U-value of air? Why 25 W/m2K?
U-value of air? Why 25 W/m2K?
(OP)
I've been told to assume that the U-value of air is 25 W/m2K. However, in other calculations I'm using the thermal diffusivity of the same volume of air (2.208*10-5 m2/s at 30ºC), and, since both values are related, I'd rather prefer to obtain the U-value from the thermal diffusivity, so that my calculations are coherent.
Given that the thermal diffusivity is alpha=lambda/(c*rho) , I can get the conductivity as lambda = alpha * rho * c = 2.208*10-5 m2/s * 1.1644 kg/m3 * 1005.7 J/kgK = 0.0258565 W/mK
And then, since U = lambda/thickness, I get U = 0.0258565 W/mK / 1m = 0.0258565 W/m2K
So, I'm getting "25" in the result, but divided 1/1000.
Going to the engineeringtoolbox website, it gives me 25.72 for conductivity of air at 30ºC
So, where's the catch?
Thanks a lot!!
Given that the thermal diffusivity is alpha=lambda/(c*rho) , I can get the conductivity as lambda = alpha * rho * c = 2.208*10-5 m2/s * 1.1644 kg/m3 * 1005.7 J/kgK = 0.0258565 W/mK
And then, since U = lambda/thickness, I get U = 0.0258565 W/mK / 1m = 0.0258565 W/m2K
So, I'm getting "25" in the result, but divided 1/1000.
Going to the engineeringtoolbox website, it gives me 25.72 for conductivity of air at 30ºC
So, where's the catch?
Thanks a lot!!
RE: U-value of air? Why 25 W/m2K?
α = k/(ρCP)
I'm not seeing a relationship.
Good Luck,
Latexman
RE: U-value of air? Why 25 W/m2K?
RE: U-value of air? Why 25 W/m2K?
TTFN (ta ta for now)
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RE: U-value of air? Why 25 W/m2K?
Where did you get to assume 1 meter for the thickness? I don’t think you understand what thermal boundary layers are, based on your 1 meter assumption. U = k/Δx is the calculation for heat transfer through a solid layer with skin temperatures of each side of the layer known - i.e. conduction. Air transfers heat via convection, not conduction. For fluid heat transfer, the calculations get more complex and depend greatly on the conditions.
Generally, U = [1/ho + Δx/k + 1/hi]^(-1)*
*for heat transfer between two fluids that are separated by a solid layer (refractory, metal wall, etc). This equation is valid when the resistance to transfer through the solid wall is relatively small compared to the fluid resistance AND when the curvature of the wall is small (i.e. a large diameter tank that can be approximated as a "flat" surface). If the curvature is significant (i.e. pipes), then you have to factor in Do, Di, and Dlm (log mean diameter). This also neglects any fouling factors. For heating/cooling a solid isothermal block of something in air U = 1/h.
ho = individual heat transfer coefficient of the interior fluid
Δx = thickness of the solid wall
k = thermal conductivity of the solids wall
hi = individual heat transfer coefficient of the exterior fluid
For fluids, ho and hi are calculated from the Nusselt number. This equation varies based on application (forced vs natural convection, transfer geometry like vertical or horizontal plate, etc).
For natural convection of air on a vertical plate,
Nu = h*L/k = α * [Gr*Pr]^m, where
h = individual heat transfer coefficient of the specific fluid
L = characteristic length of the heat transfer area. For a large diameter vertical tank whereby you calculate Nu based on a vertical plate, L would be the height of the tank.
Gr = Grashof number
Pr = Prandtl number
α, m = constants based on the geometry chosen to analyze (i.e. vertical plate).
You can look up other correlations for Nusselt number for the geometry you are analyzing.
I believe the general recommendation of 25 W/m2K is the recommendation for heat transfer to surfaces because the thermal boundary layer for air is usually the governing resistance to heat transfer. People have run these calculations for a variety of reasons and found this to be a reasonable approximation.
RE: U-value of air? Why 25 W/m2K?
However, forget about the U-value for a moment, because there's another problem that seems to come first: the thermal conductivity of air seems to be anyway in the order of 25 W/mK instead of the 0.0258565 W/mK that I'm getting in my calculations above. Check here for example: https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/air-properties-...
Why this big difference with a 1/1000 ratio?
RE: U-value of air? Why 25 W/m2K?
RE: U-value of air? Why 25 W/m2K?
The link you provided calculated 23 mW/mK at standard conditions. I think you missed the milliwatt part. That is close to your original calculation for conductivity.
RE: U-value of air? Why 25 W/m2K?
RE: U-value of air? Why 25 W/m2K?
RE: U-value of air? Why 25 W/m2K?
From that sentence, I conclude that 25 W/m2K has an experimental basis (and yes, you are right that the purpose of this U-value is to transfer from air to surface, considering the top of the thermal boundary layer). So, if it's experimental, and it's used often, I shouldn't try to relate it to the diffusivity, should I?
RE: U-value of air? Why 25 W/m2K?
RE: U-value of air? Why 25 W/m2K?
https://www.sfu.ca/~mbahrami/ENSC%20388/Notes/Natu...
TTFN (ta ta for now)
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RE: U-value of air? Why 25 W/m2K?
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RE: U-value of air? Why 25 W/m2K?
@TiCl4: I need the thermal diffusivity too, because there's also a fluid simulation going on, with air-to-air transfer. My initial interest was to relate both values (air-to-air and air-to-surface), in order to avoid redundancy in the input parameters. However, from all the posts in the thread, it seems clear that the thermal diffusivity in air-to-air and the U-value in air-to-surface don't have a straightforward connection, so having both parameters as input can be legit and non-redundant.
Thanks a lot.