University of Aden

Faculty of Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Department
Thermal section

Name: Bassam Abdullah

:

Reg.No. 000000 Class: B4MT

Ther
mal conductivity
Experiment
1)Introduction
There are three main methods of heat transfer; conduction, convection and radiation. Of these three,
Conduction is the easiest to explain and demonstrate.

In conduction, heat moves in three ways:

1. Impact of vibrations between bordering molecules.

2. Internal radiation.

3. By 'mobile electrons'.

Most metals have large numbers of mobile electrons, so most heat conduction is by this methods. It also
explains why thermal conduction in metals is often similar to electrical conduction.

2)Objective
To find thermal conductivity of a selection of metals.

3)General Description of Apparatus

The TE19 apparatus uses a simple steady-state method to test different metal specimens.

Pressure
safety gauge
Experiment
guard Program

glass
vessel Hater Cooler
Vacuum valve Switch Switch

Connections to the control and Digital Monitor

instrumentation
Figure 1 The General Layout of module
the TE19 (Base Unit and Control Module)

 The Thermal Conductivity Experiment (TE19) is in two parts:

1) A base unit with a Peltier cooler, a vacuum gauge and a moulded glass dome (vacuum vessel).
2) A separate control module, with heater and cooler controls and a multiline display. It also includes a
connection for TecQuipment’s optional VDAS® and a suitable computer (not supplied) for automatic data
 acquisition. Included with the equipment are specimens of different metals. Each specimen has a small
resistive heater at one end, the other end clamps to the cooler of the base unit. The heater at one end and the
cooler at the other give a controlled heat flow along the specimen. Attached to the specimen are two
thermocouples at a precise distance apart, near to each end. Students use the temperature difference between
the thermocouples to find the thermal conductivity of the material. They then compare it with other
materials and with given values. The glass dome covers the area around the specimen. The
students may use a suitable vacuum pump (not supplied) to remove the air inside the dome. This reduces
heat loss due to convection, to give more accurate results. For quick and reliable tests, TecQuipment can
supply the optional VDAS® (Versatile Data Acquisition System). VDAS® gives accurate real-time data
capture, monitoring and display, calculation and charting of all important readings on a computer (computer
not included).

 Definition of Thermal Conductivity;

'Heat flow per second per unit area per unit temperature gradient'
To measure the thermal conductivity of a material, a controlled flow of heat energy must move along the
specimen. The Thermal Conductivity apparatus has controllable heater and cooler to create the heat
flow.

For accurate results, the heat loss due to convection and radiation must be minimized, to that all the heat
is transferred by conduction. In a normal environment, much the heat from the heater would be lost by
convection so the heat flow would be difficult to control and measure. If the average specimen
temperature is within a few degrees of the surrounding surfaces, the heat loss by radiation is very small
and can be ignored.

Normal Environment

TE19 Low Air Conduction Environment

Glass
Applied Heat Energy
Dome
Applied Heat Energy
Heat Energy
lost by
convection in Heat Energy lost
AIR Heat Energy Loss
by radiation
by Radiation

Heat Energy Transferred by Conduction

Heat Energy Transferred by conduction

Heat Loss in a Normal Environment and in the TE19 Low Air Environment
When the air is moved from around the specimen, there is no gas available for convection to take place , the heat
flow is virtually all due to conduction. However, it is virtually impossible to remove oil the air or other particles from
.an environment, this would create a perfect vacuum

It is impossible to remove all the air, but the RE19 vacuum pump creates a very good vacuum, so that the errors due
.to convection are very small

 Technical Details

 Control and instrumentation module

Item Details
Supply voltage 85 to 264 VAC 50 to 60 Hz
Power consumption 20 Watts

 Specimens

Item Details
Materials Aluminum (6082)
Brass(type CZ121)Copper (C1010
Heater 0.6 W 100 R Resistor
Thermocouples ’K’ type
Total length 126 mm
Test length (between tips of thermocouples) 49 mm
Test length diameter Nominal 4.7 mm
Note. All dimensions are approximate, measure the specimen accurately on test

4)Theory
Heat energy is transferred from the hot end of a heat conductor to the cold end . consider a cylindrical
conductor as shown in the figure below , where the temperature at T1 is greater than at T2 . the heat
energy flows from the hotter end at T1 to the cooler end at temperature T2.

T1
Heat Energy Flow

T2

L
 Cylindrical Conductor
 Temperature Gradient

The temperature gradient along a material is the temperature change per unit length.

T 1−T 2
L

 Thermal Conductivity

The heat energy (Q) flowing along the cylinder each second of time is Q/t.

Some materials are better conductors than others ; their material has an effect on the rate of heat transfer. This
effect is its thermal conductivity (k) . From the definition of thermal conductivity , it is ’heat flow per second per
unit area per unit temperature gradient’, so the full equation includes the area (A) of the cylinder:

Q T 1−T 2
=kA
t L

The standard form of this equation is :

Q T 1− T 2
)i( =k
tA L

Therefore, to calculate the thermal conductivity of a material, the equation must rearranged to give:

QL
K= (T 1−T 2) At (ii)

In the thermal conductivity apparatus, the power applied to the heater ( W h ) and cooler (W C ) is calculated from
the product of the voltage and current that flows through them.

Wh = I*V and wc = I*V

To achieve steady state conditions, the cooler power is set to the same value as the heater. This helps the thermal
equilibrium to stabilize as quickly as possible. The calculations could use either the heater or the cooler power , as
they kept equal , but this guide uses the heater power (W h ).

