Thermal diffusivity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 1

Thermal diffusivity
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In heat transfer analysis, thermal diffusivity (symbol: , but note that the symbols κ, D, and k are all commonly used) is the thermal conductivity divided by
the volumetric heat capacity. It has the SI unit of m²/s .

where:

k : thermal conductivity (SI units: W/(m·K))

ρ : density (kg/m³)
cp : specific heat capacity (J/(kg·K))

The denominator of the thermal diffusivity expression above, , can be identified as the volumetric heat capacity with the SI unit of J /(m³·K).

Substances with high thermal diffusivity rapidly adjust their temperature to that of their surroundings, because they conduct heat quickly in comparison to their
volumetric heat capacity or 'thermal bulk'.

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Thermal diffusivity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 2

Thermal diffusivity of selected materials and substances [1]

Thermal diffusivity Thermal diffusivity
Material
(m²/s ) (m²/s) × 10−6
Pyrolytic graphite, parallel to layers 1.22 × 10− 3 1220
Silver, pure (99.9%) −4 165.63
1.6563 × 10
Gold − 4 [2] 127.
1.27 × 10
Copper −4 112.34
1.1234 × 10
Aluminium −5 84.18
8.418 × 10
Aluminum 6061-T6 Alloy 6.4 × 10−5 [2 ] 64.
Water vapour (1 atm, 400 K) −5 23.38
2.338 × 10
Air (1 atm, 300 K) −5 22.16
2.2160 × 10
Aluminium oxide (polycrystalline) −5 12.0
1.20 × 10
Steel, carbon (1%) −5 11.72
1.172 × 10
Steel, stainless 304A 4.2 × 10−6 [2 ] 4.2
Iron −5 [2 ] 23.
2.3 × 10
Silicon −5 [2 ] 88
8.8 × 10
Quartz −6 [2 ] 1.4
1.4 × 10
Silicon Dioxide (Polycrystalline) −7 [2 ] 0.83
8.3 × 10
Water 1.4 × 10−7 [2 ] 0.14

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) −8 [2 ] 0.08

8 × 10
Alcohol −8 [2 ] 0.07
7 × 10
Air −5 [2 ] 19
1.9 × 10
Pyrolytic graphite, normal to layers −6 3.6
3.6 × 10
Sandstone 1.12–1.19 × 10− 6 1.15

Tin −5 [2 ] 40.
4.0 × 10
Brick, common −7 0.52
5.2 × 10
Glass, window −7 0.34
3.4 × 10
Rubber −7 0.13
1.3 × 10
Nylon 9 × 10−8 0.09
Wood (Yellow Pine) −8 0.082
8.2 × 10
Oil, engine (saturated liquid, 100 °C) 7.38 × 10− 8 0.0738

See also
Thermodiffusion
Heat capacity
Specific heat capacity
Heat equation
Thermal conductivity
Thermal effusivity
Thermal time constant
A plot of thermal diffusivity versus temperature for air (http://users.wpi.edu/~ierardi/PDF/air _alpha_plot.PDF) (James Ierardi's Fire Protection
Engineering Site).
A Manufacturer measurement of thermal diffusivity versus temperature (http://www.thermal-analysis.com /lfa -1000_laser_flash_thermal_constant_
analyzer.html) .

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Thermal diffusivity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 3

A measure of the rate at which a temperature disturbance at one point in a body travels to another point . It is expressed by the relationship K/dCp, where K
is the coefficient of thermal conductivity, d is the density, and Cp is the specific heat at constant pressure.

Definition Copyright ©1989 CRC Press LLC . All rights reserved .

References
1. ^ J .P. Holman , Heat Transfer, 9th Ed., McGraw-Hill 2002 (which in turn cites Brown and Marco, Introduction to Heat Transfer, 3rd Ed, McGraw-Hill,
1958 and Eckert & Drake, Heat and Mass Transfer, McGraw-Hill, 1959).
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l http://www.electronics-cooling.com /2007/08/thermal-diffusivity/ Materials Data
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Categories: Heat transfer | Physical quantities | Heat conduction

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