Modes of Heat Transfer

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Contents

1. Modes of Heat transfer............................................................................................................ 2

1.1 Heat Transfer .................................................................................................................... 2

1.2 Modes of Heat Transfer.................................................................................................... 2

1.2.1 Conduction ................................................................................................................ 2

1.2.2 Convection ................................................................................................................ 4

1.2.3 Radiation ................................................................................................................... 5

2. References: ........................................................................................................................... 6

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1. Modes of Heat transfer

1.1 Heat Transfer


Thermal energy is related to the temperature of matter. For a given material and mass, the higher
the temperature, the greater its thermal energy. Heat transfer is a study of the exchange of
thermal energy through a body or between bodies which occurs when there is a temperature
difference. When two bodies are at different temperatures, thermal energy transfers from the one
with higher temperature to the one with lower temperature. Heat always transfers from hot to
cold.

1.2 Modes of Heat Transfer


There are three modes of heat transfer: conduction, convection, and radiation. Any energy
exchange between bodies occurs through one of these modes or a combination of them.
Conduction is the transfer of heat through solids or stationery fluids. Convection uses the
movement of fluids to transfer heat. Radiation does not require a medium for transferring heat;
this mode uses the electromagnetic radiation emitted by an object for exchanging heat.

1.2.1 Conduction
Conduction is at transfer through solids or stationery fluids. When you touch a hot object, the
heat you feel is transferred through your skin by conduction. Two mechanisms explain how heat
is transferred by conduction: lattice vibration and particle collision. Conduction through solids
occurs by a combination of the two mechanisms; heat is conducted through stationery fluids
primarily by molecular collisions.

In solids, atoms are bound to each other by a series of bonds, analogous to springs as shown in .
When there is a temperature difference in the solid, the hot side of the solid experiences more
vigorous atomic movements. The vibrations are transmitted through the springs to the cooler side
of the solid. Eventually, they reach an equilibrium, where all the atoms are vibrating with the
same energy.

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Solids, especially metals, have free electrons, which are not bound to any particular atom and can
freely move about the solid. The electrons in the hot side of the solid move faster than those on
the cooler side. This scenario is shown in. As the electrons undergo a series of collisions, the
faster electrons give off some of their energy to the slower electrons. Eventually, through a series
of random collisions, an equilibrium is reached, where the electrons are moving at the same
average velocity. Conduction through electron collision is more effective than through lattice
vibration; this is why metals generally are better heat conductors than ceramic materials, which
do not have many free electrons.

In fluids, conduction occurs through collisions between freely moving molecules. The
mechanThe effectiveness by which heat is transferred through a material is measured by the
thermal conductivity, k. A good conductor, such as copper, has a high conductivity; a poor
conductor, or an insulator, has a low conductivity. Conductivity is measured in watts per meter
per Kelvin (W/mK).

where A is the cross-sectional area through which the heat is conducting, T is the temperature
difference between the two surfaces separated by a distance Δx . In heat transfer, a
positive q means that heat is flowing into the body, and a negative q represents heat leaving the
body.

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1.2.2 Convection
Convection uses the motion of fluids to transfer heat. In a typical convective heat transfer, a hot
surface heats the surrounding fluid, which is then carried away by fluid movement such as wind.
The warm fluid is replaced by cooler fluid, which can draw more heat away from the surface.
Since the heated fluid is constantly replaced by cooler fluid, the rate of heat transfer is enhanced.

Natural convection (or free convection) refers to a case where the fluid movement is created by
the warm fluid itself. The density of fluid decrease as it is heated; thus, hot fluids are lighter than
cool fluids. Warm fluid surrounding a hot object rises, and is replaced by cooler fluid. The result
is a circulation of air above the warm surface, as shown in.

Forced convection uses external means of producing fluid movement. Forced convection is what
makes a windy, winter day feel much colder than a calm day with same temperature. The heat
loss from your body is increased due to the constant replenishment of cold air by the wind.
Natural wind and fans are the two most common sources of forced convection.

Convection coefficient, h, is the measure of how effectively a fluid transfers heat by convection.
It is measured in W/m2K, and is determined by factors such as the fluid density, viscosity, and
velocity. Wind blowing at 5 mph has a lower h than wind at the same temperature blowing at 30
mph. The rate of heat transfer from a surface by convection is given by:

where A is the surface area of the object, Tsurface is the surface temperature, and T∞ is the ambient or
fluid temperature.

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1.2.3 Radiation
Radiative heat transfer does not require a medium to pass through; thus, it is the only form of
heat transfer present in vacuum. It uses electromagnetic radiation (photons), which travels at the
speed of light and is emitted by any matter with temperature above 0 degrees Kelvin (-273 °C).
Radiative heat transfer occurs when the emitted radiation strikes another body and is absorbed.
We all experience radiative heat transfer everyday; solar radiation, absorbed by our skin, is why
we feel warmer in the sun than in the shade.

The electromagnetic spectrum classifies radiation according to wavelengths of the radiation.


Main types of radiation are (from short to long wavelengths): gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet
(UV), visible light, infrared (IR), microwaves, and radio waves. Radiation with shorter
wavelengths are more energetic and contains more heat. X-rays, having wavelengths ~10-9 m, are
very energetic and can be harmful to humans, while visible light with wavelengths ~10-7 m
contain less energy and therefore have little effect on life. A second characteristic which will
become important later is that radiation with longer wavelengths generally can penetrate through
thicker solids. Visible light, as we all know, is blocked by a wall. However, radio waves, having
wavelengths on the order of meters, can readily pass through concrete walls.

Anybody with temperature above 0 Kelvin emits radiation. The type of radiation emitted is
determined largely by the temperature of the body. Most "hot" objects, from a cooking
standpoint, emit infrared radiation. A hotter object, such as the sun at ~5800 K, emits more
energetic radiation including visible and UV. The visible portion is evident from the bright glare
of the sun; the UV radiation causes tans and burns.

The amount of radiation emitted by an object is given by:

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where A is the surface area, T is the temperature of the body, σ is a constant called Stefan
Boltzmann constant, equal to 5.67×10-8 W/m2K4, and ε is a material property called emissivity.
The emissivity has a value between zero and 1, and is a measure of how efficiently a surface
emits radiation. It is the ratio of the radiation emitted by a surface to the radiation emitted by a
perfect emitter at the same temperature.

2. References:
http://emerald.tufts.edu/as/tampl/en43/lecture_notes/ch1.html

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