What is Unsteady State Heat Transfer?
Heat transfer is the transfer of thermal energy from a
body, at a high temperature, to another at a lower temperature. This transfer of thermal energy may occur under
steady or unsteady state conditions. Under
Steady state conditions the temperature within the system does not change with
time. Conversely, under unsteady
state conditions the temperature within the system does vary with time.
Unsteady state conditions are a precursor to steady state
conditions. No system exists
initially under steady state conditions. Some
time must pass, after heat transfer is initiated, before the system reaches
steady state. During that period of
transition the system is under unsteady state conditions.
Clearly, no system can remain
under unsteady state conditions perpetually.
The temperature of the system will eventually reach the temperature of
the heat source, and once this happens, the system will be at steady state.
Even if the amount of heat being transferred into the system is
increased, at some point the system reaches its critical temperature and the
energy transferred into it the starts causing phase changes within the system
rather than temperatures increases.
What
is Unsteady State Heat Transfer |
Unsteady State Heat
Transfer Experiment |
Examples of Unsteady State Heat Transfer | |
Applications
in Industry
| Definitions
| References