Thermal fluids

Thermofluids is a branch of science and engineering encompassing four intersecting fields:

• Heat transfer
• Thermodynamics
• Fluid mechanics
• Combustion

The term is a combination of "thermo", referring to heat, and "fluids", which refers to liquids, gases and vapors. Temperature, pressure, equations of state, and transport laws all play an important role in thermofluid problems. Phase transition and chemical reactions may also be important in a thermofluid context. The subject is sometimes also referred to as "thermal fluids".

Heat transfer

Heat transfer is a discipline of thermal engineering that concerns the transfer of thermal energy from one physical system to another. Heat transfer is classified into various mechanisms, such as heat conduction, convection, thermal radiation, and phase-change transfer. Engineers also consider the transfer of mass of differing chemical species, either cold or hot, to achieve heat transfer.

Sections include :

• Energy transfer by heat, work and mass
• Laws of thermodynamics
• Entropy
• Refrigeration Techniques
• Properties and nature of pure substances

Applications

• Engineering : Predicting and analysing the performance of machines

Thermodynamics

Thermodynamics is the science of energy conversion involving heat and other forms of energy, most notably mechanical work. It studies and interrelates the macroscopic variables, such as temperature, volume and pressure, which describe physical, thermodynamic systems.

Fluid mechanics

Fluid Mechanics the study of the physical forces at work during fluid flow. Fluid mechanics can be divided into fluid kinematics, the study of fluid motion, and fluid kinetics, the study of the effect of forces on fluid motion. Fluid mechanics can further be divided into fluid statics, the study of fluids at rest, and fluid dynamics, the study of fluids in motion. Some of its more interesting concepts include momentum and reactive forces in fluid flow and fluid machinery theory and performance.

Sections include:

• Fluid flow and continuity
• Momentum in fluids
• Static and dynamic forces on a boundary
• Laminar and turbulent flow
• Metacentric height and vessel stability

Applications

• Pump Design.
• Hydro-Electric Power Generation.
• Naval Architecture.

Combustion

Combustion is the sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species. The release of heat can result in the production of light in the form of either glowing or a flame. Fuels of interest often include organic compounds (especially hydrocarbons) in the gas, liquid or solid phase.

External links

• Thermal-Fluids Central