Heat and Mass Transfer Laboratory

LAB REPORT ON
Heat Conduction Unit- WL372

Kanak Shrivastava
UG201212019

N Vinay Reddy
UG201212021

Pavan Shakya
UG201212023

Sachin Yadav
UG201212024

ObjectiveTo determine the coefficient of thermal conductivity of a given specimen in both radial
and linear conduction.

ApparatusThe WL-372 heat conduction unit is a tabletop unit with two experimental arrangements, linear
conduction and radial conduction. The setup for linear conduction comprises of three parts which
are fixed part with heater, movable part with cooler and various inserts. The setup for radial
conduction test item is a sealed unit which is made of an insulating housing with lid, a disc with
heater and cooler. The heater is fixed from below in the centre of the brass disc and around the disc
there is a copper pipe through which cooling water can flow. There is another unit for control and
display which has temperature and power display.
Measuring pointsIn linear conduction there are measuring points numbered from left to right separated at 10mm
from each other.
The diameter of heater, cooler, insert 1 and 2 is 25mm. Insert 3 has a diameter of 15mm. If insert 1
is not used in the experiment then measuring points 4, 5 and 6 will be ignored.
In radial conduction the measuring points are numbered from the centre outwards. The distance
between adjacent measuring points is 10mm. The diameter of the disc is 110mm and it is 4mm thick.
The heater is on the centre of the disc on the underside and has a diameter of 12mm. During
experiments the temperature for measuring points 7, 8 and 9 should be ignored.

Theoretical Principles
Steady state conduction is the form of conduction that happens when the temperature difference
driving the conduction is constant, so that the spatial distribution of temperatures in the conducting
object does not change any further. Thus, all partial derivatives of temperature with respect to
space may either be zero or have nonzero values, but all derivatives of temperature at any
point with respect to time are uniformly zero. In steady state conduction, the amount of heat
entering any region of an object is equal to amount of heat coming out (if this were not so, the
temperature would be rising or falling, as thermal energy was tapped or trapped in a region).
For example, a bar may be cold at one end and hot at the other, but after a state of steady state
conduction is reached, the spatial gradient of temperatures along the bar does not change any
further, as time proceeds. Instead, the temperature at any given section of the rod remains
constant, and this temperature varies linearly in space, along the direction of heat transfer.

In steady state conduction, all the laws of direct current electrical conduction can be applied to heat
currents. In such cases, it is possible to take thermal resistances as the analog to electrical
resistances. In such cases, temperature plays the role of voltage, and heat transferred per unit time
is the analog of electrical current. Steady state systems can be modelled by networks of such
thermal resistances in series and in parallel, in exact analogy to electrical networks of resistors.
For one-dimensional heat conduction (temperature depending on one variable only), we can devise
a basic description of the process. The first law in control volume form (steady flow energy equation)
with no shaft work and no mass flow reduces to the statement that

for all surfaces is equal

to 0. The heat transfer rate on one side

The heat transfer rate on the right is

Using the conditions on the overall heat flow and the expressions in

Taking the limit as

approaches zero we obtain

or

If

is constant i.e. if the properties of the bar are independent of temperature, this reduces to

(1)

or
(2)

Equation (1) or (2) describes the temperature field for quasi-one-dimensional steady state heat
transfer.
The flow of heat Q due to the conduction of heat is described by the following equation

Q=-k.A.t.dT/dx
Here k is the coefficient of thermal conductivity of the material through which the heat flows , T is
the temperature , A is the isothermic area and dT/dx is the temperature drop in the direction of the
heat flow.
The heat flow Q. Is equal to the quotient of the amount of heat per unit heat.
Q/t=-k.A.dT/dx
The flow of heat per unit area is density of heat flow q.
Q=Q/A
Thermal conductivity is a molecular process that comprises an exchange of kinetic energy from one
molecule to another. In a addition to molecular vibration, thermal conduction in metals occur due to
the flow of electrons that increases the conduction properties. IN such materials electrons are not
bound to a fixed position but move around in lattice.
The coefficient of thermal conductivity at 293K is approximately:
k293K=2.45XeT/108 in W/m.K
where Xe is electrical conductivity
and T is absolute temperature.

