SHELL ENERGY BALANCESAND
TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION IN HEAT
CONDUCTION IN SOLIDS
Presented by:
Dr. Amit Rai
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering, SLIET longowal
HEAT CONDUCTION THROUGH COMPOSITE WALLS
Many times in the industry, we come
across the problem of heat conduction
through various materials. A typical
example is that of furnace walls which
are made up of different refractory
materials. These materials in
multilayer walls have different
thermal conductivities. If we were to
construct a furnace, we need to know
the thicknesses of different layers of
materials and the temperature
distribution across each of them.
Let us consider that the furnace
consists of three layers of slabs of
width W and height H as shown in
Figure.
HEAT CONDUCTION THROUGH COMPOSITE WALLS
In Figure, the three slabs are of different thicknesses
and of different materials of thermal conductivities,
k1, k2, k3. The surface of the first slab comes in
contact with fluid A which is at a temperature Ta. The
third slab comes in contact with fluid B which is at a
temperature Tb. The temperature Ta is higher than the
temperature Tb and thus the heat will flow from fluid
A towards fluid B passing through these three slabs.
The slab surfaces are at places x0, x1, x2 and x3. The
thicknesses of these slabs are (x1 – x0), (x2 – x1) and
(x3 – x2).
We are interested in finding the temperature profiles
in the slabs and also the heat flux.
HEAT CONDUCTION THROUGH COMPOSITE WALLS
The following assumptions are made in the analysis
of heat conduction through composite walls:
1. Steady-state conditions prevail.
2. Thermal conductivities of the slabs k1, k2,
k3 are constant and not changing with
temperature.
3. Heat flows in one direction only, i.e. in the
x-direction.
4. Heat transfer (at boundaries, i.e. at x = x0,
and x = x3) is given by the “Newton’s law of
cooling” with heat transfer coefficients h0
and h3, respectively.
HEAT CONDUCTION THROUGH COMPOSITE WALLS
let qx be the heat flux flowing in the x-direction. Let
us consider a shell at x and of thickness Δx for
applying heat balance in the region 1. There is no
heat generation.
Rate of “heat in” at the surface x – Rate of “heat out”
at the surface x + Δx = 0 -----(1)
Region 1:
qx |x WH – qx |x+Δx WH = 0 . . -----(2)
Dividing both sides of Eq. (2s) by WH Δx and taking
the limit Δx → 0, we have
-----(3)
HEAT CONDUCTION THROUGH COMPOSITE WALLS
-----(3)
Integrating Eq. (3), we get qx = constant = q0 . . . -----(4)
= heat flux at surface x = x0
This equation is valid for all the three slabs means qx = q0 -----(5)
Now applying the Fourier’s law of heat conduction for all the three
slabs, we obtain
-----(6)
-----(7)
-----(8)
HEAT CONDUCTION THROUGH COMPOSITE WALLS
where k1, k2 and k3 are the respective thermal conductivities of these
three slabs and are constant.
Integrating these equations over the thickness of each slab,
We get for different region
-----(8)
-----(9)
-----(10)
HEAT CONDUCTION THROUGH COMPOSITE WALLS
Applying the Newton’s law of cooling at the surfaces x = x0 and x = x3, we will
get:
At surface x = x0: -----(11)
At surface x = x3: -----(12)
where h0 and h3 are the heat transfer coefficients of the fluids A and B, respectively.
Adding five Eqs. from (8) to (12), we get
-----(13)
-----(14)
HEAT CONDUCTION THROUGH COMPOSITE WALLS
Equation (14) can be written either in heat flux (J/m2 ·s) form or in heat
flow Q (J/s) form. Let us now define the overall heat transfer coefficient U
as
q0 = U(Ta – Tb) -----(15)
or Q = U(W H)(Ta – Tb) -----(16)
Comparing Eqs. (15) and (16), we get
-----(17)
We can now generalize Eq. (17) for n number of slabs as
-----(18)
This equation is very useful for calculating heat transfer through composite walls
separating two fluid streams. If we know the heat transfer coefficients, then the
thickness of the slabs can be found out. It is a very useful relation for designing
furnaces.
