Heat 

Transfer Lectures
Lecture No. 3
Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical
University
Najaf Technical College
Power Mechanics Department
Third Stage
By Dr. Basil N. Merzah
 CHAPTER TWO
Heat Conduction Equation

Introduction
Heat conduction was defined as the transfer of thermal energy from the more energetic
particles of a medium to the adjacent less energetic ones. It was stated that conduction can
take place in liquids and gases as well as solids provided that there is no bulk motion
involved.

The heat transfer in the positive direction of a

coordinate axis is positive and in the opposite
direction it is negative. Therefore, a positive quantity
indicates heat transfer in the positive direction and a
negative quantity indicates heat transfer in the
negative direction
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The driving force for any form of heat transfer is the temperature difference, and the
larger the temperature difference, the larger the rate of heat transfer.

Some heat transfer problems in engineering require the determination of the temperature
distribution (the variation of temperature) throughout the medium in order to calculate
some quantities of interest such as the local heat transfer rate, thermal expansion, and
thermal stress at some critical locations at specified times. The specification of the
temperature at a point in a medium first requires the specification of the location of that
point. This can be done by choosing a suitable coordinate system such as the
rectangular, cylindrical, or spherical coordinates, depending on the geometry involved,
and a convenient reference point (the origin).

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 General Heat Conduction Equation
Rectangular Coordinates
To derive the general three-dimensional heat conduction
equation we will consider a small cubical element in
Cartesian coordinates having sides dx, dy, and dz parallel
to the x, y, and z axes respectively.
 Where 𝑑𝑉 𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑦 𝑑𝑧 𝐴𝑑𝑥 𝐴𝑑𝑦 𝐴 𝑑𝑧

Thechange of energy content Where 𝑑𝐸 𝑚𝐶 𝜌 𝐶 𝑑𝑉

27/12/2020 in the element Heat transfer (third stage ) by Dr. Basil N.Merzah ( Lecture No.3)
is 6
 by substituting these terms in the equation

𝜕 𝜕𝑇 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 𝜕𝑇
𝑘 𝑘 𝑘 𝑞 𝑑𝑥𝑑𝑦𝑑𝑧 𝜌𝐶 𝑑𝑥𝑑𝑦𝑑𝑧
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑡
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 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 𝜕𝑇
𝑘 𝑘 𝑘 𝗀 𝜌𝐶 Variable conductivity
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑡

If k is constant and   k / C is the diffusivity of the material, the equation

above can be rewritten in the form:

the Fourier -Biot Equation

Constant conductivity

and it reduces to the following forms under specific conditions

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 Steady-state (called the Poisson Equation)

Transient, no heat generation (called the Diffusion Equation)

Steady-state, no heat generation (called the Laplace Equation)

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 Steady-state one – dimensional heat transfer:

Steady-state one – dimensional with out internal heat generation:

Steady-state two – dimensional with out internal heat generation:

Unsteady-state one– dimensional with out internal heat generation:

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Cylindrical coordinate

𝑥 𝑟 cos ∅ 𝑦 𝑟 sin ∅ 𝑧 𝑧

1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 𝜕𝑡
𝑘𝑟 𝑘 𝑘 𝗴 𝜌𝐶
𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝑟 𝜕∅ 𝜕∅ 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑡
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1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 1 𝜕 𝑇 𝜕 𝑇 𝗀 1 𝜕𝑡 𝑘
𝑟 For k constant     𝛼
𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝑟 𝜕∅ 𝜕𝑧 𝑘 𝛼 𝜕𝑡 𝜌𝐶

Steady-state (called the Poisson Equation)

1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 1 𝜕 𝑇 𝜕 𝑇 𝗀
𝑟 0
𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝑟 𝜕∅ 𝜕𝑧 𝑘
Transient, no heat generation (called the Diffusion Equation)
1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 1 𝜕 𝑇 𝜕 𝑇 1 𝜕𝑡
𝑟
𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝑟 𝜕∅ 𝜕𝑧 𝛼 𝜕𝑡

Steady-state, no heat generation (called the Laplace Equation)

1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 1 𝜕 𝑇 𝜕 𝑇
𝑟 0
𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝑟 𝜕∅ 𝜕𝑧

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 Steady-state one – dimensional heat transfer:

1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 𝗀
𝑟 0
𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝑘
Steady-state one – dimensional with out internal heat generation:
1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇
𝑟 0
𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑟

Steady-state two – dimensional with out internal heat generation:

1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 1 𝜕 𝑇
𝑟 0
𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝑟 𝜕∅

Unsteady-state one– dimensional with out internal heat generation:

1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 1 𝜕𝑡
𝑟
𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝛼 𝜕𝑡
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 Spherical coordinate
Consider an element volume having the coordinate (𝑟, ∅, 𝜃

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 𝑥 𝑟 cos ∅ sin 𝜃 𝑦 𝑟 sin ∅ cos 𝜃 𝑧 𝑟 cos 𝜃

For Variable conductivity

1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 𝜕𝑡
𝑘𝑟 𝑘 𝑘 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 𝗀 𝜌𝐶
𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝑟 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝜃 𝜕∅ 𝜕∅ 𝑟 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 𝜕𝜃 𝜕𝜃 𝜕𝑡

For Constant conductivity

1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 1 𝜕 𝑇 1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 𝗀 1 𝜕𝑡
𝑟 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝑟 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝜃 𝜕∅ 𝑟 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 𝜕𝜃 𝜕𝜃 𝑘 𝛼 𝜕𝑡

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 Steady-state (called the Poisson Equation)
𝗀
𝑟 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 0
∅

Transient, no heat generation (called the Diffusion Equation)

1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 1 𝜕 𝑇 1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 1 𝜕𝑡
𝑟 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝑟 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝜃 𝜕∅ 𝑟 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 𝜕𝜃 𝜕𝜃 𝛼 𝜕𝑡

Steady-state, no heat generation (called the Laplace Equation)

1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 1 𝜕 𝑇 1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇
𝑟 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 0
𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝑟 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝜃 𝜕∅ 𝑟 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 𝜕𝜃 𝜕𝜃

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 Steady-state one – dimensional heat transfer:
𝗀
𝑟 0

Steady-state one – dimensional with out internal heat generation:

𝑟 0

Steady-state two – dimensional with out internal heat generation:

𝑟 0
∅

Unsteady-state one– dimensional with out internal heat generation:

1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 1 𝜕𝑡
𝑟
𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝛼 𝜕𝑡
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 Combined One-Dimensional Heat Conduction Equation

1 𝜕 𝜕𝑇 𝜕𝑇
𝑟 𝑘 𝗀 𝜌𝐶
𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝜕𝑡

Where n=0 for a plane wall,

n=1 for a cylinder,
and n=2 for a sphere.
Note:
In the case of plane wall, it is customary to replace the variable r by x.

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