Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer

Chapter 1

Introduction and Basic Concepts

1.1 Introduction

We are embarking on a study of heat and mass transfer. Heat is defined as energy in transit. Heat itself cannot be seen, but its effect can be felt and measured as a property called temperature. Heat transfer occurs whenever two bodies at different temperatures are brought in contact with each other or, whenever there is a temperature gradient within a body. Science of heat transfer involves the study of principles that govern and the methods that determine the rate of heat transfer. Often, we are also interested in the spatial temperature distribution within a body causing that heat transfer.

In this chapter, we will primarily give an introduction to the three different modes of heat ...