q124/random_k2/random_2.md

Heat Transfer
Leon R. Glicksman
© 1991, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2010

1)Introduction

Heat transfer deals with the rate of heat transfer between
different bodies.  While thermodynamics deals with the magnitude of
heat exchanged in a process,  heat transfer is necessary to determine
the time required for a process or alternatively the size of a surface
necessary to achieve a certain total rate of heat transfer.

Heat transfer analysis permits a calculation of the heat loss
from a building surface to the surroundings for a given building size,
window area and wall design, e.g. the level of insulation in the wall
cavity.  The comfort conditions for occupants in a room is determined
by a balance of heat transfer from the person to the air surrounding
him or her as well as the heat transfer to the walls of the interior.
The size and cost of a heat exchanger is also determined by
considering the heat transfer between the fluid streams in the
exchanger.

In other fields, heat transfer plays a key role as well.  The
design of integrated microprocessors which contain very closely spaced
elements, each with a finite amount of heat generation, is limited by
the requirement for adequate cooling so that the operating temperature
of the electronic components is not exceeded.  Reentry of the space
shuttle in the earth's atmosphere must be carefully programmed so that
temperature extremes due to air friction are confined to the
insulating tiles on the shuttle's surface.

Modes of Heat Transfer

Following thermodynamics, heat transfer is that energy transfer

which takes place between two bodies by virtue of a temperature
difference between the bodies.  From the second law considerations it
can be demonstrated that there is always a net positive energy
transfer from the body at a high temperature to a second body at a
lower temperature.  Following the definition of heat, there are only
two physical mechanisms for heat transfer:  (1) electromagnetic waves
produced by virtue of the temperature of a body, referred to as
thermal radiation heat transfer and (2) atomic or molecular motion in
a medium between the bodies exchanging energy, referred to as
conduction heat transfer.

Sometimes conduction heat transfer takes place during the

change of phase and is referred to as boiling or condensation
heat transfer.  Conduction heat transfer can also take place in
the presence of fluid motion, which is called convection heat
transfer.

The rate of heat transfer between two bodies is

proportional to the temperature difference between the bodies
and in some cases the temperature level of the bodies as well.
In many instances the heat transfer process is analogous to the
rate of transfer which appears in other fields.  The analogy
between heat transfer and DC electrical current flow will be
used to illustrate some of the simpler heat transfer processes.
Similarly, it can be shown that the rate of transfer of mass in
an evaporation process follows a process very similar to that
for heat transfer.

2)Conduction Heat Transfer

In a homogenous body which experiences a temperature

gradient the rate of heat transfer due to microscopic motions is
conduction heat transfer.  In a gas the gas molecules in the
higher temperature portion of the gas will have a higher kinetic
energy.  As the molecules of the gas randomly move through the
gas volume there is a net energy transfer
from the high temperature portion to the
low temperature zones.  In a solid, the
energy transfer from high to low
temperature may be due to the migration of
electrons or the vibration of the
molecular bonds.

Viewed as a macroscopic phenomena,
the rate of heat transfer by conduction
represented by the symbol q or Q is found
to be directly proportional to the product
of the local temperature gradient and the
cross-sectional area available for heat transfer,

Fig 2.1 One dimensional
conduction

(2.1)

~qAgradT

In the case of one-dimensional heat transfer normal to a plane
slab, figure 1, the conduction heat transfer can be given by
Fourier's Equation,

(2.2)

The constant k is known as the thermal conductivity.  q has

the dimensions of BTU/hr or Watts and k has the dimensions of
BTU/hrft F or W/m K.

The thermal conductivity defined by equation 2.2 is a
thermophysical property of the material.  If the composition and
thermodynamic state is known then the thermal conductivity can
be found.

Table 2.1 lists the thermal conductivity of common solids,
liquids and gases at normal temperatures.  Note that these
values span many orders of magnitude with electrically
conductors having the highest thermal conductivity and high
molecular weight gases generally having the lowest thermal
conductivity.

Consider a slab with a steady

conduction heat transfer across it in the x
direction, fig. 2, with the temperature
equal to T1 and T2 at the surfaces
corresponding to x equal to 0 and L,
respectively. Then q is a constant and
equation 2 can be integrated to give,

Fig. 2,2  Conduction Through
a Plane Wall

(2.3)

For this case the temperature varies linearly across the width
of the slab.  One can consider an analogy  between the solution
for steady conduction and for steady D.C. electric current flow,
Ohm's Law,

dTqkAdx12TTqkAL

(2.4)

Table 2.1
Thermal Conductivity of
Common Materials

k(BTU/hr ft  F)

(W/mK)

Solids

Copper
Aluminum
Steel
Brick,common
Concrete
Glass
Glass fiber insulation
Ice
Plastic
Wood

