CLB21003 – PROCESS HEAT TRANSFER EXPERIMENT 1

1.0 OBJECTIVE:

• To investigate Fourier’s Law for the linear conduction of heat along a simple bar.
• To investigate the influence of thermal insulation upon the conduction of heat
between adjacent metals.

2.0 SUMMARY:

In this experiment, the principle of conduction heat transfer based on Fourier’s Law
would be related with the rate of heat transfer, thermal conductivity and thermal resistance.
This experiment will study data from two type of heat conduction configuration which is linear
and radial module. For the first experiment, 10W, 15W and 20W of heat flow rate (Q) were
applying for this experiment. The flow of heat by conduction occurs via collisions between
atoms and molecules in the substance and the subsequent transfer of kinetic energy. Based on
the result, by expanding the length, the temperature will decrease. It is on the grounds that the
heat is exchanged from hot region to cold region. For the second experiment, which is to
investigate the influence of thermal insulation upon the conduction of heat between adjacent
metals, paper and cork are placed between the core. The outcome can be get from the diagram
which unmistakably demonstrated that temperature decrease from the external layer when heat
is conduct through the center of the cylinder which is precarious state. It explain the Fourier ‘s
Law. The high influence of thermal insulation upon the conduction of heat between adjacent
metals is cork follow by paper and lastly blank. As for the conclusion, this experiment have
proven the Fourier Law because the temperature had decrease from the outer layer when heat
is conduct through the core of the cylinder which is unsteady state. This trial likewise
demonstrated that, when cross sectional range are increase, the temperature additionally will
increase.

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3.0 INTRODUCTION & THEORY:

Heat conduction or thermal conduction is the spontaneous transfer of thermal energy

through matter, from a region of higher temperature to a region of lower temperature, and hence
acts to even out temperature differences. The thermal energy, in the form of continuous random
motion of the particles of the matter, is transferred by the same forces that act to support the
structure of matter, so can be said to move by physical contact between the particles.

It should be noted that heat can also be transferred by Thermal radiation and/or convection,
and often more than one of these processes occur in a particular situation.

Figure 1: Heat Flow from Higher to Lower Temperature

As noted earlier, internal energy may be transferred through a material from higher to
lower temperature by a process known as heat conduction. The rate at which internal energy is
transferred through a material body is known empirically to be proportional to the temperature
difference across the body. For a rectangular body it is also known to scale in proportion to the
cross sectional area of the body perpendicular to the temperature gradient and to scale inversely
with the distance over which the temperature difference exists. This is known as the law of heat
conduction and is expressed in the following mathematical form:

Q = kAdt / dx…(1)

Where,

Q = heat flow rate, (W)

k = thermal conductivity of the material

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CLB21003 – PROCESS HEAT TRANSFER EXPERIMENT 1

A= cross-sectional area of the conduction, (m2)

dT= changes of temperature between 2 points, (K)

dx= changes of displacement between 2 points, (m)

Hence:

AH (dT) / (dXH) = AS (dT) / (dXS) = AC (dT) / (dXC) ..(2)

The second theory is about radial conduction heat transfer (cylindrical). From
continuity considerations the radial heat flow through successive layers in the wall must be
constant if the flow is steady but since the area of successive layers increases with radius, the
temperature gradient must decrease with radius. The amount of heat (Q), which is conducted
across the cylinder wall per unit time, is:

Q = -[ 2πLk(Ti –T0) ] / [ In R0 / Ri ] ….(3)

Q = heat flow rate, [W]

L = thickness of the material, [m]

k = thermal conductivity of the material, [W/Km]

Ti = inner section temperature, [K]

T0 = outer section temperature, [K]

R0 = outer radius, [m]

Ri = inner radius, [m]

Third theory is heat conduction with insulation. When two surfaces are in contact, paths
of thermal conduction exist only across those points where actual physical contact accursed on
the microscopic scale and the degree of thermal contact depends on the respective surface
finishes. Air trapped in the gaps between each surface acts as a thermal insulator resulting in a

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temperature step in the conduction path. This can be reduced by the use of conducting
compound, which fills the

air spaces and provides improved thermal contact.

Brass Brass

Insulation
Material

Figure 2: Material with insulation material

The fourth theory is unsteady state heat conduction. Many heat transfer
problems are time dependent Such unsteady or transient problems typically arise when the
boundary conditions of a system changed. For example, if the surface temperature system is
altered, the temperature at each point in the system will also begin to change. The change will
occur until a steady state temperature distribution is reached.

