Heat transfer
Undergraduate · Engineering
Syllabus focus
Topics typically covered
Standard syllabus
Conduction
- Fourier's law and thermal conductivity
- One-dimensional steady conduction in plane walls
- Thermal resistance and composite wall networks
- Cylindrical and spherical steady conduction
- Heat generation in solids (uniform and distributed)
- Transient conduction: lumped capacitance method
- Semi-infinite solid and error function solutions (intro)
- Fin analysis: efficiency and effectiveness
- Two-dimensional conduction: shape factors (intro)
- Boundary conditions: specified temperature, flux, and convection
Convection and radiation
- Newton's law of cooling and heat transfer coefficient
- Dimensionless groups: Nusselt, Reynolds, Prandtl, Grashof
- External flow: flat plate and cylinder correlations
- Internal flow: entrance region and fully developed pipe flow
- Natural convection on vertical surfaces (correlations)
- Boiling regimes and condensation types (survey)
- Heat exchangers: LMTD and effectiveness-NTU methods
- Thermal radiation: blackbody and Stefan-Boltzmann law
- View factors and gray surface networks
- Combined modes: overall heat transfer coefficient U
STEM / applied
System design and analysis
- Heat exchanger design and fouling factors
- Electronic cooling: fins, heat sinks, and TIMs
- Building envelope and HVAC load implications
- Insulation selection and economic thickness
- Solar thermal collectors (intro performance models)
- Manufacturing processes: quenching and casting solidification
- CFD for conjugate heat transfer (workflow overview)
- MATLAB/Python for transient lumped models
- Lab: convection measurements and IR thermography
- Design project: heat exchanger or cooling system sizing
Multiphysics and advanced survey
- Phase change materials and latent heat storage
- Porous media and packed bed heat transfer
- Nanofluids and enhanced surfaces (literature survey)
- Radiation in participating media (intro)
- Microscale heat transfer and ballistic transport (overview)
- Thermoelectric devices and heat pumps
- Energy conservation audits using HT principles
- Failure analysis: overheating in motors and batteries
- FE heat transfer topic alignment
- Standards: ASHRAE and ASME references at survey level
Study units
Each unit includes a study guide, worksheets, review, practice test, and answer key. One unit is free; subscribe for the full class.
- Conduction
Fourier's law and thermal conductivity
Coming soon - Convection and radiation
Newton's law of cooling and heat transfer coefficient
Coming soon
Notes
Topics reflect common engineering syllabi at US colleges and universities. Exact order, depth, and applied emphasis vary by institution, department, and instructor.