LECTURE 3: Steady Heat Conduction
Syllabus:
Thermal Resistance Concept, Thermal Contact Resistance, Fin Equation, Fin
Efficiency, Fin Effectiveness
Thermal Resistance Concept
The thermal resistance network for heat transfer through
a two-layer plane wall subjected to convection on both
sides can be expressed as
T T 2
Q 1
Rtotal
(1)
Rtot Rconv ,1 Rwall ,1 Rwall , 2 Rconv , 2
1
L
L
1
1 2
h1 A k1 A k 2 A h2 A
(2)
In particular, for steady heat transfer through multilayered cylindrical shells we have
T T 2
Q 1
,
Rtotal
Rtot Rconv ,1 Rcyl ,1 Rcyl , 2 Rcyl ,3 Rconv , 2
1
ln(r2 r1 ) ln(r3 r2 ) ln(r4 r3 )
1
h1 A
2Lk1
2Lk 2
2Lk3
h2 A
(2c)
The various examples of thermal resistance network arrangements are given at pp. 136-145 of the
textbook.
Thermal Contact Resistance
An interface between surfaces often offers some
resistance to heat transfer Rc. Commonly in the
analysis of heat transfer through multilayer walls a
perfect and actual contacts are considered.
Fin Equation
d
dT
kAc
h p T T
dx
dx
(3)
In the special case of Ac = constant the Eqn.(3) reduces to
d 2T h p
d 2
0
or
m 2 0
dx 2 kAc
dx 2
hp
2
where m k A and T T
c
(4)
At the fin tip we have several possible types of boundary conditions
which would yield a different distribution of temperature along the fin.
Infinitely long fin ( Tfin tip T ) yields
T ( x ) T
e mx exp x hp kAc
Tb T
(5)
Fin Efficiency
Q
fin
fin
Q fin ,max
Efficiency of straight fins
of rectangular, triangular,
and parabolic profiles
(6)
Fin Effectiveness
The performance of the fins is judged on the basis of the enhancement
in heat transfer relative to the no-fin case. The performance of fins is
expressed in terms of the fin effectiveness fin defined as
Q
Heat transfer rate from the fin of the base area A b
fin fin
Qno fin
Heat transfer rate from the surface of area A b
The effectiveness of a long fin of uniform cross section:
Q
long fin fin
Qno fin
kp
hAc
(7)
References:
1. Y. A. engel, A. J. Ghajar . Heat and Mass Transfer. Fundamentals and Applications. 4th Ed.,
McGraw-Hill, Chapter 3.