COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Course Name and Code MEC 420 – Heat Transfer

Instructor Dr. Fahid Riaz
Due Date September 11th, 2021
Submission Date September 10th, 2021
Submitted by: Mohamed Hussein 1066187

Student Name
Student ID
Define & briefly explain: Fourier’s law of conduction, Newton’s law of cooling, Stefan-
Boltzmann law.

Fourier’s law of conduction states that “the flux of heat in a homogenous body is in the
direction of, and proportional to, the temperature gradient”. As the law states it can be used
to determine the heat flux, also we can derive the relation of the rate of heat transfer
conduction to the temperature gradient. The law is represented mathematically using the
following formula.

𝑑𝑇
𝑄̇𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 = −𝑘𝐴
𝑑𝑥

Where k is the thermal conductivity of the material, A is the area, and dT/dx is the temperature
gradient.

Newton law of cooling states that the rate of heat transfer through convection is proportional
to the area of the surface and temperature gradient between that surface and a point
sufficiently distant from the surface. The law can be expressed mathematically using the
following the formula.

𝑄̇𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣 = ℎ𝐴𝑆 (𝑇𝑆 − 𝑇∞ )

Where h is convection heat coefficient, AS is the surface area, TS is the temperature of the
surface, and T∞ is the temperature at a sufficient distance from the surface.

Stefan-Boltzmann law states that the maximum rate of thermal radiation that could be emitted
from a surface at a certain temperature can be determined by the following relation.

𝑄̇𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝜎𝐴𝑆 𝑇𝑆 4

Where σ is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant (5.67E-8 W/m2∙K4), AS is the surface area, and TS is
the surface temperature. This formula is only applicable to an ideal scenario and such a body
is known as a Blackbody. However, real bodies can only emit a fraction of the maximum and
that is a property of the material known as Emissivity, ε, and is limited between 0 and 1. Shown
below is the general formula.

𝑄̇𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑡 = 𝜀𝜎𝐴𝑆 𝑇𝑆 4
Name some good conductors of heat; some poor conductors.

Good Conductors Poor Conductors

Silver (426.7 W/m∙K)
Copper (397.48 W/m∙K)
Gold (317.98 W/m∙K)
Aluminum (225.94 W/m∙K)
Tungsten (196.65 W/m∙K)
(Thermtest Instruments, n.d.)
Air (0.025 W/m∙K)
Balsa Wood (0.05 W/m∙K)
Rigid Silicon Foam (0.084 W/m∙K)
Mineral Oil (0.126 W/m∙K)
Natural Rubber (0.138 W/m∙K)

What is the order of magnitude of thermal conductivity for (a) metals, (b) solid insulating
materials, (c) liquids, (d) gases?

Thermal conductivity is a property of the material and hence it varies based on the material.
metals are known to have the highest thermal conductivity, whereas solid insulators and gases
have the lowest thermal conductivity. The thermal conductivity of liquids is between that of
solids and liquids, as shown by the graph below.
What is the meaning of thermal resistance?

Thermal resistance, R, is a property of the material to resist heat flow, and it is the reciprocal
of thermal conductivity. Thermal resistance is defined as the ratio of the heat difference
between two surfaces of an object (𝑇1 − 𝑇2 ), to the rate of heat transferred per unit area (𝑄̇ ).
Thermal resistance can be represented mathematically in the following formula.

𝑇1 − 𝑇2
𝑅=
𝑄̇

Define and briefly explain Thermal Diffusivity.

Thermal diffusivity, α, is a property of the material, it is defined as the rate at which heat is
diffused through a material per unit time, and it is the reciprocal of thermal conductivity.
Therefore, materials with a higher magnitude of thermal conductivity such as metals, have
poor thermal resistivity. It is expressed mathematically in the following formula.

𝑘 𝑚2
𝛼= ( )
𝜌𝑐𝑝 𝑠

Where k is the thermal conductivity of the material, ρ is the density of the material, and cp is
the specific heat capacity.
References
Cengel, Y. A., & Ghajar, A. J. (2015). Heat and Mass Transfer. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

Thermtest Instruments. (n.d.). Materials Thermal Properties Database. Retrieved from

Thermtest Instruments: https://thermtest.com/materials-database