Thermal conductance measures the heat-transfer rate per kelvin across a body.
Difficulty
Intermediate
Read time
4 min
Prerequisites
Consistent SI units, algebra, and the physical assumptions listed below
Source
Teng-Jui Lin — Equation SheetsAdapted from Teng-Jui Lin, Equation Sheets — Mechanical Engineering, under CC BY 4.0.
Adapted notation and added original explanations, variables, assumptions, applications, and a worked example.
Thermal conductance measures the heat-transfer rate per kelvin across a body. For a uniform plane wall it combines conductivity and geometry; its reciprocal is the wall's thermal resistance.
| Symbol | Meaning | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Thermal conductance | ||
| Thermal conductivity | ||
| Wall area normal to heat flow | ||
| Wall thickness |
Represent a wall as a conductance or reciprocal resistance.
Compare how material thickness changes heat leakage.
A wall has conductivity 0.040 W/(m·K), area 10 m², and thickness 0.20 m. Find its conductive thermal conductance.
Adapted from Teng-Jui Lin, Equation Sheets — Mechanical Engineering, under CC BY 4.0.
Adapted notation and added original explanations, variables, assumptions, applications, and a worked example.
Assumptions
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