219
119
 25
0.2 - 0.1
0.5 - 0.8
0.5
.03 1.3
0.1
0.1 - 0.2

378
206
43
0.17 - 0.34
0.87 - 1.38
0.87
0.05
2.2
0.17
0.17 - 0.34

Liquids

Ammonia
Refrigerant-12
Light Oil
Water
Mercury

Gases

0.3
0.04
0.08
0.34
 5

0.5
0.07
0.14
0.59
 8.7

Air,dry
Carbon Dioxide
Helium
Hydrogen
Water Vapor (Steam)

0.015
0.009
0.09
0.11
0.015(at 212 F)0.026 (at 100

0.026
0.016
0.16
0.19

C)

Refrigerant-11

0.005

0.009

  1.0 (BTU/hr ft  F)= 1.73 (W/m  C)
________________________________________________________________

21VVIR

The rate of heat transfer q is analogous to the current flow I,
the potential difference  V is analogous to  T and the balance of
equation 2.3 is analogous to the resistance.  The term thermal
resistance is used; for eqn. 2.3 the thermal resistance is L/kA.

Fig. 2.3  Steady State Heat Transfer Through a Composite Wall

Consider the case of steady heat transfer through a composite
wall as shown in figure 2.3.  Each element of the wall has the
same heat transfer rate q through it and for each an equation
similar to equation 2.3 can be written.  At steady state with no
change in internal energy with time, no work, and no mass flows
through each of the elements, the rate of heat transfer into and
out of each wall element must be the same.  For the wall board,

This can be rewritten as,

For the insulation

(2.5)

(2.6)

12WBWBkAqTTL12WBWBLTTqkA

Similar equations can be written for the plywood, T3 - T4 and
and the siding, T4 - T5.  When these equations are summed up the
intermediate temperatures T2, T3 and T4 cancel and the resulting
equation becomes

(2.7)

or

(2.8)

(2.9)

The electrical analogy for this case is resisters in series as
shown in figure 2.4.

Fig. 2.4 Electric Analogy to Steady State Heat Transfer

Then the overall
solution can be
easily written as,

which is identical to equation 2.9.

(2.10)

For a planar wall, the cross sectional area of each element is the

23IILTTqkA15WBSIPWBIPSLLLLTTqkAkAkAkA15TTqLkA(2.10)TqR

same so that equation 9 can be rewritten as

R-value of that material.  Note the R-value is independent of the
surface area A while the thermal resistance RT includes the surface
area.  For the plywood, a typical R-value for a one inch thickness is

Each of the terms in the denominator is sometimes referred to as the

Note in US building practice units and dimensions are still in the
imperial system.
residential wall constructed with 2 by 4 studs,

If the insulation is three and one half inches thick in a typical

For the composite wall in figure 2.3, the R-value of the insulation
dominates all of the terms in equation 2.11

 (2.11)

  (2.12)

  (2.13)

155(2.11)WBSIPWBIPSTTAqLLLLkkkk21/120.8(2.12)0.1PhrftFLkBTU23.5/12112.13)0.028IhrftFLkBTU

8

Convection Heat Transfer, Introduction

temperature on the inside wall
surface, T1, and the outside
siding surface T5 are not
generally known.  Rather the
interior room air temperature,
Ti, and the exterior air
temperature, Te, are the known
quantities.  Consider a
wintertime condition, when the
building is at a higher
temperature then the exterior
air.  The temperature through the
built-up wall continuously de-
creases from the inside wall at
T1 to the outside surface at T5.
This is shown in figure 5.  The
outside surface temperature T5 is higher than the exterior air
temperature Te.  In the air layer close to the building surface
the air is in motion parallel to the surface.  There is heat
transfer by conduction from the building surface through this
air layer.  Because there is also energy transfer by the motion
of the fluid the temperature through the air layer does not vary
linearly.  Rather, there is a large temperature gradient near
the surface which decreases further from the surface until the
temperature reaches the constant air temperature Te.  The layer
over which the temperature change occurs is thin, typically one
quarter of an inch or less.

Fig.  2.5  Temperature  Distribution  with  Convection
at the Surfaces

energy transfer by fluid motion is called convection heat
transfer.  The rate of heat transfer is proportional to the
surface area and the temperature difference between the surface
and the uniform air temperature outside of the thin surface or
boundary layer,

The expression is changed to an equality and in the process a
new quantity, h, the heat transfer coefficient is defined,

In a typical wall construction, as shown in figure 2.3, the

The process of conduction heat transfer through the air combined with

(2.14)

5~()(2.14)eqATT

9

where h has the units of BTU/hr ft2  F or W/m2 .  Equation 2.15
is of no use until some way to calculate h is established.

