DETERMINATION OF THERMAL

CONDUCTIVITY

SUPERVISED BY

Dr. Mohammad Mahbubur Razzaque

Associate Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
BUET, Dhaka – 1000.

COMPLETED BY

Farhan Matin
Student no. 0210098

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

BANGLADESH UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
DHAKA, BANGLADESH

January, 2008
 DETERMINATION OF THERMAL
CONDUCTIVITY

A THESIS

Submitted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bangladesh

University of Engineering & Technology, in partial fulfillment of the
requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical
Engineering

SUPERVISED BY

Dr. Mohammad Mahbubur Razzaque

Associate Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
BUET, Dhaka – 1000.

COMPLETED BY

Farhan Matin
Student no. 0210098

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

BANGLADESH UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
DHAKA, BANGLADESH

January, 2008
 DECLARATION OF CANDIDATE

I hereby declare that the thesis entitled, “Determination of Thermal Conductivity”

has been prepared in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at Bangladesh University of
Engineering & Technology, Dhaka-1000 and has not been submitted elsewhere
for the award of any other degree.

Countersigned

___________________________

Farhan Matin

Student no. 0210098

Signature of Supervisor

Dr. Mohammad Mahbubur Razzaque

Associate Professor

Department of Mechanical Engineering

BUET, Dhaka-1000.
 Acknowledgement

All praises to The Almighty Allah. The most merciful. The most gracious. And the
most cordial who has bestowed upon us the will, the ability, the vigor and the
perseverance without which we would cease to exist.

I would like to express my most sincere gratitude and respect to my thesis

supervisor Dr. Mohammad Mahbubur Razzaque. This accomplishment stands as
proof of his continuous guidance and non-stop cooperation.

I am equally indebted to Professor Dr. Chowdhury Mohammad Feroz. Who has

been showing me the way from the very conception of the thesis. Who has
ushered me along the proper way throughout the period of one year.

I must thank Mr. Alauddin from Heat Transfer Lab (ME), Mr. Shakhawat of
Machine Tools Shop, Mr. Lawrence of the Carpentry Shop, and last but not least-
Mr. Salauddin from the Welding Shop.

I must thank all my friends who have helped me in every way possible. I owe
special thanks to all the staff of Bangladesh University of Engineering &
Technology (BUET).

And finally, I shall thank my family. Especially my mother, who has supported me
in every way possible to her. She truly has been the real source of inspiration.

This really has been a marvelous experience to be allowed to work under such
esteemed faculty and having been exposed to topnotch technology in the most
reputable engineering institution in the country.
 Abstract

Determination of thermal conductivity has always been a very demanding task

whenever thermal engineering is concerned. Engineers need to be able to find
out the thermal properties of samples or available lots. The thermal conductivity
of a metal is the most basic of all thermal properties. It is one entity of a metal
that is significantly affected by minute changes in chemical or metallurgical
composition. Determining the thermal conductivity of a given metal is effectively
and accurately with low cost and low minimum hassle has been a daunting
challenge. This thesis has used a copper rod as an experimental sample but the
principle it implements is applicable to all metals and even non metals that
require almost no machining or prior preparation.
 Chapter 1
page
Introduction 1

1.1 Motivation 1
1.2 Objective 2

Chapter 2
Related Theory 3

2.1 Thermal Conductivity 3

2.2 Assumptions 5
2.3 Thermal Conductivity for different materials 6
2.4 Sensor Description 9

Chapter 3
The Project Setup 11

3.1 Mechanical Layout 11

3.2 Electrical Circuitry 14
3.3 Program Coding 20

Chapter 4
Working Principle 21

4.1 Data 21
4.2 Thermocouple Calibration 22
4.3 Calculations 28

Chapter 5
Thesis Overview 32

5.1 Probable causes of deviation of the Result 32

5.2 Application 33
5.3 Advantages 34
5.4 Limitations 35
5.5 Conclusion 36
5.6 Further Recommendation 37
5.7 References 38
5.8 Bibliography 38

Appendix 39