THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY AND THE MECHANISMS OF ENERGY TRANSPORT

It is common knowledge that some materials such as metals conduct heat readily, whereas others such as wood act as thermal insulators. The physical property that describes the rate at which heat is conducted is the thermal conductivity k. Heat conduction in fluids can be thought of as molecular energy transport. Energy can also be transported by the bulk motion of a fluid, and this is referred to as convective energy transport; this form of transport depends on the density of the fluid.

FOURIER'S LAW OF HEAT CONDUCTION(MOLECULAR ENERGY TRANSPORT)

This equation, which serves to define k, is the one-dimensional form of Fourier's law of heat conduction. Then we can write an equation like for each of the coordinate directions:

Three-dimensional form of Fourier's law This equation describes the molecular transport of heat in isotropic media. By "isotropic" we mean that the material has no preferred direction, so that heat is conducted with the same thermal conductivity k in all directions.

In addition to the thermal conductivity k, a quantity known as the thermal diffusivity a is widely used. It is defined as

EXAMPLE

TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE DEPENDENCE OF THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY

The thermal conductivities of gases at low density increase with increasing temperature, whereas the thermal conductivities of most liquids decrease with increasing temperature.

EXAMPLE

CONVECTIVE TRANSPORT OF ENERGY

Energy may also be transported by the bulk motion of the fluid. In Fig. 9.7-1 we show three mutually perpendicular elements of area dS at the point P, where the fluid velocity is v. The volume rate of flow across the surface element dS perpendicular to the x-axis is vxdS. The rate at which energy is being swept across the same surface element is then

If we now multiply each of the three expressions by the corresponding unit vector and add, we then get, after division by dS

= Convective energy flux vector

WORK ASSOCIATED WITH MOLECULAR MOTIONS

Work flux

The combined energy flux vector e:

The e vector is the sum of

(a) the convective energy flux, (b) the rate of doing work (per unit area) by molecular mechanisms, and (c) the rate of transporting heat (per unit area) by molecular mechanisms.