Generally, the heat transfer coefficient, h, is a function of
the fluid properties, the fluid velocity, the surface geometry
and sometimes the temperature level.  A more detailed discussion
of convection will be given later.  For now it is sufficient to
observe that h increases as the air velocity increases and it
increases with fluids of higher thermal conductivity.

There are two general forms of convection.  When the air

motion is set up by buoyancy effects due to the applied
temperature difference between the surface and the fluid, e.g.
the air flow over a hot `radiator', the flow is natural or free
convection.  When the flow is due to an external source, e.g.
the wind, a fan or by the motion of the surface, the flow is
forced convection.

Rohsenow has presented a table which gives good estimates
of the order of magnitude of h for convection heat transfer as
well as boiling and condensation.  It is reproduced in table
2.2.

Table 2.2
Convection Heat Transfer Coefficients

BTU/hr ft2

Gases, Natural Convection         0.5-50
Gases, Forced Convection           2-50
Liquids, forced Convection         30-1000
Boiling Liquids                   200-50,000
Phase Change                      500-5,000

Now returning to the concept of thermal resistance, from
equation 15 the equivalent thermal resistance, RT for convective
heat transfer is 1/hA.

 (2.15)

Generally, the heat transfer coefficient, h, is a function of the.

(2.15)surfacefluidfarfromsurfaceqhATT

Consider a single glazed window.  What is the increase in the energy

10

Example
For a single glazed window
what is the increase in
thermal efficiency if the
glass is made of plastic with
k = 0.1 BTU/hr ft  F instead
of glass with a k = 0.5
BTU/hr ft  F?  Assume that
the radiation heat transfer
remains the same.

Fig. 2.6 Heat transfer through window

Fig. 2.6 Heat transfer through window

SOLUTION

In this case convection heat
transfer  from  the  inside  air  at
Ti    to  the  glass  surface  acts  in
series  with  conduction  through
Figure2.7Electrical Analogy
the  glass  and  convection  to  the
outside  air.    The  equivalent  electrical  circuit  is  shown  on
figure  7  and  the  steady  state  heat  transfer,  neglecting
radiation, becomes

Using table 2 the magnitudes of hi and he are

 (2.16)

1//1/1//1/insideairexteriorairinsideairexteriorairigeigeTTTTAqhALkAhAhLkh

11

(2.17)

For the glass, assuming it is 1/8 inch thick,

 (2.18)

Changing  to  plastic  decreases  kg  to  0.1  and  increases  L/kg  to
l/10  but  it  will  only  change  the  overall  value  of  q,  given  by
equation 16 by less than 10 percent.

The  overall  heat  transfer  for  composite  systems  such  as
figure 2.3 or figure 2.6, represented by equations 2.9 and 2.16,
respectively  is  sometimes  rewritten  in  terms  of  an  overall  heat
transfer coefficient U defined as

(2.19)
Although U has the same units as h, U can involve a combination
of conduction and convection heat transfer and is not physically
meaningful  although  it  may  be  helpful  for  estimate  purposes.    A
number  of  handbooks  like  the  ASHRAE  Handbook  of  Fundamentals
list  values  of  U  for  typical  built  up  wall  and  roof
construction.    These  values  of  U  include  convection  heat
transfer  on  the  inside  and  outside  for  an  assumed  wind  velocity
and interior air circulation conditions.

Two-dimensional Heat Transfer

12121111110.333ieBTUhhrftFBTUhhrftF121/81/1210.550gLBTUkhrftF()ieqUATT

12

Fig. 2.8

Most  walls  are  not  uniform  across  their  entire  surface
area.    Wood  framing  using  2  by  4's  has  studs  spaced  at  regular
intervals  in  the  wall  cavity,  fig  2.8.    Clearly  the  heat
transfer  through  the  studs  is  higher  than  the  heat  transfer
through
containing
insulation.

cross-sectional

equivalent

area

an

The  heat  transfer  through  the  wall  cavity  is  due  to  two
parallel  conduction  paths,  one  through  the  studs  and  the  other
through  the  insulation.    If  the  lateral  resistance  is  very
large,  i.e.,  the  lateral  conductivity  of  the  wallboard  and  the
plywood  approaches  zero,  then  the  overall  heat  transfer  can  be
modeled  as  two  separate  parallel  heat  flow  paths  from  Ti  to  Te,
shown in fig. 2.9.

The heat transfer through the studs is

and through the insulation,

(2.20)

1/(/)(/)(/)1/iestudstudiWBSPeTTAqhLkLkLkh

13

 (2.21)

The  total  heat  transfer  rate  is  the  sum  of  equations  2.20  and
2.21.    The  true  value  of  the  two-dimensional  heat  transfer  lies
between  these  two  limiting  cases  of  very  small  lateral
conductivity and very large lateral conductivity.
The electrical analogy of this, in one limit, is shown in figure
2.9 with the insulation and the studs in parallel.