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4.0 RESULT:

Experiment 1

Test Wattmeter, TT1 TT2 TT3º TT4 TT5 TT6 TT7 TT8 TT9
No. Q ºC ºC C ºC ºC ºC ºC ºC ºC

watts

1 10 46.6 46.7 44.5 35.2 34.7 34.1 30.2 29.5 29.4

2 15 53.6 53.6 50.6 38.8 38.4 37.7 30.3 29.7 29.6

3 20 67.8 67.9 63.6 46.4 45.5 44.3 30.5 29.8 29.7

Distance from T1, x (m) 0.00 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08

Table 1: Temperature from TT1°C – TT9°C for the power of Wattmeter, q which are 10 W,
15W and 20W

TEMPERATURE VS DISTANCE
10 watt 15 watt 20 watt
Linear (10 watt) Linear (10 watt) Linear (15 watt)
Linear (15 watt) Linear (20 watt) Linear (20 watt)
80

70

60
TEMPERATURE ºC

y = -558.33x + 69.611
50

40
y = -349x + 54.216

30
y = -250.17x + 46.773
20

10

0
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09
DISTANCE (M)

Figure 3 : Temperature VS Distance

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Temperature Thermal conductivity,

∆𝐓
Test No. Wattmeter, q (W) gradient, k
∆𝐱

(K/m) (W/ m·K)

1 10 -250 81.49
2 15 -349 87.56
3 20 -558.33 72.97
𝒌𝟏 +𝒌𝟐 +𝒌𝟑 80.67
Average k = (W/ m·K)
𝟑

Table 2: Thermal conductivity, k for three different input power for linear conduction of heat
along a simple bar

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CLB21003 – PROCESS HEAT TRANSFER EXPERIMENT 1

Experiment 2

Test Wattmeter, Q TT1 TT2 ºC TT3ºC TT7 ºC TT8 ºC TT9 ºC

ºC
(watts)

Paper 10 70.7 70.8 65.6 30.1 29.9 30.2

Cork 10 70.5 70.8 66.5 30.2 29.9 30.1

Blank 10 73.3 73.7 68.8 30.3 29.9 30.3

Distance from T1, x (m) 0.00 0.01 0.02 0.06 0.07 0.08

Table 3: Temperature at each sensor point for three different insulating materials

Temperature VS Distance
90
80
70
temperature ºC

60 y = -655.86x + 77.284
50
y = -613.28x + 74.081
40
30
20
y = -615.34x + 74.28
10
0
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09
Distance (M)

Paper Cork Blank

Linear (Paper) Linear (Paper) Linear (Cork)
Linear (Cork) Linear (Blank) Linear (Blank)

Figure 4 : Temperature VS Distance

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5.0 DISCUSSION:

For experiment one, there are 3 tests for 5 watts, 10 watts and 15 watts from temperature
T1 until T9 that have been done. The experiment two also used the same watts but the
temperature that used are T1, T2, T3, and T7, T8, T9. The T1 is the input and the T9 is the
output. The experiment used the cork, blank and paper as insulating material in the core by
using 10 watts for each one.

From the graph, figure 3, we can see the temperature decrease as the distance increase.
This is because the heat goes through the core from hot at the T1 as input to the cold area in
the core until T9 that is output. So, the heat which is hot temperature will make conduction
occur when pass through the solid by unsteady state. After the heat conduction happened, the
temperature of solid become increase even the area is cold before. So, the temperature that pass
through is unsteady state. The test unit is also equipped with a cooling water hose. The purpose
of the cooling water running through the unit at the cold end of the bar is to remove heat that
is produced at the hot end and transferred by conduction to the cold end, keeping the cold end
at a constant temperature.

From the graph 1 it is shows that at power input is 10W has the lowest temperature at
TT1 which is 46.6⁰C since the thermal conductivity is 81.49Wm-1K-1 compared to power input
at 15W that has temperature of 53.6⁰C as the thermal conductivity is 87.56 Wm -1K-1 and
followed by power supply at 20W with temperature is 67.8⁰C as the thermal conductivity is
72.97 Wm-1K-1. From the calculation for the average thermal conductivity for different power
input is 80.67 Wm-1K-1. So, when the wattmeter reading given were different which are 10W,
15W and 20W, the value for the temperature also different. When the power supply use was
high, the temperature increased. When the temperatures increase, the value of the thermal
conductivity, k also increases. When low power supply been used, the temperature will
decrease.

For the experiment 2, the insulator is used to insulate the heat transfer from one region
to another region. Their three different insulators are used in this experiment, which are cork,
paper and blank. By referring to the graph from figure 4, it shows the comparison of different
type of insulators which are cork, paper and without insulator blank. Theoretically, the heat
rate of conduction through the medium depends on the thickness and the material of the
medium. The thicker the insulation, the smaller the heat loss. It is because the insulation can

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reduce the higher rate of heat loss from the medium when the temperature is low. A high value
for thermal conductivity indicates that the material is a good heat insulator and the low value
observes that the material is poor heat insulator. Result show that the cork has lower
temperature compare to the test that used paper as insulator. So, cork is the best insulator
compared to the paper. The thickness of cork is thick than thickness of paper.

