Film Coefficients of Heat and

Mass Transfer
 Heat Transfer
Heat transfer coefficient, film coefficient, film
effectiveness, individual coefficient
Heat transfer coefficient is a quantitative
characteristic of convective heat transfer
between a fluid medium (a fluid) and the
surface (wall) flowed over by the fluid.
 Heat Transfer
When a fluid flows by a surface there is a thin
almost stationary layer or film of fluid
adjacent to the wall which presents most of
the resistance to heat transfer
 Heat Transfer

where: q heat flux,
2 2

h film coefficient of heat transfer,
2 2

Tw temperature of the interface or the wall

Tf temperature of the fluid
 Heat Transfer
Effective film thickness
Derived from Eq. 2.1 and 2.16:

=

where: K thermal conductivity
yf effective film thickness
 Mass Transfer
Mass transfer coefficient is a diffusion rate
constant that relates the mass transfer rate,
mass transfer area, and concentration change
as driving force
=

where: k mass transfer coefficient,


Cf bulk fluid concentration,
3

Ci concentration next to the surface,
3
Mass Transfer
 Mass Transfer
Film coefficient

Liquid phase coefficient: kL - based on C

Gas film coefficient: kGp - based on P 2

1 =
 Mass Transfer
Individual phase mass transfer coefficient
(analogous to that of heat transfer)

=

2
where: D diffusivity,

yf effective film thickness, L

 Examples
Air is heated from 20 to 80 C with the use of
an air heater. From operating data, the air-side
film coefficient of heat transfer was
determined as 44.2
2
. Estimate the
effective thickness of the air film. The heat

conductivity of air at 50 C is 0.04841 .
 Examples
Derive the equation 1 = .
 Examples
From a flat surface of water at 20 C is
vaporizing into air (25 C, water pressure 15.0

mmHg ) at a rate of 0.0041 2 . The vapor
pressure of water at 20 C is 17.5 mmHg. The
diffusivity of water vapor in air at the air film
temperature is 0.25 cm2 per sec. Estimate the
effective thickness of the air film above the
water surface.
 Examples
The film coefficient of heat transfer in a water
heater to heat water from 20 to 80 C is 2300

2 . Estimate the effective thickness of the
water film . The thermal conductivity of water

at 50 C is 0.55 2 .