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heat capacity

heat capacity

heat capacity

(OP)
a fluid with a higher heat capacity is a good coolant, but what about heating up a fluid. would a higher heat capacity fluid make a good heating medium?

RE: heat capacity

Heat capacity of a medium is not the only property you are taking into account when  choosing a heating medium. It would be too simple. Take a look into a heat transfer text.
m777182

RE: heat capacity


From just a heat-transfer point of view when the (single phase) fluid is heating, and flows turbulently through the tubes of a given heat exchanger, the convection coefficient, h, is proportional to

κ0.6 η-0.4 c0.4 G0.8
where
κ = thermal conductivity
η = viscosity
c = specific heat capacity or simply specific heat
G = mass velocity

When the density, ρ, the annualized costs of a unit of heat exchanging surface Ks, and a unit of pumping power Kp, are included, the value of h is approximately proportional to

(Ks/Kp)0.3 κ0.6 η-0.5 c0.4 ρ0.6

Thus, when selecting fluids for heating purposes one can use a similar formula for comparison.

There are, of course, other factors to contemplate such as:

• low cost,
• compatibility with materials of construction,
• low vapor pressure,
• thermal stability,
• ability to tolerate contaminants,
• fire safety,
• low toxicity,
• low reactivity in case of leakage,
• easy reclamation or disposal

Thus, it appears that specific heat capacity is just one of the factors to look for in heat-transfer fluids and not necessarily the most important one.




  

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