Heat Transfer Today

Educational Software for
Heat and Mass Transfer

Student Projects

Mr. Jefferson’s Monticello Problem

This project involves a finite-difference calculation of transient conduction in a slab subject to a time-varying convective boundary condition at one surface. In this case the slab corresponds to a wall of Monticello, which consists of 16″ of solid brick with a 1″ layer of plaster on the inside. The outside surface is assumed to be unshaded, so we use the diurnal variation of the Tsolair value corresponding to a dark-colored, west facing surface in July. While the “R” value (conductive resistance) of this brick layer is quite low, the enormous effect of the thermal mass is very apparent in the computed results. (Writeup)

© 2021 Heat Transfer Today – All Rights Reserved.