UNSTEADY-STATE HEAT CONDUCTION

Applications where rate/duration of heating/cooling

is a Design Parameter

General Conduction Equation

The general form of these equations in multidimensions is:

T
g ( x, t )
2
T
t
C p
For Rectangular Geometry:

T T T g ( x, y , z : t )
T

2 2
2
t
y
z
C p
x
2

Solar Drying

Oil at T

Transient-conduction
Temperature will vary with location
within a system and with time.
Temperature and rate heat transfer
variation of a system are dependent on
its internal resistance and surface
resistance.
If we have a ball with initial temperature
of T0 and it is left in fluid at T.
Heat is transferred by convection at the
surface.
As the surface temperature decreases,
heat is transferred from the center of the
ball to the surface, then to the fluid.

Oil at T

Thermal Analysis of Transient System

Rate of Change in energy of system = Rate of Heat transfer
Rate of Heat Transfer = Rate of Convection /radiation at surface =
Rate of Conduction transfer in the system

dU
Rate of change in enegy :
dt
dU

dt

d cTdV
V

dt

d c 4r 2 T (r , t )dr
0

dt

At any instant:
R

d c 4r 2 T (r , t )dr
0

dt

For Convection heat transfer across surface.

dT r , t
kAcond
dr

hAconv T ( R, t ) Te
r R

For Radiation heat transfer across surface.

R

d c 4r 2 T (r , t )dr
0

dt
R

d c 4r 2 T (r , t )dr
0

dt

dT r , t
kAcond
dr
dT r , t
kAcond
dr

Arad T 4 ( R, t ) T 4 e
rR

hrad Arad T ( R, t ) Te
r R

Characterization of System & Environment

If the system conductivity is high or the system volume is small,
the temperature response is very fast.
The response has to do with what is called the internal resistance
of the material.
If the convection/radiation coefficient is very high, then the
surface temperature of the system almost becomes identical to
the fluid temperature quickly.
Alternatively, for a low convection/radiation coefficient a large
temperature difference exists between the surface and the fluid.
The value of the coefficient controls what is known as the
surface resistance to heat transfer.
The instantaneous temperature variation within the system is
dependent on the internal and surface resistances.
The larger internal resistance or the smaller surface resistance,
the larger temperature variation within the system, and vice
versa.

Total thermal resistance of the system: Rtot

T0

Rcond

T0

Rconv

A Biot number is defined as:

Convection/radiation heat transfer rate at the surface

Bi
Conduction heat transfer rate within the body

hAconv T ( R, t ) T
Bi
dT r , t
kAcond
dr r R
Bi

hAconv
kAcond
Lcharacteristic

hAconv T0 T
Bi
T0 T
kAcond

hLcharacteristic

k solid

Bi

hAconv
kAcond
Lcharacteristic

Lcharacteristic
kAcond
Rcond

1
Rconv
hAconv

Thermal Characterization of System & Environment using

Biot number

System with negligible internal resistance

For this case Bi 1.0.and the temperature profile within the body is
quite uniform.
The rate of change in internal energy of the
body is equal to the rate of heat taken away
from the surface by convection:

d cT (t )dV
V

dt

hAconv T (t ) T

d cVT
hAconv T (t ) T
dt

dT
cV
hAconv T (t ) T
dt
Rearranging:

hAconv
dT

dt
T (t ) T
cV
Integrating to any time interval:
T

dT
hAconv
T T (t ) T cV 0 dt
0

 T T
hA
ln

cV
T0 T

T T
e
T0 T
Define, Thermal Time Constant

T T
e
T0 T

hA

cV

cV
c
hA

T T
T
T0 T
*

t
thA
t
c cV
*

Thermal Time Constant

1
c
CV
hA

c Rth Cth
The total energy transferred in time t

hLcharacteristic
hV
Bi

k solid
k solid Asurface
The Fourier number (Fo) or Fourier modulus, named after Joseph
Fourier, is a dimensionless number that characterizes transient behavior
of a system.
Conceptually, it is the ratio of the heat conduction rate to the rate of
thermal energy storage. It is defined as:

kAT

Lcharacteristic

Fo
CVT

kt

CL

2
characteristic

t
L2characteristic

Hot Rolling of Steel Sheets

hLcharacteristic
Bi
1
k solid