12 April 2017

Temperature Distribution for Steady-State Conduction of

Energy and Thermal Conductivity Measurements
Author

Business or Academic Affiliation 1, City, State, Zip Code

Abstract Q& = rate of heat transfer

From the definition of conduction, it is transfer

Rc = contact thermal resistance
of internal heat energy across a medium due to a
temperature gradient, and direct microscopic
collision. Fourier law is the governing equation for
DT = change in temperature
Conduction heat transfer. The use of Fourier law V = voltage
to determine the heat flux depends on the
knowledge of the manner in which temperature W&e = electrical power
varies within the medium (the temperature
distribution).Fourier's law is applicable to both
steady state conditions as well as to transient,
Introduction
multidimensional conduction in complex
geometry. The aim of the following paper is to Conduction heat transfer is a molecular
measure the temperature distribution for steady- phenomenon of heat transfer from molecules with
state conduction of heat energy through uniform higher energy to the adjacent molecules with lower
plane wall and demonstrate the effect of a change energy due to the microscopic interactions between
in heat flow. The second objective is to determine the molecules. The vibrations of the molecules in
the thermal conductivity of typical metals and their lattice and the energy transport by free electrons
insulators: brass, stainless steel and aluminum cause the molecular energy in solids. The geometry
with a experimental setup. The observations from of the conducting medium, material of the medium,
the experiment are compared with the analytical thickness, and the temperature gradient across the
data. medium determine the rate of heat conduction
through a medium. The rate of heat conduction
through a surface is directly proportional to the
Nomenclature cross section area and the temperature gradient across
the medium, and is inversely proportional to the
A = cross-section area
thickness of the medium. Thermal conductivity of the
hc material, which differs for all materials, is considered
= thermal contact conductance
as the constant of proportionality. Thermal
conductivity is a material property that determines
I = current
the ability to conduct heat. Fourier law equation
k = thermal conductivity relates the rate of heat conduction to the temperature
difference across the layer, the heat transfer area, the
L = distance between two thermal thickness of the layer and the constant of
couple proportionality, i.e. thermal conductivity.

Higher the value of thermal conductivity indicates
a good heat conductor and an insulator or a poor
conductor of heat has a comparatively low value of
thermal conductivity.
To measure the thermal conductivity of a
material, the material sample is sandwiched between
a heating element and a cooling element made of
similar material as shown in Error: Reference source
not found.
the roughness of the material surface, material
properties, the pressure level and temperature at the
surface and the type of fluid present in between. The
thermal contact resistance can be minimized by
applying thermally conducting liquid called thermal
grease such as silicon oil on the surfaces before they
are pressed against each other.
This experiment is very important when selecting
material to be applied in section where temperature is
very crucial.

Equation

The electrical power consumed by the resistance

heater and converted to heat is

W&e = VI (1)

Fouriers law of heat conduction

. DT
Q = - kA (2)
L
Figure 1 Apparatus to measure thermal
The thermal conductivity of the sample is
conductivity
determined to be
The outer surfaces (cylindrical surface) of the
.
samples are completely insulated making that heat QL
k= (3)
transfer is axial direction the samples is one-
ADT
dimensional. At a constant distance L apart
thermocouples are embedded into the sample, and the The heat transfer area is the area along to the
temperature drop, DT , along each sample is obtained direction of heat flow, and for the following
from the differential thermometer. When steady experiment it is the cross-sectional area of the
operating conditions are reached, the total rate of heat cylinder:
transfer through the heating brass, samples and
cooling brass becomes equal to the electric power 1
drawn by the heater, which is determined by A = pd2 (4)
4
multiplying the electric current by the voltage.
Equation for the contact resistance,
A load is applied to press the contact surfaces
with one another. The voids are filled with air in DTint erface
between valleys and the peaks will mesh completely Rc = (5)
into the material. Because of the low thermal Q&/ A
conductivity, the air trapped in the voids act as
insulation. The interface offers some resistance to
heat transfer, and the resistance offered per unit
interface area is called the thermal contact resistance.
The value of thermal contact resistance depends on
Results:

A. Available data

Samples available

Brass, D = 25 mm and L = 30 mm, T4

and T5

Stainless steel, D = 25 mm and L = 30

mm, no thermocouples

Aluminum, D = 25 mm and L = 30 mm,

no thermocouples

Heat transfer area Figure 2: Plot of temperature vs. axial distance for the
steady state temperature distributions (Brass sample
Calculate the heat transfer area from equation 4.
It should be noted all sample are of similar
dimensions. That is diameter d, =25mm

1
A = pd2
4
1
= p ( 0.025 )
2

4
= 4.904 10-4 m 2

The graph of temperature vs. axial distance was

generated during the steady state temperature
distributions. From the Zeroth law, the steady state
condition or equilibrium is achieved if the heating
element, the cooling element and the sample under
consideration conduct heat at the same rate equal to
the heat generated by the resistance heater. To
determine the thermal conductivity of the heating
element and the cooling element, they must conduct
heat at the same time as produced by the resistive
heater.

