Freshly Printed - allow 7 days lead
Couldn't load pickup availability
Heat Transfer Explained
A Computational Perspective
Xinyu Zhao (Author)
9781394252718, Wiley
Hardback, published 23 March 2026
240 pages
25.9 x 18.3 x 2.3 cm, 0.658 kg
PROVIDES A CONCISE COMPUTATIONAL APPROACH TO HEAT TRANSFER FUNDAMENTALS WITH PYTHON-BASED PROBLEM-SOLVING APPLICATIONS Heat transfer is a foundational topic in engineering, bridging theory and application across fields such as mechanical, aerospace, chemical, electrical, and fire engineering. Yet students often find it challenging due to its heavy mathematical content and abstract concepts. Heat Transfer Explained: A Computational Perspective meets this challenge by introducing heat transfer through a clear, structured approach that integrates traditional fundamentals with accessible computational methods. Designed to align with the typical heat transfer course syllabus, this textbook systematically covers conduction, convection, and radiation. Each chapter integrates Python code presented in pseudocode notation, providing reusable “recipes” to solve modern heat transfer problems. This approach makes the content accessible for those with limited programming experience while still offering rigor for advanced learners. Application-based examples and learning objectives guide students through each concept, supported by a final chapter with multi-modal case studies that illustrate the integration of different heat transfer modes. The textbook encourages active learning throughout, bridging prerequisite knowledge with new material to equip students with both theoretical and computational skills. Heat Transfer Explained: A Computational Perspective is designed for undergraduate and graduate students in Heat Transfer, Computational Methods for Heat Transfer, and related courses in mechanical, aerospace, and chemical engineering programs. It is also an excellent reference for early-career engineers and professionals in industry who need to strengthen their computational skills in solving heat transfer problems.
About the Author xi Preface xiii Acknowledgments xv 1 Introduction 1 1.1 What Is Heat Transfer? 1 1.2 Three Basic Heat Transfer Modes 2 1.3 Relations to Thermodynamics 6 1.3.1 The First Law of Thermodynamics 6 1.3.2 Zeroth Law and Second Law 10 1.4 A Brief Review of the Prerequisite 11 1.4.1 Coordinate Systems 11 1.4.2 Units and Dimensions 11 1.4.3 Integration 12 1.4.4 Solving Second-order Ordinary Differential Equations 13 1.4.5 The Problem Solution Procedure 15 1.5 Summary 15 Bibliography 16 2 Introduction to Conduction 17 2.1 Thermal Conductivity 17 2.2 General Description of Conduction 20 2.2.1 General Form of Fourier’s Law 20 2.2.2 Derivation of Heat Equation 22 2.2.3 Boundary Conditions and Initial Conditions 24 2.3 General Solution Procedure to 1D Steady-state Heat Equation 27 2.4 Steady-state Conduction with No Internal Source: The Thermal Resistance Network Method 28 2.5 Summary 33 Bibliography 33 3 Multidimensional Conduction 35 3.1 Conduction Beyond Steady-state One-dimensional Problems 35 3.1.1 Zero-dimensional Transient Conduction: The Lumped Capacitance Method 36 3.1.2 Steady-state 2D Conduction 40 3.1.3 Transient 1D Conduction Without Source/Sink 41 3.1.4 Transient 3D Conduction with Moving Source 44 3.1.5 A Note on Analytical Solutions 45 3.2 Numerical Methods 45 3.2.1 Approximation to Derivatives 46 3.2.2 Finite Volume Method 48 3.2.3 Treatment of Time 53 3.2.4 Accuracy Versus Stability 56 3.2.5 Virtual Laboratory: 1D Transient Conduction in a Semi-infinite Wall 57 3.3 Summary 61 Bibliography 61 4 Introduction to Convective Heat Transfer 63 4.1 Boundary Layers 63 4.2 Nusselt