ABSTRACT
Conduction is caused by the temperature gradient through a solid material. This chapter illustrates the conduction of heat from the high-temperature side to the low-temperature side through a building or a container wall. It discusses a one-dimensional steady-state heat conduction problem. According to Fourier’s conduction law, the temperature profile is linear through the plane wall. However, in real-life application, there are many two-dimensional or three-dimensional steady-state heat conduction problems; there are cases where heat generation occurs in the solid material during heat conduction; and transient heat conduction problems take place in many engineering applications. Convection is caused by fluid flow motion over a solid surface. Radiation is caused by electromagnetic waves from solids, liquid surfaces, or gases. In real application, often radiation occurs when conduction or convection takes place. The physical conditions existing on the boundary should be known in order to determine the temperature profile in a medium by solving the heat conduction equation.