The heat energy transfer rate (Q/t) is replaced by the power (W h ) for this apparatus and experiment . This
changes the general equation to :

Wh L
K= A (T 1−T 2) (iii)
5)Procedure
1. Make sure that the apparatus is in a place where the temperature is stable and has been in position for
at least three hours, so that it is at the same temperature as the room it is in.
2. Prepare a blank table of results similar to table2.
3. Accurately measure and record the diameter of the specimen and the ambient temperature . The
effective length (L) of the specimen is the distance between each thermocouple tip (see Technical
details ).
4. Make sure that the apparatus is set up as described in installation and assembly .
5. Place the specimen on the specimen mount and use the hexagon key ( supplied) to tighten the
specimen clamp screw.
6. Connect the DIN type plug from the specimen heater into its socket on the connection stand.
7. Connect the two specimen thermocouples to the two sockets on the connection stand . The upper
thermocouple is number 1 , the lower thermocouple is number 2.
8. Smear a small amount of vacuum grease (supplied) around the ’O’ ring seal on the base unit and
carefully lower the glass vessel into place around the specimen.
9. Shut the pressure release valve, open the vacuum line valve (control valve) and start the vacuum
pump.
10. The apparatus is ready for test when the pressure gauge indicates approximately 0.8 to 0.9 bar.
This will take approximately two minutes (-1.0 bar is almost impossible to achieve with normal
equipment).
11. Switch on the cooler and the heater and slowly increase their power to around 0.1W.Wait for at least
twenty minutes to allow the system to stabilize, Then record all the data.
To give accurate results, the thermocouples readings must be stable and have
a difference of at least 0.5°C.
NOTE
You may not always get accurate and stable results from the copper specimen
until the power is increased to 0.2 W.

The peltier cooler is a semiconductor, so it's power readings may slowly change
and you may need to slightly re-adjust its power correct.

12. Increase the heater and the cooler power to 0.2 W. Wait until conditions stabilize (this can take up
to thirty minutes) and record all the data. Repeat for heater and cooler powers of 0.3 W, 0.4 W and
0.5 W.

13. Reduce the heater power to minimum; then reduce the cooler power to minimum. Turn off the
Control and instrumentation Module.

14. Shut the vacuum line valve (control valve) and switch off the pump. Open the release valve to allow
air back into the test area. Open the vacuum line valve.

Always shut the control valve before you switch off the pump. If you switch off the
CAUTION pump when it is connected to a vacuum, the vacuum will suck oil from the pump
and will damage its seals.
 Change the specimen for one of the other two supplied with the apparatus and repeat the
experiment.

6)Sample Calculation
GIVEN DATA Length of the specimen (L)=49mm=0.049m
Diameter of the specimen (d)=4.7mm=0.0047m
K Conductivity of conduction

Wh l
k¿
A (T 1−T 2 )

A Area of the specimen

Wh Heater Power
(T 1−T 2 ¿ Differences of Temperature

Wh l π 2 π
k¿ where A= d = 0.00472 =1.7×10−5
A (T 1−T 2 ) 4 4

0.2∗0.049
k¿ 1.7∗10−5 (28.68−24.45) = 137.255 Wm k
−1 −1

:Table of result )7
Table 1

Calculated Parameters Experimental Data Specimen Properties Tim

e
Thermal Tem. Cooler Heater Temperature Temperature Specimen Test Material Tim
conductivity Differenti Power Power at a bottom ℃
( ) at a Top Diameter Length e (s)
W ℃( ) al W) ( W ¿ ( ℃( ) )mm( (mm)
( )
m℃
135 4.18 0.200 0.200 21.94 26.12 49.0 Aluminum 0
4.7
162 6.96 0.400 0.400 20.54 27.50 49.0 Aluminum 720
4.7
180 9.40 0.599 0.598 19.78 29.18 49.0 Aluminum 1440
4.7
193 11.68 0.799 0.800 19.40 31.08 49.0 Aluminum 2160
4.7
200 13.90 0.983 0.983 19.12 33.02 49.0 Aluminum 2880
4.7
Table 2

Calculated Parameters Experimental Data Specimen Properties Tim

e
Thermal Tem. Cooler Heater Temperature Temperature Specimen Test Material Tim
conductivity Differenti Power Power at a bottom ℃
( ) at a Top Diameter Length e (s)
W ℃( ) al W) ( W ¿ ( ℃( ) )mm( (mm)
( )
m℃
249 2.28 0.202 0.201 21.38 23.66 4.7 49.0 Copper 0
 316 3.68 0.400 0.412 20.52 24.20 49.0 Copper 300
4.7
361 4.80 0.605 0.613 19.82 24.62 49.0 Copper 600
4.7
380 6.06 0.802 0.815 19.24 25.30 49.0 Copper 900
4.7
398 6.98 0.992 0.983 19.00 25.98 49.0 Copper 1200
4.7

:charts )8

Figure 2 Thermal Conductivity Values of Copper

Equation of Best-Fit Line For Copper

−1x

×0172367.5
2 ×01
46273.2
y= e
 Figure 3 Thermal Conductivity Values of Aluminum

: Equation of Best-Fit Line For Aluminum

−1

×0154409.4
2 ×01 x
33682.1
y= e
8) Discussion
1. From graphs we obtained that there is a variation in Thermal conductivity due the same materials
which is an Aluminum and a Copper due to many reasons :
i. There is a heat transfer between the device experiment and the ambient because of
seeping (leaking) of an air to inside the experimental device that make an effect in
thermal conductivity .
ii. While we were experimenting, there were a technical mistakes like the values of
heater and cooler were not equal which could fluctuate the value of temperature
differential that make an effect in thermal conductivity .
iii. We were in a hurry while operating the experiment which did not give you an
accurate value of temperature differential i.e. it gave us unsettled (oscillating ) value
because there were no enough time to make the temperature differential .
 iv. The experimental value is different than theoretical value due the upper reasons
which means the theoretical value was taken under standard conditions.