Heat Transfer Engineering

Chapter 1: Introduction

Abstract

This chapter introduces heat transfer through the first law of thermodynamics through two interesting examples, wherein the inadequacies of a thermodynamic analysis are highlighted. A few important applications of heat transfer are listed, followed by an introduction to the modes of heat transfer—namely, conduction, convection, and radiation. The three rate laws—Fourier’s law of heat conduction, Newton’s law of cooling, and the Stefan-Boltzmann law—are presented, followed by a discussion of the key transport quantities in these laws—namely, thermal conductivity, heat transfer coefficient, and emissivity respectively. The fundamental mechanisms of heat transfer through these modes are presented, followed by a simple ...