It  is  important  to  note  that  this  approximation  for  the  two-
dimensional  case  represents  one  limiting  case,  the  temperature
on the inside of the wall board where it contacts the stud will
be  different  from  the  temperature  of  the  wall  board  in  contact

Fig 2.9  Limiting Case of Small Lateral Conductivity in Wall Board and Plywood
with  the  insulation.  Similarly  the  temperature  of  the  plywood
will  differ  in  the  lateral  direction  between  the  stud  and  the
insulation.  These  temperature  differences  across  the  wall  board
will  cause  heat  to  flow  laterally  into  the  stud,  fig.  2.10.
Similarly  heat  will  flow
laterally  out  from  the  stud
through  the  plywood.  These
lateral  effects  will  enhance
the  total  heat  transfer
through  the  stud.  This  will
increase  the  overall  heat
transfer  over  the  values
calculated  from  the  sum  of
equations 2.20 and 2.21.

Fig. 2.10
lateral heat Flow in the vicinity of the stud

1/(/)(/)(/)1/ieinsulationinsulationiWBinsulationPeTTAqhLkLkLkh

The  exact  analysis  of  these  two-dimensional  effects  is
difficult.  We  can  look  at  the  other  extreme  case.  If  the  wall
board  and  plywood  were  replaced  by  metal  sheets,  something
sometimes seen in metal walled buildings, then the resistance to
lateral  conduction  through  them  would  be  reduced.  In  the
limiting  case  w  e  could  assume  that  the  wall  board  and  plywood
would have a very high conductivity and the temperature would be
uniform  in  the  lateral  direction  across  these  elements.  The
electrical  analogy  for  this  case  is  shown  on  fig.  2.11.    The
solution  shown  in  figure  10  is  only  valid  when  the  lateral
resistance  is  small,  i.e.,  the  y  direction  conductivity  of  the
wall board and the plywood approaches infinity.

In this case, the heat transfer through the studs and insulation
acts  in  parallel  between  T2  and  T3,  the  sheet  rock  and  plywood
temperatures,  respectively.  The  heat  transfer  through  the  two
elements is summed,

and defining an equivalent resistance,

(2.22)

(2.23)

Fig 2.11  Limiting Case for
Small Lateral Resistance to Heat Transfer in Sheathing

2323(/)(/)insulationstudTTTTqLkALkA2323(/)(/)insulationstudequivalentTTTTqLkALkAR

The resistance, Requivalent,is then added in series to the remaining
resistance  shown  in  figure  2.11.  This  extreme  case  will  result
in a much larger overall calculated heat transfer than the other
extreme shown in figure 2.9. The true value lies between the two
and must be evaluated by analysis or practical judgment.
Transient Heat Transfer

Conditions for Uniform Temperature

the

provide

changes,

significant

When  the  temperature  of  the
interior
building
structure  may  be  sufficiently  massive
to
thermal
storage.  This  technique  is  used  in
naturally  ventilated  buildings,  using
night  cooling  in  the  summer  to  reduce
the structural temperature. During the
hot  daytime  the  cool  structure  will
interior
help
temperature
comfortable
range.    However,  if  the  structure  is
very
a
substantial  time  interval  before  the
temperature  change  is  felt  throughout  the  thickness  of  the
structure.

maintain
within

the
a

require

Fig. 2.12

thick,

may

to

it

Consider  the  case  of  a  plane  homogenous  slab  of  thickness
2L,  fig.  2.12.    The  y  and  z  dimensions  are  large  compared  to  L
so  that  the  heat  transfer  can  be  assumed  to  be  one  dimensional,
in  the  x  direction  only.    Initially  the  slab  is  at  a  uniform
temperature  T0  equal  to  the  exterior  air  temperature.    At  time
zero the air temperature suddenly increases to a new temperature
level Te.  Both sides of the slab are in contact with the air and
both  sides  have  convective  heat  transfer  coefficient  h.    At
short  times,  the  surface  temperature  of  the  slab  will  increase
due  to  the  heat  transfer  from  the  air.    Some  of  the  energy
transferred  to  the  slab  will  be  used  to  raise  the  internal
energy  of  the  material  near  the
surface.    The  balance  of  the  heat
transfer  will  be  transferred  to  the
next  layer  inside  the  slab  where  the
same  process  occurs.    The  temperature
distribution  within  the  slab  at  some

Fig. 2.13

intermediate  time  is  shown  in  figure  2.13.  When  the  conduction
of the slab is large and the thickness is small, it is expected
that  the  temperature  differences  from  the  surface  to  the  center
of the slab will be small at all times. A better criterion is to
compare  the  resistance  to  conduction,  L/kslab,to  the  convective
resistance  at  the  surface,  1/h.  When  1/h  is  much  larger  than
L/kslab  it  is  expected  that  the  temperature  of  the  slab  will  be
uniform  throughout  it  thickness.  A  handy  criterion  is  hL/kslab  <
1/6  for  uniform  temperature.    The  term  hL/k  which  is
dimensionless is known as the Biot number.

