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Laboratory Exercise 5
Heat Transfer in Plain Walls (Conduction)

INTRODUCTION

Different structures are made from different materials. The degree of heat one may feel in
a structure may be different from the other ones because of the materials used in building that
structure. Walls do have materials that are used to make the insulation of heat higher to retain the
temperature it wants either cold or hot. Thus, it requires to have different materials that will make
the retention of the temperature longer or stronger. A country like the Philippines is one example
of a place that people experience extremely hot temperatures. With this situation, people often
have air conditioning system in their specific homes or places, but lacking knowledge about the
type of walls they have often make the purpose of the air conditioning unit be not used. In this
activity, we will know the importance of choosing the right wall type depending on its thermal
conductivity to retain the temperature of a room longer.

MATERIALS AND METHOD

For the experiment, you will need:

1) Thermal scanner/ portable thermometer

2) Air-conditioned room (if available)/ any room

To conduct the experiment, follow the following procedures:

1. Let the air-conditioned system in the room run for 30 minutes. In case air-conditioned room
is not available, any room will do but it is recommended to conduct the experiment during
noon time (12:00pm – 03:00 pm).
2. Record the indoor and outdoor ambient temperature in each wall of the room (front wall,
rear wall, left wall, right wall). Fill out the tables 1 and 2 based on your measurements.
3. Draw the temperature profile in each wall of the room. Calculate the heat flux and heat
transfer rate in each wall, use extra sheet for your solutions to be attached in the laboratory
report. In the calculation, state all your assumptions and references for the thermal
conductivity.
RESULTS

Table 1. Observed Temperature

Ambient Air Temperature, ℃

Front Wall Rear Wall Left Wall Right Wall
Indoor 26.2 ℃ 25.9 ℃ 25.5 ℃ 25.3 ℃
Outdoor 26.6 ℃ 26.4 ℃ 26.4 ℃ 26.7 ℃

Table 2. Heat Flux and Heat Rate

Wall Side Heat Flux Heat Transfer Rate

Front -7.6667 W/m2 -67.4475 W
Rear -9.5833 W/m2 -84.3094 W
Right -11.5000 W/m2 -109.9688 W
Left -17.2499 W/m2 -164.9531 W
Thermal Conductivity reference:
Varouqa, Ibrahim & Rawashdeh, T.M. & Ghannam, Shehdeh. (2018). Article ID: IJCIET_09_10_196
Residential Buildings in Hot Climate Countries.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336512374_Article_ID_IJCIET_09_10_196_Residential_Build
ings_in_Hot_Climate_Countries

From this table, the thermal conductivity of the wall was taken and from its measurements, the
wall thermal conductivity on the site of experimentation is 2.30 W/m ℃
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION

From the data that is gathered from the experiment, it can be seen the variation of
temperature in each wall side. It can be seen that on the front wall, the temperature is hotter since
the air conditioner is far from it and as the air conditioner is nearer to the wall, the temperature is
colder. It can also be seen that the heat transfer rate and heat flux are larger when the area is bigger
because of the wider area that the heat molecules can work to conduct heat and vice versa. Thus,
from these data, it can be concluded that heat can easily be transferred in larger areas, and walls
with high thermal conductance can easily heat the room and it is harder to make the room colder
with only a small conditioning unit. Also, the heat transfer rate and heat flux are negative since the
air conditioning system prevents the transfer of heat inwards the system and it makes the
surroundings hotter. The air conditioner removes the heat inside then puts a cold and freshened
air; thus, the heat transfer would be negative since the heat is transferred from inside to outside.

This activity helped me understand and visualize how heat transfer happens inside the room.
It helped me to gain more knowledge and see an application of it in a real-life situation. Thus, it
became easier for me to understand and know what heat transfer is and how it happens.

Guide Questions:

1. What is the function of air-conditioning system in the room?

From its name, an air conditioning system conditions the room in the temperature
that a person aims to feel. It removes the hot air in the room then provides a fresh and
cooler air in the area.

2. What is the direction of heat transfer in each wall?

The direction of heat transfer on all the wall would be from inside wall to outside
since the air conditioning system helps the wall to transfer the heat outwards.
 3. What is the relation of heat transfer with the air-conditioning system?
The air conditioning system neglects the transfer of heat from the outside wall going
inside because it removes the heat stored inside the room. Thus, it makes the heat
transfer negative since it removes the heat inside the room outward.

4. Compute for the indoor and outdoor wall temperatures on all side.

Front Wall Rear Wall Left Wall Right Wall

Indoor 26.2 ℃ 25.9 ℃ 25.5 ℃ 25.7 ℃
Outdoor 26.6 ℃ 26.4 ℃ 26.4 ℃ 26.3 ℃

References

Varouqa, Ibrahim & Rawashdeh, T.M. & Ghannam, Shehdeh. (2018). Article ID:
IJCIET_09_10_196 Residential Buildings in Hot Climate Countries.

Dela Cruz E. (2021), “Module 7: Heat Transfer” Central Luzon State University, Science City of
Muñoz, Nueva Ecija

Tosun, M. & Dincer, K.. (2011). Modelling of a thermal insulation system based on the coldest
temperature conditions by using artificial neural networks to determine performance of building
for wall types in Turkey. International Journal of Refrigeration. 34. 362-373.
10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2010.08.001.

AutoAir (2021) “ Heat transfer in an air conditioning system” retrieved from https://autoair.ie/heat-
transfer-2/

The Physics Classroom (n.d.) “Rates of Heat Transfer” retrieved from

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/thermalP/u18l1f.cfm