HEAT CONDUCTION IN A COOLING FIN
Fins are practically used to enhance the
surface area between the hot body and
the poorly conducting fluids such as
gases. A typical example is heat transfer
in a motorbike. These fins may be
rectangular or simple circular plates.
Generally, the fins are of small
thickness in comparison to their length
and width. Let us calculate the
efficiency of a cooling fin.
Let us consider a rectangular fin of
width W, length L and thickness 2B as
shown in Figure
HEAT CONDUCTION IN A COOLING FIN
The rectangular fin is attached to a hot wall at a temperature Tw which
is known. We make certain assumptions and consider Cartesian
coordinates.
1. Steady-state conditions prevail.
2. B << L and B << W, i.e. the thickness of the fin is very small
in comparison to its length and
width.
3. Heat flows only in the z-direction, i.e. qx and qy are zero.
4. Temperature is a function of the z-direction.
5. Heat is lost by conduction in the fin.
6. No heat is lost by the edges of the fin.
7. Thermal conductivity k is constant.
HEAT CONDUCTION IN A COOLING FIN
8. Heat flux at the surface of the fin is given by the Newton’s law of
cooling, i.e.
qz = h(T – Ta) . . . -----(1)
Where h = heat transfer coefficient (constant); Ta = ambient air
temperature at the surface of the fin.
Now, we select the shell as shown in Figure. Here, the heat flux
will be qz only. Now applying, the heat balance over the shell,
we have
Rate of “heat in” by conduction at z – Rate of “heat out” by
conduction at z + Δz– Heat lost at the surface of the fin = 0
-----(2)
Dividing both sides of Eq. (2) by 2BWΔz and taking the limit Δz
→0, we get
HEAT CONDUCTION IN A COOLING FIN
-----(3)
Now we apply the Fourier’s law of heat conduction and get
-----(4)
where k is the thermal conductivity of the material of fin which is assumed
constant. We now get by substituting Eq. (4) in Eq. (3),
-----(5)
This differential equation can be solved with the help of boundary conditions.
Boundary condition 1:
At z = 0, T = Tw (wall temperature) . -----(6)
Boundary condition 2:
-----(7)
HEAT CONDUCTION IN A COOLING FIN
In order to solve the above differential equations, we introduce the following
dimensionless quantities:
-----(8)
-----(9)
-----(10)
-----(11)
With the introduction of the above dimensionless quantities, Eq. (5) and the
boundary conditions become:
-----(12)
HEAT CONDUCTION IN A COOLING FIN
Boundary condition 1:
θ |Z=0 = 1 -----(13)
Boundary condition 2:
-----(14)
The solution of the differential Eq. (7.84) is well known in mathematics.
-----(15)
-----(16)
The roots are D = N, thus the solution becomes
𝜃 = 𝐶1 𝑒 −𝑁𝑍 + 𝐶2 𝑒 𝑁𝑍 -----(17)
HEAT CONDUCTION IN A COOLING FIN
where C1 and C2 are constants. Now applying boundary conditions
C1 + C2 = 1 -----(18)
Boundary condition 2:
-----(19)
Applying the second boundary condition,
0 = –NC1e–N + NC2eN -----(20)
Substituting C1 = 1 – C2 from Eq. (18), we get
-----(21)
-----(22)
Substituting the values of C1 and C2 in Eq. (17) and simplifying, we obtain
θ = cosh NZ – tanh N sinh NZ .
HEAT CONDUCTION IN A COOLING FIN
-----(23)
Substituting the values of θ and Z from Eq. (8) and Eq. (9) we get
-----(24)
The effectiveness of the fin can now be calculated as
-----(25)
-----(26)
HEAT CONDUCTION IN A COOLING FIN
-----(27)
-----(28)
-----(29)