When  hl/k  <  1/6,  the  slab  temperature  T  only  varies  with  time.
Assuming the slab initially is at temperature T0 and at time t it
contacts  air  at  a  different  temperature  T   the  energy  equation
becomes,

(2.24)

where  A  is  the  entire  surface  area  of  the  slab  which  is  in
contact with air at a constant temperature T .  When there isn't
any change of phase, the energy change is given as Mc T, where M
is the total mass of the slab. Equation 2.24 becomes,

Since T  is a constant this can be rearranged to read,

(2.25)

(2.26)

with the initial condition for the slab that
 at t = 0,  T = T0
The solution of equation 31 is

(2.27)

where   is the thermal time constant of the slab with convective
heat transfer coefficient h and

()dEqhATTdT()dTMchATTdt()()dTThAdtTTMc00()exp()exphAttTTTTTTMc

(2.28)

Example
A  two  inch  thick  steel  structural  beam  has  natural  convection
heat  transfer  over  one  surface;  the  opposite  side  is  insulated.
Find its time constant.

Solution

First  it  must  be  determined  if  the  steel  can  be  assumed
uniform  in  temperature  across  its  width.    Since  only  one  side
has  convective  heat  transfer,  referring  to  figure  2.13,  L  in
this case should be the full width of the steel beam.  The Biot
number is

(2.29)

where h is estimated for natural convection from table 2.2.  The
assumption  of  uniform  temperature  is  clearly  justified.    Note
that  if  we  were  considering  a  two  inch  thick  concrete  section
with  a  conductivity  of  about  1  BTU/hr  ft  F  the  Biot  number
would  be  1/3  and  the  assumption  of  uniform  temperature  through
the concrete would be questionable.

The thermal time constant for the steel beam is,

The  time  constant  is  a  function  of  the  steel  properties  and  the
heat  transfer  coefficient  at  its  surface.  If  air  was  blowing
over  the  surface  at  a  high  velocity  the  time  constant  would  be
substantially reduced.

MchA2(2/12)112060hLk400(0.1)(2/12)3.52McLAcLchrshAhAh

3. Convection Heat Transfer

Figure 3.1 Flow over a heated plate
Figure 3.1 Flow over a heated plate

Convective heat transfer is conduction

though a gas or liquid augmented by fluid motion.
In these notes an introduction to the physics
governing convection will be given along with
some results for several different conditions.
Consider the case of air at a uniform

temperature Ta blown by a fan along a flat
surface which is heated to a uniform temperature
Ts, Figure 3.1. Say, this is cool air in an air-
conditioned room flowing over the surface of a
window heated by solar radiation.  The element
of air closest to the heated surface has a
temperature increase as it starts to move up the
plate.  Elements further away, at a larger y
coordinate still are at Ta.  As the element
becomes hotter it moves up and is replaced with
another element at Ta and the process is
repeated.  Viewed from the point of view of the
room as a whole, room air at Ta approaches the

plate and a given flow of air leaves the plate at an elevated temperature somewhere between Ta
and Ts. Thus there is a net energy transfer from the surface of the window to the room air.

The convective heat transfer coefficient is defined as,

(3.1)

To get an estimate of how the rate of heat transfer is influenced
by the parameters of the problems we have to look more closely
at the layer of air moving along the plate surface. To make the
explanation clear we will assume all of the elements of air are
moving along the plate surface at uniform velocity and in straight
lines. This is an instance of laminar flow. At any location (x,y)
fixed relative to the stationary plate the temperature remains
constant with time and there is a steady conduction heat transfer
from the surface to the air in the y direction, normal to the plate
surface.  As the air continues up the plate the elements close to
the plate increase their temperature. At the same time the
elements further away start to rise in temperature due to
conduction from the hotter elements at the plate surface..The
further along the air moves in the x direction the more elements
further from the plate surface feel the conduction heat transfer
and rise in temperature as shown in figure 3.2.The maximum y

1.2 1.2

saqhATT

distance at which the thermal effects are felt, at any location x, will be specified as  , the thermal
boundary layer thickness.

At any position x the variation of air temperature normal to the plate surface, the y axis is shown
on figure 3.3. The rate of heat transfer from the plate surface is determined by the conduction
into the air at y=0. This can be calculated from,

As a good first estimate we can use,

(3.2)

(3.3)

where the constant C should be of order of magnitude unity. Now substituting this into the
definition of the convective heat transfer coefficient,

(3.4)

Thus the heat transfer coefficient is proportional to the
thermal conductivity of air and inversely proportional to the
size of the thermal boundary layer thickness.