Steady state condition is defined as the Condition

when the temperature gradient between the Figure 3: Plot of temperature vs. axial distance for
temperature of the heating element and the cooling the steady state temperature distributions (Aluminum
element becomes small or equals zero. sample)
 of the sample interface ends faces are and
B. Thermal conductivity . Therefore the temperature difference at
The thermal conductivity was determined with heating interface and the cooling interface will be
the help of equation 3. The results are shown in the
table. This shows both the values determined and respectively.
experimentally and the theoretical data. Both the
values of thermal conductivity are calculated as per
the contact resistance of the brass material.

Experimental Theoretical
Thermal Thermal
Conductivity, k Conductivity, k

W/moC W/moC Using equation 3

Brass 107.7 110 .
QL
Aluminum 113.59 117 k=
ADT
C. Contact resistance The contact resistances will be1.325e-4m2oC/W
and 8.843e-5m2oC/W between the hot and insert and
The contact resistance was determined using between the cold and insert sections respectively.
equation 6. The thermal contact conductance used in
equation 6 was determined using equation 5
Uncertainty and Errors
was determined as follows.
Though utmost care is taken while conducting the
experiment, exact values cannot be obtained due to
the changes in the surrounding temperatures,
The temperature vs. axial relationship is linear as temperature of the equipment. Therefore, the values
seen from the graph. From the following equation, of the thermal conductivity have an uncertainty of
determine the temperature at any given point along 107.7 +-0.25 +0.25
0.25 and 113.59 -0.25 respectively for brass and

the axis of the sample aluminum. Errors during the experiment occur at the
thermocouples due to differential temperatures,
) friction in the pipe carrying cooling water.

Consider the experiment performed on the brass

Discussion
sample with a gradient, for the heating element
From the figures 2 to 5, it is concluded that the
equal to from the equation. The gradient
temperature distribution is linear. Under the steady-
for the sample and the cooling element are calculated state conditions the temperature distribution can be
to be and 0.27 respectively. The considered to be linear. The temperature drop at the
interfaces of the surfaces is observed from the
temperatures at the interface are, & experiment. The temperature drop is caused by the
contact resistance. All the graphs look similar to what
for the heating element end and cooling element
was expected. The negative gradient in the graphs is
interface end respectively. Similarly the temperature according to the Fourier Law.
 The calculated value of thermal conductivity for
brass is very close to the theoretical value. The steady
state condition is considered to be approached but in
real case it can be never be approached. Due to this, a
deviation occurs between the experimental value and
theoretical value. This applies to Aluminum. For
aluminum, the deviation from the experimental value
and the theoretical value of thermal conductivity is
large. In both cases, the total heat supplied by the
resistance heater is considered to be conducted
entirely. Due to the hysteresis loss, and the heat
transfer losses to the other parts, the entire heat
cannot be conducted.
Conclusion
This experiment concluded that the one-
dimensional conduction of heat with temperature
distribution can be assumed to be linear with
minimum error. To obtain the thermal conductivity
nearer to the theoretical value without much
deviation, the state of all the constituents must be
nearer to the steady state. The thermal conductivity of
the material considered in the following experiment
has magnitude much greater than the thermal contact
resistance of the materials. The influence of the
thermal contact resistance must be considered only
for the materials with high thermal conductivity.
References
1) F. Kreith and M. S. Bohn., Principles of
Heat Transfer, 6th ed., Pacific Grove,
CA: Brooks/Cole, 2001,
2) A. F. Mills. Basic Heat and Mass
Transfer. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1999.
3) E. Fried. Thermal Conduction
Contribution to Heat Transfer at
Contacts. Thermal Conductivity, vol. 2,
Ed .R. P. Tye. London: Academic Press,
1969
4) Y. A. engel and Robert H. Turner.,
Fundamental of thermal-fluid science,
2nd ed., Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole,
2001