VM-WB-MECH-005

VM-WB-MECH-005
Heat Transfer in a Composite Wall

Overview

Reference:

Kreith, F. (1976). Principles of Heat Transfer (3rd ed., Example 2-5, p. 39). Harper and Row Publisher.

Solver(s):Ansys Mechanical
Analysis Type(s):Linear Static Thermal Analysis
Element Type(s):Solid

Test Case

A furnace wall consists of two layers: fire brick and insulating brick. The temperature inside the furnace is 3000°F (Tf) and the inner surface convection coefficient is 3.333 x 10-3 BTU/s ft2°F (hf). The ambient temperature is 80°F (Ta) and the outer surface convection coefficient is 5.556 x 10-4 BTU/s ft2°F (ha).

Find the Temperature Distribution.

Material PropertiesGeometric PropertiesLoading
Fire brick wall: k = 2.222 x 10-4 BTU/s ft °F
Insulating wall: k = 2.778 x 10-5 BTU/s ft °F
Cross-section = 1" x 1"
Fire brick wall thickness = 9"
Insulating wall thickness = 5"

Analysis Assumptions and Modeling Notes for Ansys Mechanical

The following figure shows the finite element model in Ansys Mechanical:

Figure 5: Ansys Mechanical Schematic

Ansys Mechanical Schematic

Results Comparison for Ansys Mechanical

ResultsTargetMechanicalError (%)
Minimum Temperature (°F)336336.680.203
Maximum Temperature (°F)29572957.20.007