Thermal Diffusivity Calculator

The thermal diffusivity calculator will assist you in estimating the rate of heat transfer from one point to another for different substances. The thermal diffusivity parameter is a function of thermal conductivity, specific heat, and fluid density.

Thermal diffusivity is the parameter that explains the penetration of heat in a substance and is used to characterize the unsteady flow of heat and estimate the temperature field to understand the cooling process in a substance. You can use it to determine the Prandtl number used for several heat transfer processes.

This parameter is also used in modern non-destructive techniques (NDT) like thermography or thermographic damage detection in composite structures. This method is crucial for monitoring the health of different aircraft structures. The article further explains what thermal diffusivity is and the calculation of the thermal diffusivity of substances.

Thermal diffusivity definition — It is the property of a substance that tells us how the heat would flow through it from one point to another. Say you heat one end of a steel plate; the heat would travel towards the cooler end. The entity's thermal diffusivity would tell us how fast it would go, i.e., the rate of heat transfer across two points. It is measured in the units of area per unit time, i.e., $\text{mm}^2\text{/s}$ or $\text{ft}^2\text{/s}$. The SI unit for thermal diffusivity is $\text{m}^2\text{/s}$.

Most heat-conducting solids have high thermal diffusivity; for instance, the thermal diffusivity of copper at $25 \ °\text{C}$ is $111 \text{ mm}^2\text{/s}$ whereas the value of thermal diffusivity for a carbon/carbon composite is $216.5 \text{ mm}^2\text{/s}$. This means the heat would flow rapidly in the carbon/carbon composite compared to copper.

The thermal diffusivity ($\alpha$) depends on three properties of material, i.e., thermal conductivity $k$, specific heat capacity, $C_\mathrm{p}$, and density, $\rho$. You can quickly convert specific heat to heat capacity with our heat capacity calculator.

Thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity are related using the thermal diffusivity formula:

Here, the term $\rho \ C_\mathrm{p}$ is also known as volumetric heat capacity with units of $\text{J/m}^3\cdot\text{K}$. The volumetric heat capacity is the heat needed to raise the temperature of a material having unit volume by one unit.

You can use the thermal diffusivity and kinematic viscosity ($\nu$) to find the substance's Prandtl number ($\text{Pr}$). Mathematically, that's:

Follow the steps below to use the thermal diffusivity formula:

1. Fill in the thermal conductivity $k$ for the material.
2. Enter the density $\rho$ for the material.
3. Insert the material's specific heat capacity, $C_\mathrm{p}$.
4. The calculator will return the thermal diffusivity of the material.

Find the thermal diffusivity of water considering the density as $997 \text{ kg/m}^3$, specific heat capacity as $4182 \text{ J/kg⋅K}$, and thermal conductivity, $0.607 \text{ W/m⋅K}$.

To find the thermal diffusivity:

1. Fill in the thermal conductivity, $k = 0.607 \text{ W/m⋅K}$.
2. Enter the density, $\rho = 997 \text{ kg/m}^3$.
3. Insert the specific heat capacity, $C_\mathrm{p} = 4182 \text{ J/kg⋅K}$.
4. Using the thermal diffusivity equation:

The table below has the list of thermal diffusivity of common substances:

The process of thermographic damage detection is used to monitor the health of structures. This method is part of several non-destructive testing techniques used to detect defects or hidden subsurface damage in the structure. By non-destructive means, the testing does not interfere with the structure's structural integrity. Examples of other such techniques include ultrasound and X-ray testing.

During thermographic damage detection, flash lamps heat one side of the structure, and an infrared camera is set up on the other side to monitor the temperature progression. This method works by tracking the heat flow for any anomaly in the temperature field to locate defects or damage. Diffusivity is one of the parameters used to estimate the heat flow across the thickness of the sample.