multidimensional
geometry by using the one dimensional values, as shown by
L.S.Langston in 1982.

The transient heat transfer for a two dimensional geometry formed by

the intersection of two one dimensional geometries 1 and 2 is

 Q   Q   Q    Q  
        1    
 Qmax  total , 2 D  Qmax  1  Qmax  2   Qmax  1 
Transient heat transfer for a three dimensional body formed by the
intersection of three one dimensional bodies 1,2 and 3 is given by

 Q   Q   Q    Q    Q    Q    Q  
        1         1      1    
 Qmax  total , 3 D  Qmax  1  Qmax  2   Qmax  1   Qmax  3   Qmax  1    Qmax  2 
Problem: A short brass cylinder to diameter D = 10 cm and height H = 12 cm is
initially at a uniform temperature Ti = 1200 C. The cylinder is now placed in
atmospheric air at 250 C, where heat transfer takes place by convection, with a heat
transfer coefficient of h = 60 W/m2.0C. Calculate the temperature at (a) the center of
the cylinder (b) the center of the top surface of the cylinder 15 min after the start of
the cooling (c) Determine the total heat transfer from the short brass cylinder ( =
8530 kg/m3, Cp = 0.38 kJ/kg.0 C.

Known: Initial temperature of the short cylinder, dimensions of the cylinder,

convective boundary conditions
Find: Temperature at the center of the cylinder & the center of the top surface of the
cylinder 15 min after the start of the cooling and the total heat transfer from the
short brass cylinder
Assumptions:
Heat conduction in the short cylinder is two dimensional, and thus the temperature
varies in both the axial x- and the radial r- directions.
The thermal properties of the cylinder and the heat transfer coefficient are constant.
The Fourier number is  > 0.2 so that the one term approximation solutions are
applicable
 Properties: T 25  C
The properties of the brass at room temperature h 60W m 2 . C
are k = 110 W/m.0 C,  = 8530 kg/m3, CP = 380
J/kg.0 C, and  = 33.9  10-6 m2/s. More accurate
L
results are obtained by using properties at average x
temperature. 0 r0

L
T f 120  C

This short cylinder can physically be formed by the intersection of a long cylinder of radius
r0 = 5 cm and a plane wall of thickness 2L = 12 cm


t

 3.39 10  900 
5

 8.48 ;
1

k

110
 30.6
L2 0.062 Bi hL 60 0.06

T 0 , t   T
 wall ( 0 , t )   0.8
Ti  T
Similarly at the center of the cylinder, we have

t

 3.39 10  900 
5

 12.2 ;
1

k

110
 36.7
L2 0.052 Bi hL 60 0.05
T 0 , t   T
 cyl ( 0 , t )   0. 5
Ti  T
 T 0 ,0 , t   T 
   wall 0 , t  cyl 0 , t   0.8 0.5 0.4
 Ti  T  short cylinder

T 0 ,0 , t   T  0.4 Ti  T   25  0.4 120  25   630 C

This is the temperature at the center of the short cylinder, which is

also the center of both the long cylinder and the plate.
The center of the top surface of the cylinder is still at the center of the long cylinder
(r =0), but at the outer surface of the plane wall (x = L). Therefore, we first need to
find the surface temperature of the wall. Noting that x = L = 0.06 m,

x 0.06  1 k 110 T L , t   T
  1;    30.6  0.98
L 0.06 Bi hL 60 0.06 To  T

T L , t   T  T L , t   T   To  T 
 wall ( L , t )        0.98 0.8  0.784
Ti  T  To  T   Ti  T 
 T L ,0 , t   T 
   wall L , t   cyl 0 , t   0.784 0.5  0.392
 T i  T   cylinder
short

T L ,0 , t   T  0.392 Ti  T   25  0.392 120  25   62.2 0 C

which is the temperature at the center of the top surface of the cylinder
We must first determine the maximum heat that can be transferred
from the cylinder, which is the sensible energy content of the cylinder
relative to its environment:
m   V    ro2 L  8530   0.05  0.06  4.02 kg
2

Qmax m C p Ti  T   4.02 0.38 120  25   145.1 kJ

Then we determine the dimensionless heat transfer ratios for both
geometries. For the plane wall,
1 1 h 2
t
Bi  
1 / Bi  30.6
 0.0327
2
 Bi 2
  0 . 0327 2
8.48  0.0091
k
 Q 
   0.23
 Qmax  wall
plane
For the cylinder
1 1 h2  t
 Bi 2  0.0272  12.2  0.0090
2
Bi    0.0272
1 / Bi  36.7 k 2

 Q 
   0.47
 Qmax  cylinder
inf inite
Heat transfer ratio for the short cylinder
 Q   Q   Q     Q
        1  
  
 Qmax  total , 2 D  Qmax  1  Qmax 2    Qmax
 0.23  0.47 1  0.23   0.592
Therefore, the total heat transfer from the cylinder during the first 15 min
of cooling is

Q  0.592 Qmax  0.592 145.1  85.9 kJ