The experiment indicates the type of materials for the insulation, the thermal
conductivity and the thickness of the material influence the heat transfer rate. The thermal
conductivity for the blank was 31.06 Wm-1K-1, the paper was 33.21 Wm-1K-1 and the thermal
conductivity for cork 33.11 Wm-1K-1. After identify the thermal conductivity of the insulating
materials, the cork obtained the highest value of thermal conductivity followed by paper and
lastly blank. From that it is prove the cork is the good insulation than paper and blank by refer
the thermal conductivity where it can reduce more heat when pass through the core than paper.
Also, because of the thickness of cork is thick than paper, the efficiency to insulate heat is
better. When the thickness increased, the temperature decreased. Therefore, the temperature
transfer for the cork was lower than the paper and blank.

It can be concluded that the heat was transferred from hot regions to cold
regions, took place whenever there was the temperature difference. There were four factors
that can effects the conduction of heat transfer which are temperature gradient, thermal
conductivity, distances and insulator which can block or reduces the heat from being transfer.
The objective of this experiment has been successfully achieved.

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6.0 CONCLUSION:

The objective of this experiment is to investigate Fourier’s Law for the linear
conduction of heat along a simple bar and to investigate the influence of thermal insulation
upon the conduction of heat between adjacent metals. Heat passes through conductors by a
process known as gradient transport. It depends on three things, the conductivity of the
material, and the area of the cross section and the spatial gradient of temperature. From the
results that obtain from the experiment, show that the temperature decreases as the distance
increases. It can be conclude that, the heat was transferred from hot region to the cold region.
When the thermal energy (heat) is supplied to one end of the bar, the particles (atom or
molecules) at the hot end are vibrating vigorously. These particles will collide with other
particles, making them vibrate as well. The experiment follows the Fourier’s law concept that
been proof by a graph of the result. The other factor is a cooling water that makes the heat been
absorbed at the end of bar. Lastly, the cork is the best insulation than paper by refer the thermal
conductivity where it can reduce more heat that pass through than paper. The heat will be
reduces after cross through insulators. The objective of this experiment is achieved.

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7.0 RECOMMENDATION:

For improvement to this experiment in term of get the better result, there were few
ways to improve. Firstly, before handling this experiment we should check whether the
machine functioning well or not. For example, check the wire of the heater and pipe to avoid
from licking. Next, time taken for the heater was really vital to get the good results. In this
way, the time must be fixed and recommend to use the stopwatch for better timing. Lastly,
avoid the technical error such as wind from the fan that can interfere the reading of the heater

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8.0 REFERENCE:

 Arpaci, V. S., Kao, S. H., & Selamet, A. (1999). Introduction to heat transfer.
Prentice Hall.

 Bergman, T. L. (2011). Introduction to heat transfer. John Wiley & Sons.

 Coleman, B. D., & Noll, W. (1963). The thermodynamics of elastic materials

with heat conduction and viscosity. Archive for Rational Mechanics and
Analysis, 13(1), 167-178.
 Mitra, K., Kumar, S., Vedevarz, A., & Moallemi, M. K. (1995). Experimental
evidence of hyperbolic heat conduction in processed meat. Journal of Heat
Transfer, 117(3), 568-573.
 Lab Manual & Guidelines Report Writing of Process Heat Transfer

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9.0 APPENDIX:

Experiment 1:

𝑊
Calculation for different input power for thermal conductivity coefficient, k (𝑚 𝐾) :

𝑘𝐴𝑑𝑇
𝑞=−
𝑑𝑥

Where:

dT/dx = Temperature gradient (K/m)

A = Area of circle (m2) = πr2

q = input power reading (W)

a) Where: dT/dx = -328.67K/m; r = 0.0125m; b) Where: dT/dx = -638.33K/m; r = 0.0125m

q = 10W q = 15W
10W 15W
k=− k=−
(−250K/m)(π)(0.01252 )m2 (−349K/m)(π)(0.01252 )m2
k = 81.49 W/Km k = 87.56 W/Km

c) Where: dT/dx = -740.00K/m; r = 0.0125m;

q = 20 W
20W
k=−
(−558.33K/m)(π)(0.01252 )m2
k = 72.97 W/Km

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 CLB21003 – PROCESS HEAT TRANSFER EXPERIMENT 1

Experiment 2:
𝑊
Calculation for different insulating materials for thermal conductivity coefficient, k (𝑚 𝐾) :
𝑘𝐴𝑑𝑇
𝑞=−
𝑑𝑥
Where:
dT/dx = Temperature gradient (K/m)
A = Area of circle (m2) = πr2
q = input power reading = 10W

Where: dT/dx = -450.72K/m; r = 0.0125m Where: dT/dx = -516.03K/m; r = 0.0125m

PAPER

10W 10W
CORK

k=− k=−
(−613.28K/m)(π)(0.01252 )m2 (−615.34K/m)(π)(0.01252 )m2
k = 33.21 W/Km k = 33.11 W/Km

Where: dT/dx = -582.47K/m; r = 0.0125m

BLANK

10W
k=−
(−655.86K/m)(π)(0.01252 )m2
k = 31.06 W/Km

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