We can use the estimate for h to qualitatively predict how the
heat transfer coefficient will vary with the main parameters

First, if the velocity of the air is increased over the plate
surface then each fluid element spends a shorter time in
contact with, or close to the plate. The fluid element
temperatures don’t increase as much. From figure 3.1 and 3.2, in such an instance the thermal
boundary layer,  , will be smaller at a given x value. Thus an increase in air velocity should result
in an increase in the heat transfer coefficient and the rate of convective heat transfer. This result
is summarized in table 3.1

Fig. 3.3 Air temperature in
Fig. 3.3 Air temperature in
thermal boundary layer
thermal boundary layer

Consider now an increase in the air density, say, by an increase in the air pressure, assuming all
other air properties and the air velocity remains the same. For the same magnitude of heat
transfer the temperature increase of the element will be less since the element has a larger mass.

0ayTqkysaaTTqCk()()()asaasasakTTkqhTTTT

A smaller temperature increase will reduce the thermal boundary layer thickness. Therefore, an
increase in the density will increase the heat transfer coefficient, one reason that liquid water has
a higher convective heat transfer rate than air. An increase in the specific heat of the fluid flowing
over the plate has the same behavior as an increase in density.

As the plate length is increased the air will flow over the plate for a longer time. Heat transfer will
penetrate a further distance from the plate surface. The thermal boundary layer thickness will
grow larger. When averaged over the entire plate length , the average thermal boundary layer
thickness will become larger and the average heat transfer coefficient will be smaller. Note, the
total heat transfer will be higher for the longer plate but the heat transfer per unit area will be
smaller. To augment the heat transfer when possible, designers will break a long surface up into a
series of smaller surfaces. This can be done by physically separating sections of the plate or by
placing an array of ribs at right angles to the flow to break up the boundary layer and restart it.

Table 3.1 Key Parameters Influence on Convective Heat Transfer

Parameter

Velocity increase

Density increase

Specific heat increase

, thermal boundary layer
thickness

h, convective heat transfer
coefficient

 decreases

 decreases

 decreases

h increases

h increases

h increases

Plate length L increase

 averaged over L increases

h averaged over L decreases

Thermal conductivity ka
increase

Transition to turbulent flow
from laminar flow

 increase

h increases

 decreases

h increases

When the thermal conductivity of the fluid passing over the plate is increased, y using a higher
conductivity gas or liquid there are two elements in play. The thermal boundary layer thickness
will increase because of augmented means of heat transfer through the fluid. Remember that h is
proportional to the ratio of conductivity to boundary layer thickness. In this case k increases faster
than   and the heat transfer coefficient increases. It should be expected that when we increase
the mechanism for heat transfer, in this case the molecular conductivity, that the rate of
convection will increase.

Turbulent Flow

At low velocity, the fluid flows in very smooth paths about parallel to the plate surface.  As

the velocity is increased a point is reached where the fluid motion is much more chaotic
characterized by eddies in the flow near the plate surface.  This is termed turbulent flow.
Turbulent flow over a flat plate is found to occur when the Reynolds number
300,000.  x is used to indicate the distance from the leading edge; the front of the flat plate can
have laminar flow while the rear experiences turbulent flow.  The distinction between laminar and

 Vx/  exceeds

turbulent flow is important because the eddies in the turbulent flow tend to bring fluid at the
ambient temperature Ta much closer to the heated plate surface.  In effect the eddies reduce the
distance   for conduction heat transfer and can markedly increase the heat transfer coefficient,
sometimes by an order of magnitude or more.

At can be seen that the convective heat transfer is a function of the fluid properties such as
density and conductivity, the flow conditions and the surface geometry. Given below are a few
dimensional expressions that can be used for specific cases. The constants in the equations
already include the fluid properties.

Laminar flow expressions for h
Using air properties at room temperature h for laminar flow over flat plates can be found as

while for water,

(3.5)

(3.6)

In this form h is in BTU/hrft2F,  V is in ft/sec and L is in ft.  Note, water gives a much higher heat
transfer coefficient than air because it has a much higher thermal conductivity as well as a higher
density and specific heat.

Turbulent Flow

At low velocity, the fluid flows in very smooth paths about parallel to the plate surface.  As

the velocity is increased a point is reached where the fluid motion is much more chaotic
characterized by eddies in the flow near the plate surface.  This is termed turbulent flow.
Turbulent flow over a flat plate is found to occur at higher velocities and longer plate lengths. Also
flowing liquids will reach turbulent flow at lower velocities than gases.

