Thermal effusivity
Encyclopedia
In Thermodynamics
, the thermal effusivity of a material is defined as the square root of the product of the material's thermal conductivity
and its volumetric heat capacity
.
Here, k is the thermal conductivity,
is the density
and
is the specific heat capacity. The product of 
and 
is known as the volumetric heat capacity.
A material's thermal effusivity is a measure of its ability to exchange thermal energy
with its surroundings.
If two semi-infinite bodies initially at temperatures T1 and T2 are brought in perfect thermal contact, the temperature at the contact surface Tm will be given by their relative effusivities.
This expression is valid for all times for semi-infinite bodies in perfect thermal contact. It is also a good first guess for the initial contact temperature for finite bodies.
Thermodynamics
Thermodynamics is a physical science that studies the effects on material bodies, and on radiation in regions of space, of transfer of heat and of work done on or by the bodies or radiation...
, the thermal effusivity of a material is defined as the square root of the product of the material's thermal conductivity
Thermal conductivity
In physics, thermal conductivity, k, is the property of a material's ability to conduct heat. It appears primarily in Fourier's Law for heat conduction....
and its volumetric heat capacity
Volumetric heat capacity
Volumetric heat capacity , also termed volume-specific heat capacity, describes the ability of a given volume of a substance to store internal energy while undergoing a given temperature change, but without undergoing a phase change...
.
Here, k is the thermal conductivity,
is the densityDensity
The mass density or density of a material is defined as its mass per unit volume. The symbol most often used for density is ρ . In some cases , density is also defined as its weight per unit volume; although, this quantity is more properly called specific weight...
and
is the specific heat capacity. The product of and is known as the volumetric heat capacity.A material's thermal effusivity is a measure of its ability to exchange thermal energy
Thermal energy
Thermal energy is the part of the total internal energy of a thermodynamic system or sample of matter that results in the system's temperature....
with its surroundings.
If two semi-infinite bodies initially at temperatures T1 and T2 are brought in perfect thermal contact, the temperature at the contact surface Tm will be given by their relative effusivities.
This expression is valid for all times for semi-infinite bodies in perfect thermal contact. It is also a good first guess for the initial contact temperature for finite bodies.
See also
- thermal inertia
- thermal diffusivityThermal diffusivityIn heat transfer analysis, thermal diffusivity is the thermal conductivity divided by density and specific heat capacity at constant pressure. It has the SI unit of m²/s...
- heat capacityHeat capacityHeat capacity , or thermal capacity, is the measurable physical quantity that characterizes the amount of heat required to change a substance's temperature by a given amount...
- specific heat capacity
- heat equationHeat equationThe heat equation is an important partial differential equation which describes the distribution of heat in a given region over time...
- thermal conductivityThermal conductivityIn physics, thermal conductivity, k, is the property of a material's ability to conduct heat. It appears primarily in Fourier's Law for heat conduction....