Experiment3 Group5e

UNIVERSITI TENAGA NASIONAL
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
MEHB3041 - HEAT TRANSFER & APPLIED

THERMODYNAMICS LABORATORY
GROUP FORMAL REPORT

EXPERIMENT 3
TITLE :THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY OF INSULATING MATERIALS
AUTHOR : Ahmad Firdaus Bin Zainusham (ME0107325)

Iswaran A/L Chandran (ME01081443)
Darvinesh A/L Gunasegaran (ME01081209)
Dharsshan A/L Karupiah (ME01081184)
Muhammad Fariz Izzuddin bin Mohd Fozi (ME01081077)
SECTION : 01
INSTRUCTOR : Ir. Ts. Dr. Prem A/L Gunnasegaran

Introduction
In this experiment, we going to investigate the thermal conductivity of insulating materials
which are Mica, Magnesium Oxide and Kaolin. Thermal conductivity is the material property
that describes the ability to conduct heat. Thermal conductivity can be defined as the quantity
of heat transmitted through a unit thickness of a material in a direction normal to the surface
of a unit area. Insulating material is a material that prevents the transmission of heat.
Mica is a mineral name given to a group of minerals that are physically and chemically
similar. They are all silicate minerals, known as sheet silicates because they form in distinct
layers. Micas are fairly light and relatively soft and the sheets and flakes of mica are flexible.
Mica is also heat resistant and does not conduct electricity.
Kaolin also known as China clay, is nearly white in color. It is distinguished from other
industrial clays based on its fine particle size and pure coloring. Its ability to disperse in water
makes it an ideal pigment. Kaolin is derived from the mineral Kaolinite which comes from
the Earth's crust. It is an aluminum silicate represented as Al2O3-2SiO2-2H2O. The primary
constituent in kaolin is the mineral kaolinite, a hydrous aluminum silicate formed by the
decomposition of minerals such as feldspar. Kaolin has a variety of other uses in products
including cable insulation, specialty films, and fertilizers, glass fiber, white cement and
refractory insulation bricks.
Magnesium oxide, or MgO, is another abundant mineral found in the Earth's crust, though it
is less prevalent than calcium carbonate. It comprises around 2% of the Earth's crust and is
widely distributed across the globe. Similar to calcium carbonate, magnesium oxide can take
on various natural forms, each with distinct properties. Its primary natural form is magnesite,
which is often found in association with other magnesium-bearing minerals such as dolomite
and brucite. Magnesite is formed through the alteration of magnesium-rich rocks in
environments rich in magnesium and low in silica.
Objectives
1. To investigate the thermal conductivity of Mica, magnesium oxide powder and
Kaolin as an insulating material
2. To observe the temperature gradient within the test module
3. To compare experimental results with the actual material thermo-physical
properties for Mica, calcium carbonate powder and Kaolin
Theory
Thermal conductivity is one of the important thermo-physical properties and its
understanding is required for analyzing conduction heat transfer problems. Physical meaning
of thermal conductivity is how efficient the heat can passes through the given material.
Hence, the determination of thermal conductivity is of considerable engineering significance.
There are a lot of methods to determine the thermal conductivity suitable for finding out
thermal conductivity of materials of the powered form.
Fourier’s Law
The law of heat conduction or better known as Fourier’s law states that the heat conduction is
proportional to rate of change of temperature with respect to distance multiply by negative
thermal conductivity constant. Heat is always transfers from a high to low temperature
region, hence justifying the negative sign in the equation. The equation below represents the
Fourier’s equation mention above.
A - Area perpendicular to the direction of the heat flow