For air near room temperature  turbulent flow is reached when the product of plate length and air
velocity exceeds,

(3.7)

0.50.71VhL0.512.7VhL50ftVLfts

For water

22

(3.8)

(3.9)

Again, all of the parameters are in Imperial units.

Flow Inside Tubes

The other important flow geometry is gas or liquid flow inside tubes.  A similar
development exists for the convective heat transfer with the exception that h is defined based
on the mean temperature TM of the fluid within the tube at the location in question.  For a
section within the tube of axial length between x and x+ x,

(3.10)

where TM is the mean fluid temperature at x.

Almost all practical cases of tube flow, the flow is turbulent.  Exceptions are flows

through very small tube diameters or the flow of viscous fluids such as oil.  For turbulent tube
at room temperature, the relationship becomes,

while for water we get,

where V is given in ft/sec and D is in feet.

(3.11)

(3.12)

0.80.20.55VhL0.80.23.921.2ftVLftsVhLSMqhDxTT0.80.20.34VhD0.80.213VhD

Natural or Free Convection

In natural convection the fluid motion is solely due to
buoyancy effects caused by the heating or cooling
process of the fluid.  Natural convection flow over
vertical flat plates has similar physical considerations
and analogous expressions to those used for forced
convection, see Figure 3.4.  However, in this case
the fluid velocity V is not set by external fans or by
the motion of the heated body. The air density varies
with 1/T. The air close to the plate is at a higher

Figure 3.4 natural convection on a
Figure 3.4 natural convection on a
vertical heated plate
vertical heated plate

temperature and has a lower mass. This results in a net upward buoyancy force on these
elements that accelerates them. We would expect the velocity and the heat transfer coefficient
is a function on the temperature difference Ts-Ta.

Just as forced flow, laminar flow exists at low velocities. The exact expression for natural
convection of air over a vertical plate at room temperature is

For turbulent flow,

(3.13)

(3.14)

Natural Convection in Enclosed Spaces

In an open wall cavity between interior and exterior walls air circulation will take place
from the hot to the cold wall.  The air will rise along the hot wall move horizontally to the cold
wall at the upper end of the wall cavity (and at other vertical locations as well).  The warm air will
then flow down the cold wall.  This process will result in energy transfer from the hot to the cold

331/410000.29oTLFftThL31/310000.21TLhT

wall.  The overall heat transfer can be represented by a heat transfer coefficient defined in terms
of the two wall temperatures,

(3.15)

Figure 3.5 shows measured results for eight foot high walls.  hc is a function of the
spacing between the walls and  , the temperature difference from the hot to the cold wall.  At a
small spacing and/or a small temperature difference the buoyancy effects are minimal and hc is
simply the ratio of air conductivity to wall spacing.  As the spacing is increased, hc reaches a
constant, typically a spacing between 1/2 and 3/4 inch is optimum.  Radiation heat transfer
across the cavity must be added to the convection.  If there is infiltration of outside air into the
cavity the energy transfer may be increased considerably.

)
F
G
E
D
2

(

T
F
-
R
H
U
T
B

/

,

0
6

)

c
h
(

10

0.9

0.8

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0

0

q
60 F
40
30
20
10

Conduction only

0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

Air space thickness, l, inches

Data taken from Housing Research Paper 32, "The Thermal Insulating Value of Airspaces",
Housing and Home Finance Agency Director of Housing Research, Washington D.C.,
April 1954.

Image by MIT OpenCourseWare.

ChotwallcoldwallqhATT

4) Radiation Heat Transfer

Thermal radiation and conduction are the two fundamental mechanisms of heat transfer.

Bodies, such as the sun, emit electromagnetic energy by virtue of their temperature level.  The
electromagnetic energy is exchanged between bodies at different temperatures giving rise to a
net heat transfer.

For heat transfer by radiation the electromagnetic energy generally falls in the visible

range, with wavelengths from 0.4 to 0.7  m, the near infrared, from 0.7 to 25 m in wavelength, or
the far infrared from 25 to 1000  m.  Electromagnetic radiation in other wavelengths such as X-
Rays, and Radio waves is not thermally induced and will be excluded from consideration.

A black body is a body which absorbs all of the radiation incident on its surface over all

wavelengths of importance for heat transfer.  The absorbed energy represents an energy
transfer to the black body which can contribute to the internal energy increase or it may be
transferred through the body by one or more forms of heat transfer.