Radial ConductionIt corresponds to the conduction of heat through a hollow cylinder. For a wall the cross sectional
area of the heat flow remains constant, the area which the heat flow changes in the case of radial
heat transfer, A=f(r)
However flow of heat remains constant at any point on the cylinder one obtains
Q=-kAdT/dx
With A=2NL here N is the length of the cylinder

Solving this will get

Observations1. Linear conduction with insert 1

Power=50W
Diameter=25mm
Distance s in mm

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80

Temperature in C

Measuring points

Temperature T in
C

89.7
81.8
74
65.8
57.8
49.7
41.4
33.6
25.8

Temperature
difference T in
K
7.9
7.8
8.2
8
8.1
8.3
7.8
7.8

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Temperature in C

(Temperature in C)

20

40

60

Distance in mm

80

100

Coefficient of
thermal
conduction k in
W/m.K
129
130.6
124
127.3
125.8
122.7
130.6
130

2. Linear conduction with Insert 2

Heater power=20W
Diameter=25mm

Measuring points

Distance s in mm

1
2
3
Contact Point 1
Contact Point 2
6
7
8

10
20
25
55
60
70
80

Temperature T in
C

Temperature
difference T in
K

Coefficient of
thermal
conduction k in
W/m.K

3.2
3.3
38.5
3.1
3.4

127
123.5
18.5
131.4
119.8

86.4
83.2
79.9
77.4
38.9
26
22.9
19.5

100
90

Temperature in C

80

70
60
50
Y-Values

40

(Y-Values)

30
20
10
0
0

20

40

60

Distance in mm

80

100

3. Linear conduction with insert 3

Power=32W
Distance=12.5mm
Measuring points

Distance s in mm

1
2
3
Contact Point 1
Contact Point 2
6
7
8

10
20
25
55
60
70
80

Temperature T in
C

86.6
81.5
76.5
73.5
32
29.2
24
18.8

Temperature
difference T in
K
5.1
5
41.5
5.2
5.2

Coefficient of
thermal
conduction k in
W/m.K
128
129
131
126
126

100
90
80

Temparature in C

70
60
50

Temperature in C

40

(Temperature in
C)

30
20
10
0
0

20

40

60

Distance in mm

80

100

4. Radial conduction
Power=90W
Heater Diameter =12mm
Radial Plate outer Diameter=110mm
Thickness=4mm
Measuring points

Distance ra in
mm

1
2
3
4
5
6

10
20
30
40
50

Temperature T in
C

90.4
88.5
69.1
57.6
49
42.3

Temperature
difference T in
K
19.4
11.5
8.6
6.7

Coefficient of
thermal
conduction k in
W/m.K

127.5
126.3
121.1
123.6

100
90
80
Temparure in C

70
60
50
Temperature

40

(Temperature)
30
20
10

0
0

10

20

30

Distance in mm

40

50

60

Error Analysis
1. Linear conduction in insert 1
Average experimental value of thermal conductivity of brass is
k=127.5W/m.K
Theoretical value of thermal conductivity of brass is 113W/m.K
% error in measurement = 12.8

2. Linear conduction in insert 2

Average experimental value of thermal conductivity of steel is
k=18.5W/m.K
Theoretical value of thermal conductivity of steel is 15W/m.K
% error in measurement = 23.3

3. Linear conduction in insert 3

Average experimental value of thermal conductivity of brass is
k=131W/m.K
Theoretical value of thermal conductivity of brass is 113W/m.K
% error in measurement = 15.9

4. Radial conduction
Average experimental value of thermal conductivity of brass is
k=124.625W/m.K
Theoretical value of thermal conductivity of steel is 113W/m.K
% error in measurement = 10.28

ResultsThermal conductivity of brass in linear conduction insert 1 is 127.5W/m.K

Thermal conductivity of brass in linear conduction insert 3 is 131W/m.K
Thermal conductivity of brass in radial conduction is 124.625W/m.K
Average thermal conductivity of brass in three experiments is 127.7W/m.K
Thermal conductivity of steel is 18.5W/m.K

ConclusionThe higher value of thermal conductivity to the values in general theoretical values result from the
loss of heat through the insulation and other from the increased thermal conduction at higher
temperature.
The magnitude of losses depends on the temperature difference to the ambient temperature.