Number 68 4.3 Connecting Momentum Transport and Heat Transfer: Prandtl Number 69 4.4 Reynolds Analogy 71 4.5 Impact of Turbulence 72 4.6 Virtual Laboratory: Boundary Layer Measurement 73 4.7 Summary 77 Bibliography 77 5 Forced Convection 79 5.1 External Convection 81 5.1.1 Flat Plate 81 5.1.2 Other Bluff Bodies 85 5.1.3 Virtual Laboratory: Determination of the Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient for a Rotating Disk 87 5.2 Internal Convection 91 5.2.1 Pipes 93 5.2.2 Ducts with Other Cross-sectional Shape 94 5.2.3 Total Heat Transfer Rate 95 5.2.4 Virtual Laboratory: Heat Transfer Characteristics for Detonation in Narrow Channel 97 5.3 Summary 101 Bibliography 102 6 Natural Convection and Phase Change 105 6.1 The Physical Processes of Natural Convection and Phase Change 105 6.1.1 Relevant Scales for Natural Convection 105 6.1.2 Relevant Scales for Boiling and Condensation 108 6.2 Correlations for Natural Convection 111 6.2.1 External Natural Convection 111 6.2.2 Internal Natural Convection 113 6.2.3 Mixed Regime Convection 114 6.2.4 Virtual Laboratory: Natural Convection in an Ethylene–Air Pool Fire 114 6.3 Correlations for Phase Change Process 118 6.4 Summary 119 Bibliography 119 7 Introduction to Radiative Heat Transfer 121 7.1 The Physical Process of Thermal Radiation 121 7.2 Basic Concepts in Radiation 122 7.2.1 Solid Angle 122 7.2.2 The Electromagnetic Spectrum 123 7.2.3 Radiative Intensity 124 7.3 The Idealized “Blackbody” 125 7.3.1 Fraction of Blackbody Emissive Power 126 7.3.2 Virtual Laboratory: Key Observations for Blackbody Radiation 126 7.4 Surface Properties 128 7.4.1 Spectral and Directional Dependence of Surface Properties 129 7.4.2 Kirchhoff’s Law 130 7.4.3 Virtual Laboratory: Measuring Emissivity of Semiconductor Wafer 131 7.5 Summary 133 Bibliography 133 8 Radiative Exchange Between Surfaces 135 8.1 View Factor 135 8.1.1 Properties of View Factor 137 8.1.2 Two-dimensional Geometries: The Crossed-string Method 138 8.1.3 The Monte Carlo Method for Determination of View Factors 140 8.2 Surface Exchange Between Gray Diffuse Surfaces 144 8.2.1 Surface Exchange Between Black Surfaces 144 8.2.2 Analytical Methods for Surface Exchange Between Gray Diffuse Surfaces 145 8.2.3 The Monte Carlo Methods for Surface Exchange Between Gray Diffuse Surfaces 147 8.3 Virtual Laboratory: Radiation Within a Backward-facing Step Combustor 148 8.4 Summary 150 Bibliography 150 9 Radiation in Participating Media 151 9.1 The Characteristics of Gaseous Radiation 151 9.2 The Characteristics of Radiative Interactions with Particles 153 9.3 The Characteristics of Radiation in Semitransparent Medium 154 9.4 Radiative Absorption: The Beer’s Law 154 9.5 Radiative Emission 156 9.6 Virtual Laboratory: Measurement of Wall Temperature in a Combustor Using IR Camera 157 9.7 Summary 159 Bibliography 159 10 Applications: Fin and Heat Exchanger 161 10.1 Fins 162 10.1.1 Heat Transfer Rate 163 10.1.2 Efficiency and Effectiveness 167 10.1.3 Virtual Laboratory: Determination of Efficiency and Effectiveness for Fins with Arbitrary Shape 168 10.2 Heat Exchanger 173 10.2.1 Classification 173 10.2.2 Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient 174 10.2.3 Log-mean Temperature Difference 175 10.2.4 Effectiveness-NTU Method 177 10.2.5 A Practical Example 181 10.3 Summary 186 Bibliography 187 11 Contemporary Application of Heat Transfer 189 11.1 A Simplified Energy Balance for Earth 191 11.2 Conjugate Heat Transfer Within a Thermal Barrier Coating Layer 196 11.3 Electronics Cooling 201 11.4 Thermal Runaway of Lithium-ion Batteries 208 11.5 Summary 213 Bibliography 213 Index 215
Subject Areas: Mechanical engineering & materials [TG]