For a black body at a uniform temperature T, the rate of radiation heat transfer emitted

by the body and leaving the surface, over all wavelengths, is given as

(4.1)

where T is the absolute temperature and
value 0.17 x 10-8  BTU/hr ft2 R4 or 5.7 x 10-8  W/m2  K4.  Because of the non-linear nature of the
expression, radiation becomes progressively more important at higher temperatures although
there is considerable radiative heat transfer between bodies at room temperature.

 is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant, which has the

The black body radiation is emitted over a range of wavelengths.  The emitted energy at

a single wavelength  , qre , can be defined so that

(4.2)

Figure 20 shows the distribution of qre  as a function of wavelength for black bodies at three
temperature levels.  For solar radiation, the sun has an effective black body temperature near
10,400  R, a majority of the emitted energy is in the visible wavelengths and the balance of the
energy is in the near infrared below 3 m.  In contrast, the energy emitted by a black body at
room temperature falls in the infrared wavelength range from 8 m to 40 m.  For any black body
at temperature T eighty percent of the total black body emissions occurs when the product of
the wavelength  and the absolute temperature,  T, is between 4000 ( m)( R) and 17,000
( m)( R).  One half of the total radiation is emitted at wavelengths equal to or below the value of
T equal to 7400 ( m)( R).

Material Properties

In the visible wavelengths many common building materials are not good absorbers.

The fraction of the black body radiation absorbed by a body at a given wavelength   is given by
 lie between zero and one.  In the visible
the monochromatic absorptivity
, the values of
wavelengths, white paint, wood and plaster have
 values between about 0.1 and 0.5 see
Table 3.   In the infrared above 4 or 5 m wavelengths almost all common building materials
 of 0.8 or higher.  Plate glass which is transparent in the visible
except shiny metals have

4emittedqAT0emittedreqqd

wavelength becomes a very good black body in the infrared wavelengths with
0.9.

 greater than

Heat Transfer Between Black Bodies

Consider two flat plates, A1 and A2, parallel to each other with the spacing between the
surfaces small compared to the width of the plates, see Figure 4.1.  The air between the plates
can be considered transparent.

Fig. 4.1 Radiation between
Fig. 4.1 Radiation between
parallel black plates
parallel black plates

Each plate is a black body at a uniform temperature T1 and T2, respectively.  The radiant energy
emitted by the first plate is

(4.3)

All of the energy emitted by plate 1 is absorbed by plate 2.  Similarly all of the energy emitted by
plate 2, A2

4 is absorbed by plate 1.  The net radiative heat transfer is

 T2

(4.4)

This heat transfer takes place independent of any conduction or convection heat transfer
assuming the temperature T1 and T2 can be maintained.  Thus the total heat transfer is the sum
of the radiative heat transfer given by Eqn. 70 plus the convective heat transfer between the two
plates.

In many cases it is useful to linearize the relationship given by Eqn. 70.  Taking the
mean temperature as (T1+T2)/2 and  T as the temperature difference T1-T2 then T1=TM+ T/2 and
T2=TM - T/2 and

41211qAT441112qATT

When  T<<TM, where TM is measured in absolute temperatures, K or R,

 (4.5)

An effective or radiative heat transfer coefficient can be defined so that

(4.6)

(4.7)

Table 4.1 gives values of hr for different values of mean temperature.  These values should be
compared to the values given for convection in Table 2.  At room temperatures heat transfer

Table 4.1 hr for radiation at mean temperature T
___________________________________________________________________________

Mean Temperature oF

hr (BTU/hr ft2 F)

     hr(W/m2K)

   0
  60
 200
 500
1500

 0.7
 1.0
 2.0
 6.0
51

  3.8
  5.7
 11
 34
290

___________________________________________________________________________

 by radiation is comparable in magnitude to natural convection. For heat transfer between two
glass sheets that make up a double glazed window, infrared radiation is important. To reduce
the radiation heat transfer one of the glass layers is coated with a very thin metallic layer. For
residential buildings this layer allows visible solar radiation to pass but reflects most of the
infrared radiation. The layer is referred to as a low e coating. The net infrared radiation can be
expressed as,

(4.8)

where   is the emissivity of the glass covered by the metallic layer. Typically   can be less than
0.1, substantially reducing the net radiation transfer.

For radiation between walls and ceiling or between a person and surrounding surfaces which
are each black bodies at different temperatures the geometry of the configuration must be
included.  For example the radiation heat tranfer between a person and a large glazed wall can
be expressed as

2442121212224MTTTTTTTT44312124MTTTTT3124rrrMqhATTwherehT441112qATT

(4.9)

28

where F12 is the configuration factor between surface 1, the person, and the glazed surface. F
represents the fraction of radiation form the entire surface of the person that is directed toward the
glazed wall.  When the person is very close to a large glazed surface extending from floor to ceiling, the
value of F will be close to ½. On the other hand when the person moves further from the window F will
decrease. If the person sits in the center of a cubic room, F from the person to the glazed wall drops to
1/6.

44111212qAFTT

MIT OpenCourseWare
http://ocw.mit.edu

4.42J / 1.044J / 2.45J Fundamentals of Energy in Buildings
Fall 2010

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