CHAPTER 3

1-D Steady-State Conduction

with Thermal Energy Generation

Prepared by: Prof. Dr. Ş. Birgül Tantekin-Ersolmaz

Prof. Dr. Hüsnü Atakül
 Conduction with Thermal Energy Generation
 Up to now, we considered conduction problems without thermal
energy generation in which the temperature distribution in a medium
was determined solely by conditions at the boundaries of the medium.
 We now want to consider the additional effect on the temperature
distribution of processes that may be occurring within the medium.
 Thermal energy is generated due to conversion from some other
energy form.
 Heat generation is usually expressed per unit volume of the medium
(volumetric phenomenon), and donated by q (W/m3).
 Remember not to confuse energy generation with energy storage.

Examples:
• Resistance heating in wires
• Exothermic chemical reaction occuring within a medium
• Nuclear reaction in a nuclear fuel rod
• absorption of radiation within a medium
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 Implications of Energy Generation
 Involves a local (volumetric) source of thermal energy due to
conversion from another form of energy in a conducting medium.

 The source may be uniformly distributed, as in the conversion from

electrical to thermal energy (Ohmic/resistance heating):

EgI 2 Re Heat generation in an electrical I 2 Re

q  wire of outer radius r0 and length q 2
V V L can be expressed as:  r0 L
 J/m s
3
or W/m3  I = electric current Re= electrical resistance
or it may be non-uniformly distributed, as in the absorption of
radiation passing through a semi-transparent medium.

For a plane wall, q  e  x

 Generation affects the temperature distribution in the medium and
causes the heat rate to vary with location, thereby precluding inclusion
of the medium in a thermal circuit.
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 Energy Generation
Heat generation causes the temperature of body to rise until steady
operating conditions are reached.
The quantity of major interest in a medium with heat generation:
• Maximum temperature
• Surface temperature
Where is the maximum temperature reached in a medium involving
uniform heat generation ?

Maximum temperature occurs at:

Tmax
 Plane wall at the midplane
(symmetric BC) Tmax

 Long cylinder at the centerline

Tmax
 Sphere at the midpoint ·
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The temperature of the surface (TS) of a medium:
 increases with heat generation
 it may be calculated from a heat balance between the medium and
surroundings
At steady conditions, the
CV entire heat generated in a
solid must leave the solid
through its outer surface.
qconv  Eg
Heat transfers from  Rate of heat   Rate of heat 
the medium surface    
Eg  qV transfer    generation 
Ts to the surrounding  from the solid   within the solid 
at T    

Disregarding radiation, from Newton’s law of cooling:

qconv  Eg  hA Ts  T   qV
Surface temperature (Ts) as a qV
function of heat generation: Ts  T 
hA
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 The Plane Wall
 Consider one-dimensional, steady-state conduction
in a plane wall of constant k, uniform generation,
and asymmetric surface conditions:
• Heat Equation:
d  dT  d 2T q
k q 0 2  0
dx  dx  dx k
Is the heat flux q independent of x?
• General Solution:
 q  2
T  x      x  C1 x  C2
 2k 
What is the form of the temperature distribution for q  0? q > 0?
q < 0?
How does the temperature distribution change with increasing q ?
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 The Plane Wall
The origin is
at the center
• Boundary Conditions:
T   L   Ts ,1 T  L   Ts ,2
• Determine Constants:
Ts ,2  Ts ,1
C1 
2L
qL2 Ts ,2  Ts ,1
C2  
2k 2

qL2  x 2  Ts ,2  Ts ,1 x Ts ,2  Ts ,1
T  x   C1   1 2   
2k  L  2 L 2

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 The Plane Wall T(x) is symmetrical
about the midplane

 Symmetric Surface Conditions:

• What is the temperature gradient

at the centerline or the insulated
surface?

• Why does the magnitude of the

temperature gradient increase
with increasing x?

• Boundary Conditions: Ts ,1  Ts ,2  Ts T   L   Ts
• Temperature Distribution: T  L   Ts

 x  q L2
 T  0 
2 2
qL
T  x   1  L2   Ts
Tmax  Ts
2k   2k
The maximum temperature
exists at the midplane. 8
 The Plane Wall (dT/dx)=0 at x=0

 One Surface Insulated:

• Temperature Distribution:

q L2  x2 
T  x   1  2   Ts
2k  L 

In all these cases, to use the

temperature profile, the surface
temprature(s) Ts must be known.
However, a common situation is one
for which only T and h is known.

How do we determine the surface Insulated surface

temperature? (dT/dx)=0 at x=0
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 The Plane Wall
• How do we determine TS?
Overall energy balance on the wall:  E out  E g  0
Energy generated within the wall must be balanced by the rate at
which energy leaves by convection at the boundary.
qL
hAs Ts  T   q As L  0  Ts  T 
h
TS may also be obtained from applying a surface energy balance:

Consider the surface at x =L (neglecting radiation)   qconv

qcond 
dT qL
k  h Ts  T   Ts  T 
dx x L h
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 Radial Systems
Cylindrical (Tube) Wall Spherical Wall (Shell)

Solid Cylinder (Circular Rod) Solid Sphere

• Heat Equations:
1 d  dT  1 d  2 dT 
 kr q0  kr q0
r dr  dr  r dr 
2
dr 
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 Radial Systems
 Solution for Uniform Generation in a Long Solid
Cylinder of Constant k with Convection Cooling:

• Temperature Distribution:
1 d  dT  d  dT 
 kr q 0   kr    qr
r dr  dr  dr  dr 
dT q q 2

integrate
  r  C1  T   r  C1 ln r  C2
integrate

dr 2k 4k
dT
• Boundary Conditions: 0 T  ro   Ts
dr r 0
q 2
• Determine Constants: C1  0 C2  Ts  ro
4k
q ro2  r 2 
T r   1  2   Ts
4k  ro  12
 Radial Systems
 Solution for Uniform Generation in a Long Solid
Cylinder of Constant k with Convection Cooling:

