MODULE 5: HEAT TRANSFER

Additional Reading:

1.) The vacuum flask/thermos flask/dewar flask is a special kind of bottle in which hot
liquids like tea and milk remain hot and cold items like ice, cold water etc. remain cold
for a long time. It was invented by Sir James Dewar in 1892. A vacuum flask has double
walls, which are evacuated and the vacuum bottle is silvered on the inside. The vacuum
between the two walls prevents heat being transferred from the inside to the outside by
conduction and convection. You can think of a vacuum flask as a water bottle holding
another bottle inside it but is separated by vacuum, with a supporting stand at the
bottom. This basic structure provides thermal insulation or reduction of heat transfer. A
vacuum sleeve keeps liquids hot by stopping the escape of heat through three layers of
protection (inner, vacuum, outer) and keeps liquids cold by not letting heat from outside
enter the container, this achieved via double wall stainless steel.

2.) Thermoregulation is a process that allows the body to maintain its core internal
temperature. All thermoregulation mechanisms are designed to return your body to
homeostasis. When your internal temperature changes, sensors in your central nervous
system (CNS) send messages to your hypothalamus. In response, it sends signals to
various organs and systems in your body. They respond with a variety of mechanisms.

If your body needs to cool down, these mechanisms include:

 Sweating: Your sweat glands release sweat, which cools your skin as it
evaporates. This helps lower your internal temperature.
 Vasodilation: The blood vessels under your skin get wider. This increases blood
flow to your skin where it is cooler — away from your warm inner body. This lets
your body release heat through heat radiation.

If your body needs to warm up, these mechanisms include:

 Vasoconstriction: The blood vessels under your skin become narrower. This
decreases blood flow to your skin, retaining heat near the warm inner body.
 Thermogenesis: Your body’s muscles, organs, and brain produce heat in a
variety of ways. For example, muscles can produce heat by shivering.
 Hormonal Thermogenesis: Your thyroid gland releases hormones to increase
your metabolism. This increases the energy your body creates and the amount of
heat it produces.

Source: https://www.healthline.com/health/thermoregulation#process
3.) The Philippines is known to be a tropical country. Way back then, our ancestors and
even the people in the rural areas of the country nowadays chose to build Nipa Houses
due to the fact that the weather is fervid or hot. Nipa houses are built from light
materials such as wood or bamboo and nipa or anahaw plant which is perfect for a hot
weather. However, stating the fact that the Philippines is an island that is surrounded by
large bodies of water, we are also prone to cyclones, super typhoons, and natural
disasters. Because of that, a lot people chose to build concrete houses to resist and
withstand the havoc brought about by the destructive typhoons.

1.) Temperature inversion, also called thermal inversion, is a reversal of the normal
behavior of temperature in the troposphere (the region of the atmosphere nearest
Earth’s surface), in which a layer of cool air at the surface is overlain by a layer of
warmer air. (Under normal conditions air temperature usually decreases with height.)
Applications of Thermal Inversion includes determining cloud forms, precipitation, and
visibility. It also affect diurnal variations in air temperature.

Inversions play an important role in determining cloud forms, precipitation, and visibility.
An inversion acts as a cap on the upward movement of air from the layers below. As a
result, convection produced by the heating of air from below is limited to levels below
the inversion. Diffusion of dust, smoke, and other air pollutants is likewise limited.

Inversions also affect diurnal variations in air temperature. The principal heating of air
during the day is produced by its contact with a land surface that has been heated by
the Sun’s radiation. Heat from the ground is communicated to the air by conduction and
convection. Since an inversion will usually control the upper level to which heat is
carried by convection, only a shallow layer of air will be heated if the inversion is low
and large, and the rise in temperature will be great.

4.) Convection occurs when heat is transferred through a gas or liquid by the hotter
material moving into a cooler area. The situation in a hot air balloon can be a typical
example of convection. A heater inside a hot air balloon heats the air, causing the air to
move upward. This causes the balloon to rise because the hot air gets trapped inside.
When the pilot wants to descend, the individual will release some of the hot air. Cool air
takes its place, causing the balloon to lower. The following are some of the applications
of convection in our daily lives.

 Boiling Water - When water boils, the heat passes from the burner into the pot,
heating the water at the bottom. This hot water rises and cooler water moves
down to replace it, causing a circular motion.
 Radiator - A radiator puts warm air out at the top and draws in cooler air at the
bottom.
 Steaming Cup of Hot Tea - The steam you see when drinking a cup of hot tea
indicates that heat is being transferred into the air.
  Ice Melting - Ice melts because heat moves to the ice from the air. As a result,
the ice melts from a solid to liquid.
 Frozen Food Thawing - Frozen food thaws more quickly under cold running
water than if it is placed in water. This is because the action of the running water
transfers heat into the food faster than if the frozen item was placed in still water.
 Forced Convection - When a fan, pump or suction device is used to facilitate
convection, the result is forced convection. Everyday examples of this can be
seen with air conditioning, central heating, a car radiator using fluid, or a
convection oven.

