Consider the East wall of a house that has a thickness of \(L\). The outer surface of the wall exchanges heat by both convection and radiation. The interior of the house is maintained at \(T_{\infty 1}\), while the ambient air temperature outside remains at \(T_{\infty 2}\). The sky, the ground, and the surfaces of the surrounding structures at this location can be modeled as a surface at an effective temperature of \(T_{\text {sky }}\) for radiation exchange on the outer surface. The radiation exchange between the inner surface of the wall and the surfaces of the walls, floor, and ceiling it faces is negligible. The convection heat transfer coefficients on the inner and outer surfaces of the wall are \(h_{1}\) and \(h_{2}\), respectively. The thermal conductivity of the wall material is \(k\) and the emissivity of the outer surface is \(\varepsilon_{2}\). Assuming the heat transfer through the wall to be steady and one-dimensional, express the mathematical formulation (the differential equation and the boundary and initial conditions) of this heat conduction problem. Do not solve.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Answer: The governing differential equation and boundary conditions are as follows: - Differential equation: \(\frac{d^2 T}{dx^2} = 0\) - Boundary conditions: \(-k\frac{dT}{dx}\Big\vert_{x=0} = h_{1}(T_1 - T_{\infty 1})\) and \(-k\frac{dT}{dx}\Big\vert_{x=L} = h_{2}(T_2 - T_{\infty 2}) + \varepsilon_{2}\sigma(T_{2}^4 - T_{\text{sky}}^4)\)

Step by step solution

01

Heat transfer processes

The given problem involves three different heat transfer mechanisms: convection on the inner surface, convection on the outer surface, and radiation on the outer surface. We can write the heat fluxes for each mechanism as follows: - Inner surface convection: \(q_{c1} = h_{1}(T_{1} - T_{\infty 1})\) - Outer surface convection: \(q_{c2} = h_{2}(T_{2} - T_{\infty 2})\) - Outer surface radiation: \(q_{r2} = \varepsilon_{2}\sigma(T_{2}^4 - T_{\text{sky}}^4)\) where \(T_1\) and \(T_2\) are the inner and outer surface temperatures of the wall, respectively, and \(\sigma\) is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant.
02

Conservation principle

The heat transfer through the wall is assumed to be one-dimensional and steady, meaning that there is no heat accumulation within the wall. Hence, the heat transferred through the wall by conduction must equal the total heat fluxes on the inner and outer surfaces, due to convection and radiation: \(q_{cond} = -k \frac{dT}{dx} = q_{c1} + q_{c2} + q_{r2}\)
03

Governing differential equation

To express the governing differential equation for heat conduction in the wall, we employ Fourier's law of heat conduction along with the given thermal conductivity \(k\): \(\frac{d^2 T}{dx^2} = 0\)
04

Boundary conditions

To complete the mathematical formulation of the problem, we need to specify the boundary conditions on the inner and outer surfaces of the wall (\(x = 0\) and \(x = L\), respectively). At \(x = 0\), we know the heat flux due to convection: \(-k\frac{dT}{dx}\Big\vert_{x=0} = h_{1}(T_1 - T_{\infty 1})\) At \(x = L\), the total heat flux due to convection and radiation is given by: \(-k\frac{dT}{dx}\Big\vert_{x=L} = h_{2}(T_2 - T_{\infty 2}) + \varepsilon_{2}\sigma(T_{2}^4 - T_{\text{sky}}^4)\) The resulting mathematical formulation is: - Differential equation: \(\frac{d^2 T}{dx^2} = 0\) - Boundary conditions: \(-k\frac{dT}{dx}\Big\vert_{x=0} = h_{1}(T_1 - T_{\infty 1})\) and \(-k\frac{dT}{dx}\Big\vert_{x=L} = h_{2}(T_2 - T_{\infty 2}) + \varepsilon_{2}\sigma(T_{2}^4 - T_{\text{sky}}^4)\)

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

A 2-kW resistance heater wire whose thermal conductivity is \(k=10.4 \mathrm{Btu} / \mathrm{h} \cdot \mathrm{ft} \cdot \mathrm{R}\) has a radius of \(r_{o}=0.06\) in and a length of \(L=15\) in, and is used for space heating. Assuming constant thermal conductivity and one-dimensional heat transfer, express the mathematical formulation (the differential equation and the boundary conditions) of this heat conduction problem during steady operation. Do not solve.

A large plane wall has a thickness \(L=50 \mathrm{~cm}\) and thermal conductivity \(k=25 \mathrm{~W} / \mathrm{m} \cdot \mathrm{K}\). On the left surface \((x=0)\), it is subjected to a uniform heat flux \(\dot{q}_{0}\) while the surface temperature \(T_{0}\) is constant. On the right surface, it experiences convection and radiation heat transfer while the surface temperature is \(T_{L}=225^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) and the surrounding temperature is \(25^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\). The emissivity and the convection heat transfer coefficient on the right surface are \(0.7\) and \(15 \mathrm{~W} / \mathrm{m}^{2} \cdot \mathrm{K}\), respectively. Show that the variation of temperature in the wall can be expressed as \(T(x)=\left(\dot{q}_{0} / k\right)(L-x)+T_{L}\), where \(\dot{q}_{0}=5130 \mathrm{~W} / \mathrm{m}^{2}\), and determine the temperature of the left surface of the wall at \(x=0\).

A long homogeneous resistance wire of radius \(r_{o}=\) \(5 \mathrm{~mm}\) is being used to heat the air in a room by the passage of electric current. Heat is generated in the wire uniformly at a rate of \(5 \times 10^{7} \mathrm{~W} / \mathrm{m}^{3}\) as a result of resistance heating. If the temperature of the outer surface of the wire remains at \(180^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\), determine the temperature at \(r=3.5 \mathrm{~mm}\) after steady operation conditions are reached. Take the thermal conductivity of the wire to be \(k=6 \mathrm{~W} / \mathrm{m} \cdot \mathrm{K}\).

What is the difference between an algebraic equation and a differential equation?

Consider a large plane wall of thickness \(L=0.3 \mathrm{~m}\), thermal conductivity \(k=2.5 \mathrm{~W} / \mathrm{m} \cdot \mathrm{K}\), and surface area \(A=\) \(12 \mathrm{~m}^{2}\). The left side of the wall at \(x=0\) is subjected to a net heat flux of \(\dot{q}_{0}=700 \mathrm{~W} / \mathrm{m}^{2}\) while the temperature at that surface is measured to be \(T_{1}=80^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\). Assuming constant thermal conductivity and no heat generation in the wall, \((a)\) express the differential equation and the boundary conditions for steady one-dimensional heat conduction through the wall, \((b)\) obtain a relation for the variation of temperature in the wall by solving the differential equation, and \((c)\) evaluate the temperature of the right surface of the wall at \(x=L\).

See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Physics Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free