OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the experiments are:
1) To investigate the thermal conductivity of gas (air) and water.
2) To observe the temperature gradient within the test module.
THEORY/BACKGROUND
In physics, thermal conductivity (often denoted k, or ) is the property of a
material to conduct heat. It is evaluated primarily in terms of Fourier's
Law for heat conduction. Heat transfer occurs at a higher rate across materials of
high thermal conductivity than across materials of low thermal conductivity.
Correspondingly materials of high thermal conductivity are widely used in heat
sink applications and materials of low thermal conductivity are used as thermal
insulation. Thermal conductivity of materials is temperature dependent. The
reciprocal of thermal conductivity is called thermal resistivity.
Air and other gases are generally good insulators, in the absence of convection.
Therefore, many insulating materials function simply by having a large number
of gas-filled pockets which prevent large-scale convection. Examples of these
include expanded and extrudedpolystyrene (popularly referred to as "styrofoam")
and silica aerogel. Natural, biological insulators such as fur and feathers achieve
similar effects by dramatically inhibiting convection of air or water near an
animal's skin.
Light gases, such as hydrogen and helium typically have high thermal
conductivity. Dense gases such as xenon anddichlorodifluoromethane have low
thermal conductivity. An exception, sulfur hexafluoride, a dense gas, has a
relatively high thermal conductivity due to its high heat capacity. Argon, a gas
denser than air, is often used in insulated glazing (double paned windows) to
improve their insulation characteristics.
Fouriers Law
The law of heat conduction or better known as Fouriers law states that the heat
conduction is proportional to rate of change of temperature with respect to
distance multiply by a negative thermal conductivity constant. Heat is always
transfers from a high to low temperature region, hence justifying the negative
sign in the equation. The equation below represents the Fouriers equation
mention above.
q x kA
dT
dx
k - Constant
T - Temperature of the object at time T(t)
T0 - Initial temperature of the object
The equation above can be solved by taking the integral on both sides and the
equation is simplified as below:
Ti Ts (T0 Ts )e kt
RESULTS
Test Material:
P (W)
T101 (C)
T102 (C)
T103 (C)
Tc101 (C)
K (W/m.K)
75
100