Heat Transfer

In heat transfer, three main mechanisms of heat flow will be discussed; conduction, convection and radiation. Conduction introduces Fourier’s law with an emphasis on developing 1D and 2D heat transfer in steady-state condition for various structures.

There are two modes of convection, namely natural and forced convection. The module studies the fundamental governing equations and introduces the dimensionless parameters involved in convection analysis.

Conduction and convection are re-visited again in the heat exchanger topic where design issues and the concept of the Log Mean Temperature Difference (LMTD), Number of Transfer Units (NTU) method are introduced.

For radiation, fundamental concepts involving emissivity, absorptivity, reflectivity and transmissivity will be discussed to provide an appreciation of how radiation heat transfer analysis is carried out.

Overall, the module aims to develop an appreciation of the importance of thermal systems in sustainable infrastructures.