• Surface Temperature:
Overall Energy Balance

Eg  qconv

 2 
q   ro L   h  2 ro L Ts  T 
 
 V 
qro
Ts  T 
2h

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 Radial Systems
 Solution for Uniform Generation in a Solid Sphere of Constant k with
Convection Cooling:

• Temperature Distribution:

1 d  2 dT  d  2 dT  dT q r C1
 kr   q  0   kr    qr 2

integrate
    2
r dr 
2
dr  dr  dr  dr k3 r
q 2 C1
 T   r   C2
integrate

6k r
• Boundary Conditions: dT
 0  C1  0
dr r 0
2
q ro
T  ro   Ts  C2  Ts 
6k
q ro 2  r2 
T r   1  2   Ts
6k  ro 
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 Radial Systems
 Solution for Uniform Generation in a Solid Sphere of Constant k with
Convection Cooling:
• Surface Temperature:
q ro
Overall energy balance Eg  qconv  Ts  T 
3h
or from a surface energy balance Ein  Eout  0
 qcond  ro   qconv  T  T  q ro
s 
3h
A summary of temperature distributions is provided in Appendix C for plane,
cylindrical and spherical walls, as well as for solid cylinders and spheres. Note
how boundary conditions are specified and how they are used to obtain
surface temperatures.

Caution! When there is heat generation in a medium, q is not constant.

Therefore, it would be incorrect to use the resistance approach.
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Example 1: Heat Conduction in a Two-Layer Medium
Consider a long resistance wire of radius r1 = 0.2 cm and thermal
conductivity kw = 15 W/moC, in which heat is generated as a result of
resistance heating at a constant rate of 𝑞=
ሶ 50 W/cm3. The wire is
embedded in a 0.5 cm thick layer of ceramic whose thermal
conductivity is kc = 1.20 W/mC.
If the outer surface temperature of the ceramic layer is measured to be
Ts = 45C, determine the temperature at the center of the resistance
wire and at the interface of the wire and ceramic layer under steady
conditions.

Assumptions:

(1) Steady-state
(2) One-dimensional (r - direction)
(3) Thermal conductivities are constant
(4) Uniform heat generation in the
resistance wire layer

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Cylindrical bodies: Energy balance to obtain the
temperature distribution in the r - direction is
1 d  dT  q
r   0
r dr  dr  k
For resistance wire:
BC1 : Tw  T1 @ r  r1
dTw
BC 2 : 0 @ r 0
dr
Solving the energy balance equation:
d  dTw  q dTw q C
r  r 
integrate
 r 1
dr  dr  kw dr 2k w r
dTw q
First apply BC2: C1  0   r
dr 2k w
dTw q q 2
 r integrate
 
again
Tw   r  C2
dr 2k w 4k w 17
 dTw q q 2
 r    Tw  
integrate again
r  C2
dr 2k w 4k w
q 2
from BC 1 : C2  T1 
4k w
r1 Tw  T1 
q
4k w
 r1
2
 r 2

For ceramic layer: The final solution for
no heat generation resistance wire
d  dTc 
q  0  r 0
dr  dr 
dTc dTc C1
  

integrate once
r  C1  
dr dr r
integrate
  Tc  C1 ln(r )  C2
again

BC1 : Tc  T1 @ r  r1 BC 2 : Tc  Ts @ r  r2
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The final solution for the ceramic layer is:

ln  r / r1 
Tc  T1  Ts  T1 
ln  r2 / r1 

The interface temperature T1 can be determined from the second

interface BC:
dTw dTc
qw  qc   kw   kc @ r  r1
dr dr
q r1 Ts  T1 1
   kc
2 ln  r2 / r1  r1

q r12
T1  ln  r2 / r1   Ts
2kc
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Example 2: Nuclear Fuel Rod
A high-temperature, gas-cooled nuclear reactor consists of a composite
cylindrical wall for which a thorium fuel element (k = 57 W/m∙K) is encased
in graphite (k = 3 W/m∙K) and gaseous helium flows through an annular
coolant channel surrounding the graphite. Consider conditions for which
the helium temperature is T∞ = 600 K and the convection coefficient at the
outer surface of the graphite is h = 2000 W/m2∙K. If the thermal energy is
uniformly generated in the fuel element at a rate of 𝑞ሶ = 108 W/m3, what
are the temperatures T1 and T2 at the inner and outer surfaces,
respectively, of the fuel element?

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Schematic:

Assumptions: (1) Steady-state conditions, (2) One-dimensional conduction,

(3) Constant properties, (4) Negligible contact resistance, (5) Negligible
radiation.

Properties: Table A.1, Thorium: Tmp  2000K; Table A.2, Graphite: Tmp  2300K.

Analysis: The outer surface temperature of the fuel, T2, may be

determined from the resistance approach:

T2  T 1n  r3 / r2  1
q  where  
Rtot   0.0185 m  K/W

Rtot 2 k g 2 r3h
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The heat rate may be determined by applying an energy balance to a
control surface about the fuel element,
• •
Eout  Eg or, per unit length, E out  E g
Since the interior surface of the element is essentially adiabatic, it follows
that
 q  r22  r12   17,907 W/m
V
q  q
L
  T  17,907 W/m  0.0185 m  K/W   600 K  931 K
Hence, T2  qRtot
With zero heat flux at the inner surface of the fuel element,

qr22  r12  qr12  r2 

T1  T2  1  2   1n    931K  25K  18K  938 K
4kt  r2  2kt  r1 

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