Course Name: Heat Transfer

Course Code: UME 712

Topic : Transient (unsteady state) Heat Conduction

by
Dr. Madhup Kumar Mittal
Associate Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology
Transient (Unsteady State) Heat Conduction
• The heat transfer analysis in transient state is quite complex. However, the transient heat transfer analysis
can be significantly simplified by using a “Lumped System Approach”.
• Lumped System Approach
▪ In the lumped system approach, the small metal Example of Lumped System:
bodies are considered to behave like a lump, Cooling of small hot copper ball taken out of a furnace.
400 C
i.e., interior temperature of the body remains
400 C 400 C
essentially uniform at all times during a heat Copper ball
400 C
400 C
transfer process. It means, the body is considered 400 C
to be space-wise isothermal [i.e., t ≠ f (x,y,z)] 400 C

and the temperature of the entire body is a at τ = 0, t = ti = 400 C

function of time only [t = f (τ)]. ta = 25 C
300 C
▪ The lumped system approach is applicable 300 C 300 C
Furnace
only when the internal conduction resistance 300 C
300 C
300 C
is very small or in other words, the solid possess
300 C
a high thermal conductivity.
at τ = 10 s, t = 300 C
Transient (Unsteady State) Heat Conduction
For small Bi Qcond Qconv
Criteria for applicability of lumped system approach t2 air
t1
To determine suitable criteria for applicability of lumped system approach, at ta
let us consider steady heat transfer through the plane wall of area A. t2
For large Bi ta
Under steady state, the energy balance gives: A
k
Qcond = Qconv h
L
𝑡1 − 𝑡2 𝑡2 − 𝑡𝑎 𝑡1 − 𝑡2 𝐿Τ𝑘𝐴 𝑅𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑. ℎ𝐿
= ⇒ = = = = 𝐵𝑖 (𝐵𝑖𝑜𝑡 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟. , 𝑎 𝑑𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑛𝑜. ) --- (1)
Τ
𝐿 𝑘𝐴 1Τℎ𝐴 𝑡2 − 𝑡𝑎 1Τℎ𝐴 𝑅𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣. 𝑘

• If thermal conductivity of body (k) is very large or heat transfer coefficient (h) is very low or the dimension
of the body (L) is very less, then the value of Biot number (Bi) will be very small. Then, for this case it can
be concluded from Eq. (1) that t1 ≈ t2. It means temperature variation across the wall will be very small or in
other words almost uniform temperature exists within the body.

• Hence smaller the Biot number, the more accurate the lumped system approach. It has been observed that
if Bi ≤ 0.1, the error caused due to assumption of lumped system approach is less than 5%. Hence, assumption
of lumped system approach is reasonable and can be applied for thermal systems having Bi ≤ 0.1.
Transient (Unsteady State) Heat Conduction
Qcond Qconv
Characteristic length ( Lc )
ℎ𝐿 t1 t2 air
Biot number is given by: 𝐵𝑖 = --- (1) at ta
𝑘 t2
• For plane wall, the length of wall, i.e., L is used in Eq. (1) to determine the Biot number. ta
For other shapes such as sphere, cylinder etc., an equivalent linear length is used to A
k
determine Biot number. The equivalent linear length (also called characteristic length, h
Lc) for any arbitrary shaped body other than plane wall is calculated as: L

As Characteristic length for a plane wall

𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 (𝑉) losing heat from both end surfaces
V 𝐿𝑐 =
𝑆𝑢𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 (𝐴𝑠 )
As As
t1
t2 t2

ta ta

L
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝐴𝑠 × 𝐿 𝐿
𝐿𝑐 = = =
𝑆𝑢𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝐴𝑠 + 𝐴𝑠 2
Transient (Unsteady State) Heat Conduction
ti < ta
• Transient heat conduction analysis using lumped
system approach h ta
m = mass
▪ Let us consider a body whose initial temperature is ti ti = initial temp. V = volume
throughout and it is placed into a medium at temperature ta. (i.e. temp at τ = 0) As = surface area
t = temp. of body at ρ = density
(a) Variation of temperature with time any time τ [t= f(τ)] c = sp. Heat
Let temperature of body increased by dt during time interval dτ ti < ta
By using energy balance, we get:
Heat transfer into the body during time interval dτ = Increase in the thermal energy of
the body during the same time interval dτ