EXERCISES/DRILLS

1.)
a.) Given: k = 0.21 W/m.K
A = 1.73 m2
TH = 37℃
TC = 33℃
L = 0.02 m

TH −TC
Solution: H = kA
L
37 ℃−33 ℃
H = (0.21 W/m.K)(1.73 m2)
0.02m
H = 72.66 W

b.) Given: H = 72.66 W

ΔT = 1 hour = 60 minutes = 3,600 s

Solution: 𝑄 = HΔT
𝑄 = (72.66 W)(3,600 s)
𝑄 = 261,576 J or 2.62 x 105 J

c.) Given: m = 75 kg
Q = 2.62 x 105 J
c = 3,470 J/kg.℃

Q
Solution: ΔT =
mc
2.62 x 10 5 J
ΔT = J
(75 kg)(3,470 .℃ )
kg
ΔT = 1.01 ℃
Part II. Problem Solving

1.) Given: m = 47 kg
h = 155.0 cm
k = 0.024 W/m.℃
L = 5.00 cm = 0.05 m
TC = 20℃
TH = 37℃

mass x height
Solution: BSA =
√ 3600
47 kg x 155 cm
BSA =
√
7,285
3600
BSA =
√
3600
BSA = √ 2.02
BSA = 1.42 m2

TH −TC
H = kA
L
37 ℃−20 ℃
H = (0.024 W/m.℃)(1.42 m2)
0.05 m
2
H = (0.024 W/m.℃)(1.42 m ) (340)
H = 11.59 W

2.) Given: A = 41.0 cm x 17.0 cm x 34.o cm = 23,698 cm3 = 0.02 m2

TH = 35℃ = 308.15 K
TC = 0℃
m = 1 kg
kstyrofoam = 0.033 W/m.K
L = 5.00 cm = 0.05 m
Lv = 3.33 x 105 J/kg.

Solution: Q = m.Lv
Q = (1 kg)(3.33 x 105 J/kg.)
Q = 333,000 J

∆Q kA ∆ T
=
∆t L
 W
∆Q (0.033 . K )(0.02 m2)(308.15 K )
∆t
= m
0.05m
∆Q
∆t
= 4.07 W

∆Q
∆t =
4.07 W
333,000 J
∆t =
4.07 J /s
∆ t = 81,818.18 s

81,818.18 s
∆t =
3,600 s
∆ t = 22.73 hrs.

3.) Given: A = 1.42 m2

TH = 32℃
TC = 24℃
e=1
σ = 5.67 x 10-8 W/m2.K4

Solution: Hnet = σeA(Th4 - Tc4)

Hnet = (5.67 x 10-8 W/m2.K4)(1)(1.42m2)[(297.15K4) – (305.15K4)]
Hnet = - 70.38 W

4.) Given: A = 1.42 m2

T4 = 24℃ = 273 K
e=1
σ = 5.67 x 10-8 W/m2.K4

∆Q
Solution: = σeAT4
t
∆Q
= (5.67 x 10-8 W/m2.K4)(1)(1.42 m2)(273K4)
t
∆Q
= 447.22 W
t

COLORFUL CONVECTION CURRENTS

I. Objectives
 1. Demonstrate the occurrence of convection through a simple activity
2. Explain how convection occurs
3. Appreciate the importance of convection in one’s life

IV. Data and Observation

2.) The Colorful Convection Current experiment is a crystal clear manifestation of the
important concepts in Convection. For the experiment, we were told to have two
different bottles that contains hot and cold water with unique color in each. In my case,
the hot water was colored blue while the cold water was colored pink. For the first set of
bottles, we were instructed to put the bottle with warm water on top of the bottle with
cold water. The moment I removed the card that separated the liquids, I have noticed
that there is only a bit or no changes at all between the liquids. The hot water remains
on the top while the cold water remains in the bottom. On the other hand, for the second
set of bottles, the opposite was done. The bottle with cold water was placed on the top
of bottle with hot water. As I remove the card, I have observed that the hot water rises
and the cold water sinks. This creates a mixture of the colors, creating a colorful
convection current. As the process goes on, the pink cold water and the blue hot water
was slowly turning its color into violet, due to the mixing of the colors that occurred.

3.) The movement of the hot and cold water inside the bottles is referred to as a
convection current. The hot water is said to be less dense and lighter than the cold
water, that’s why it rises on the top, while the cold water is said to be denser and
heavier than hot water, that’s why it sinks on the bottom.

V. Conclusions

Therefore I conclude that Convection is the transfer of heat by movement of fluid

(gases or liquid) from one region of space to another. Convection currents are flowing
fluid that is moving because there is a temperature or density difference within the
material.
It forms because a heated fluid expands, becoming less dense and lighter. The
less-dense heated/hot fluid rises away from the heat source. As it rises, it pulls the
denser/heavier cooler fluid down to replace it. This fluid in turn is heated, rises and pulls
down more cool fluid. This cycle establishes a circular current that stops only when heat
is evenly distributed throughout the fluid.
Convection is a very efficient way of heat transfer because it maintains a steep
temperature gradient between the body and surrounding air or water. Evolutionary
adaptations that prevent or enhance heat convection are important constituents of the
mechanisms of thermoregulation. Its application are clearly seen in the process of
ocean currents as well as in our household water system.