Heat Conduction Equation

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 Objectives
When you finish studying this chapter, you should be able to:
• Understand multidimensionality and time dependence of heat transfer,
and the conditions under which a heat transfer problem can be
approximated as being one-dimensional,
• Obtain the differential equation of heat conduction in various
coordinate systems, and simplify it for steady one-dimensional case,
and in multiple-dimension.
• Identify the thermal conditions on surfaces, and express them
mathematically as boundary and initial conditions,
• Solve one-dimensional heat conduction problems and obtain the
temperature distributions within a medium and the heat flux,
• Analyze one-dimensional heat conduction in solids that involve heat
generation, and
• Evaluate heat conduction in solids with temperature-dependent
thermal conductivity.
 Introduction
• Although heat transfer and temperature are
closely related, they are of a different nature.
• Temperature has only magnitude
it is a scalar quantity.
• Heat transfer has direction as well as magnitude
it is a vector quantity.
• We work with a coordinate system and indicate
direction with plus or minus signs.
 Introduction ─ Continue
• The driving force for any form of heat transfer is the
temperature difference.
• The larger the temperature difference, the larger the
rate of heat transfer.
• Three prime coordinate systems:
– rectangular (T(x, y, z, t)) ,
– cylindrical (T(r, f, z, t)),
– spherical (T(r, f, q, t)).
 Introduction ─ Continue
Classification of conduction heat transfer problems:
• steady versus transient heat transfer,
• multidimensional heat transfer,
• heat generation.
 Steady versus Transient Heat Transfer
• Steady implies no change with time at any point
within the medium

• Transient implies variation with time or time

dependence
 Multidimensional Heat Transfer
• Heat transfer problems are also classified as being:
– one-dimensional,
– two dimensional,
– three-dimensional.
• In the most general case, heat transfer through a
medium is three-dimensional. However, some
problems can be classified as two- or one-dimensional
depending on the relative magnitudes of heat transfer
rates in different directions and the level of accuracy
desired.
• The rate of heat conduction through a medium in
a specified direction (say, in the x-direction) is
expressed by Fourier’s law of heat conduction
for one-dimensional heat conduction as:
dT
Qcond  kA (W) (2-1)
dx
• Heat is conducted in the direction
of decreasing temperature, and thus
the temperature gradient is negative
when heat is conducted in the positive x-
direction.
 General Relation for Fourier’s Law of
Heat Conduction
• The heat flux vector at a point P on the surface of
the figure must be perpendicular to the surface,
and it must point in the direction of decreasing
temperature
• If n is the normal of the
isothermal surface at point P,
the rate of heat conduction at
that point can be expressed by
Fourier’s law as
dT
Qn  kA (W) (2-2)
dn
 General Relation for Fourier’s Law of
Heat Conduction-Continue
• In rectangular coordinates, the heat conduction
vector can be expressed in terms of its components as
Qn  Qx i  Qy j  Qz k (2-3)
• which can be determined from Fourier’s law as
 T
Qx   kAx x

 T
Qy   kAy (2-4)
 y
 T
Qz   kAz
 z
 Heat Generation
• Examples:
– electrical energy being converted to heat at a rate of I2R,
– fuel elements of nuclear reactors,
– exothermic chemical reactions.
• Heat generation is a volumetric phenomenon.
• The rate of heat generation units : W/m3 or Btu/h · ft3.
• The rate of heat generation in a medium may vary
with time as well as position within the medium.
• The total rate of heat generation in a medium of
volume V can be determined from
Egen   egen dV (W) (2-5)
V
 One-Dimensional Heat Conduction
Equation - Plane Wall
Rate of heat Rate of heat Rate of heat Rate of change of
conduction - conduction + generation inside the energy content
at x at x+Dx the element
= of the element

DEelement
Qx Qx Dx  Egen,element 
Dt
(2-6)
 One-Dimensional Heat Conduction
Equation - Long Cylinder
Rate of heat Rate of heat Rate of heat Rate of change of
conduction - conduction + generation inside the energy content
at r at r+Dr the element
= of the element

DEelement
Qr Qr Dr  Egen,element 
Dt
(2-18)
One-Dimensional Heat Conduction Equation - Sphere
General Heat Conduction Equation

Rate of heat Rate of heat Rate of heat Rate of change

conduction - conduction
+ generation
= of the energy
at x, y, and z at x+Dx, y+Dy, inside the content of the
and z+Dz element element

DEelement
Qx  Qy  Qz Qx Dx  Qy Dy  Qz Dz  Egen ,element  (2-36)
Dt
Cylindrical Coordinates
Spherical Coordinates
 Boundary and Initial Conditions
• Specified Temperature Boundary Condition
• Specified Heat Flux Boundary Condition
• Convection Boundary Condition
• Radiation Boundary Condition
• Interface Boundary Conditions
• Generalized Boundary Conditions
 Specified Temperature Boundary
Condition
For one-dimensional heat transfer
through a plane wall of thickness
L, for example, the specified
temperature boundary conditions
can be expressed as
T(0, t) = T1
T(L, t) = T2 (2-46)

The specified temperatures can be constant, which is the

case for steady heat conduction, or may vary with time.
 Specified Heat Flux Boundary
Condition
The heat flux in the positive x-
direction anywhere in the medium,
including the boundaries, can be
expressed by Fourier’s law of heat
conduction as
dT Heat flux in the
q  k  positive x- (2-47)
dx direction

The sign of the specified heat flux is determined by

inspection: positive if the heat flux is in the positive
direction of the coordinate axis, and negative if it is in
the opposite direction.
 Two Special Cases
Insulated boundary Thermal symmetry

k
T (0, t )
0 or
T (0, t )
0  
T L , t
2 0
x x x
(2-49) (2-50)
 Convection Boundary Condition

Heat conduction Heat convection

at the surface in a
selected direction = at the surface in
the same direction

T (0, t )
k  h1 T1  T (0, t ) (2-51a)
x
and
T ( L, t )
k  h2 T ( L, t )  T 2  (2-51b)
x
 Radiation Boundary Condition

Heat conduction Radiation exchange

at the surface in a
selected direction
= at the surface in
the same direction

T (0, t )
k  1 Tsurr
4
 T (0, t ) 4
 (2-52a)
x
,1

and
T ( L, t )
k   2 T ( L, t ) 4  Tsurr
4

,2 
(2-52b)
x
 Interface Boundary Conditions
At the interface the requirements are:
(1) two bodies in contact must have the same
temperature at the area of contact,
(2) an interface (which is a
surface) cannot store any
energy, and thus the heat flux
on the two sides of an
interface must be the same.
TA(x0, t) = TB(x0, t) (2-53)
and
TA ( x0 , t ) T ( x , t )
k A  k B B 0 (2-54)
x x