ℎ𝐴𝑠 𝑡𝑎 − 𝑡 . 𝑑𝜏 = 𝑚. 𝑐. 𝑑𝑡

⇒ 𝑚. 𝑐. 𝑑𝑡 = − ℎ𝐴𝑠 𝑡 − 𝑡𝑎 . 𝑑𝜏
𝑑𝑡 ℎ𝐴𝑠
⇒ =− 𝑑𝜏
𝑡 − 𝑡𝑎 𝑚. 𝑐

𝑑𝑡 ℎ𝐴𝑠
⇒ =− 𝑑𝜏 --- (1)
𝑡 − 𝑡𝑎 𝜌. 𝑉. 𝑐
Transient (Unsteady State) Heat Conduction
𝑑𝑡 ℎ𝐴𝑠
⇒ =− 𝑑𝜏 --- (1)
𝑡 − 𝑡𝑎 𝜌. 𝑉. 𝑐 ta
h
Integrating above Eq. (1) from τ = 0 up to any m = mass
ti = initial temp. V = volume
arbitrary time τ (i.e. temp at τ = 0) As = surface area
t
𝑑𝑡 ℎ𝐴𝑠 τ t = temp. of body at ρ = density
න =− න 𝑑𝜏 any time τ [t= f(τ)] c = sp. Heat
𝑡𝑖 𝑡 − 𝑡𝑎 𝜌. 𝑉. 𝑐 0
ti < ta
𝑡
ℎ𝐴𝑠
⇒ ln 𝑡 − 𝑡𝑎 𝑡𝑖 = − 𝜏
𝜌. 𝑉. 𝑐
𝑡 − 𝑡𝑎 ℎ𝐴𝑠
⇒ ln =− 𝜏 ta ti
𝑡𝑖 − 𝑡𝑎 𝜌. 𝑉. 𝑐

𝑡 − 𝑡𝑎 ℎ𝐴𝑠 t t
⇒ = exp − 𝜏
𝑡𝑖 − 𝑡𝑎 𝜌. 𝑉. 𝑐
ti ta
𝑡 − 𝑡𝑎 1 τ τ
𝑜𝑟, = --- (2)
𝑡𝑖 − 𝑡𝑎 exp ℎ𝐴𝑠 𝜏 Heating (ti < ta) Cooling (ti > ta)
𝜌. 𝑉. 𝑐
Transient (Unsteady State) Heat Conduction
(b) Instantaneous Heat Flow Rate
h Qτ
Heat flow rate at any instant τ, Qτ = Rate of change of thermal
energy of the body at the same instant τ ta
ti < t a
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
𝑄𝜏 = 𝑚. 𝑐 = 𝜌. 𝑉. 𝑐
𝑑𝜏 𝜏
𝑑𝜏 𝜏

𝑡 − 𝑡𝑎 1
𝑄𝜏 =
𝑡𝑖 − 𝑡𝑎 exp ℎ𝐴𝑠 𝜏
𝜌. 𝑉. 𝑐
ℎ𝐴𝑠
𝑄𝜏 or, t = 𝑡𝑎 + 𝑡𝑖 − 𝑡𝑎 exp − 𝜏
𝜌. 𝑉. 𝑐

𝑄𝜏 --- (1)
Transient (Unsteady State) Heat Conduction
(c) Total Heat Flow (Total Heat Transfer)
h Qτ
Total heat flow during the time interval 0 to τ is given by:
τ
ti < t a ta
𝑄𝑡 = න 𝑄𝜏
0

𝑄𝜏

hAs
Qt = ρVc t i − t a exp − 𝜏 −1 --- (1)
ρ. V. c
Question
A 15 mm diameter mild steel sphere (k = 42 W/m C) at 550 C is exposed to air flow at 20 C with convective heat transfer
coefficient of 120 W/m2 C. Determine: (i) Time required to cool the sphere from 550 C to 90 C, (ii) Instantaneous heat
transfer rate 2 minutes after the start of cooling, (iii) Total energy transferred from the sphere during the first 2 minutes.
For mild steel take: α = 1.25×10-5 m2/s.

Solution

Continued…
(ii) Instantaneous heat transfer rate is given by:

hAs
𝑄τ = −hAs t i − t a exp − τ
ρ. V. c

= −120 × 4𝜋 × 0.00752 550 − 20 exp −0.0143 × (2 × 60)

= −8.1 𝑊

(iii) Total heat transfer is given by:

hAs
Q t = ρVc t i − t a exp − 𝜏 −1
ρ. V. c

𝑘 hAs
= 𝑉 ti − ta exp − 𝜏 −1
𝛼 ρ. V. c

42 4
= −5 × 𝜋 × 0.00753 × 550 − 20 exp −0.0143 × 120 − 1
1.25 × 10 3

= −2581.48 J
END