k - Thermal conductivity of the material
In most cases, the thermal conductivity can be assumed to be constant for a specific material.
However, this is not entirely true because the thermal conductivity of a material is affected by
both pressure and temperature. The importance of Fourier’s law can be outlined whereby
most of the heat conduction calculations are based on it.
Newton’s Law of Cooling
Cooling is one of the natural occurrences that occur in our daily lives due to the differences
in temperature gradient throughout the various objects. After some considerate observation,
Newton states that the rate of change of temperature with respect to time is proportional to
the net temperature difference between the surrounding temperature and the initial
temperature of the object.
k - Constant
T - Temperature of the object at time T(t)
T0 - Initial temperature of the object
The equation above can be solved by taking the integral on both sides and the equation is
simplified as below:
By solving this equation in order to find the constant k, it would allow us to determine the
instantaneous temperature of the object just by having the initial temperature of the object,
the surroundings temperature and the time.
Rig Description
Procedure
1.The water inlet manifold was connected at the front of the unit to a cold water supply.
2.The water outlet manifold was connected at the rear of the unit to a drain.
3.The cold water supply was opened to allow water to circulate through the water jackets
.4.The mains power on the control panel was switched on.
5.The readings were compared to ensure that all the readings were uniform. The error was
noted down when the readings were not equal.
6.The heater was switched on for all modules. The heater power was set to 25 W by adjusting
the heater power regulator and the digital power meter was observed.
7.The temperature inside the test module was allowed to achieve a steady state. The
temperature inside the test module for all 6 points for each module was recorded.
8.The heater was switched off and the modules were left to cool down until the temperature
drop was slow.
9.The steps 6 to 8 were repeated for heater power of 50 W and 75 W.
10.The heater was switched off.
11.The results were tabulated in the table.
12.The temperature profile graph (temperature vs. point) for the 3 sets of readings
was plotted.
13.The thermal conductivity of Mica was calculated based on the obtained results.
Safety and precaution
1)When in operation, ensure that the heater is not run continuously for durations exceeding
10 minutes for temperatures exceeding 200°C.
2)Ensure the control box is kept dry always.
3)Ensure that the heater is always switched off whenever the unit is not in use.
4)Do not touch the test module when conducting the experiment.
5)Ensure no water source is near the control box and test bench.
6)Ensure that the heater is always switched off whenever the unit is not in use.
Results & Analysis
Test Material: Mica
P(W) 25 50 75
T1(OC) 47.6 144.7 170.9
O
T2( C) 38.7 117.8 145.8
T3(OC) 25.4 44.5 54.9
O
T4( C) 24.0 29.8 33.4
O
T5( C) 26.8 29.2 30.7
T6(OC) 29.6 30.2 30.6
k(W/m.K) 1.36
Test Material: Magnesium Oxide

P(W) 25 50 75
T1(OC) 36.4 101.4 127.4
O
T2( C) 23.7 43.1 52.7
T3(OC) 20.8 28.6 33.3
O
T4( C) 23.7 31.2 35.8
O
T5( C) 27.3 31.4 34.1
T6(OC) 28.6 30.8 32.2
k(W/m.K) 3.13
─
Test Material: Kaolin

P(W) 25 50 75
T1(OC) 39.1 112.5 142.8
O
T2( C) 31.5 85.0 111.2
T3(OC) 21.3 27.4 32.2
O
T4( C) 22.4 24.5 25.6
T5(OC) 25.6 27.3 27.7
O
T6( C) 27.2 28.3 28.8
k(W/m.K) 2.05
To ─ Ti
To ─ Ti
(To ─ Ti)
Temperature againt point for Mica
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
25 50 75
Graph 1: Temperature against point for Mica
Temperature againt point for Magnesium Oxide

140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
25 50 75
Graph 2: Temperature against point for Magnesium Carbonate

Temperature against point for Kaolin
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
25 50 75
Graph 3: Temperature against point for Kaolin

Discussion
Thermal conductivity is a material property that describes the ability to conduct heat.
Thermal conductivity can be defined as the quantity of heat transmitted through a unit
thickness of a material. From the result obtained, the outer and inner surface temperature in
Mica is the highest. From the calculation we obtained to get the thermal conductivity, we
know that Magnesium Oxide has the highest thermal conductivity of 3.13 W/m.K while Mica
has the lowest thermal conductivity of 1.36 W/m.K. From Graph 1, we can observe that the
higher the power, the higher the temperature. The temperature for power of 75W at the
maximum point before it starts to decrease until it becomes stabilized and reaches room
temperature. The temperature decreases slowly at first then it starts to decrease more when it
is at point 2 until it becomes stabilized.
From Graph 2, the temperature is the highest when conducted with a power of 75W. The
temperature decreases linearly from point 1 until point 3 and starts to decrease slowly at point
3 onward until it temperature becomes stable. From Graph 3, when using a power of 75W
it has the highest temperature. In this case, the temperature decreases much slower as
compared to the Mica specimen data. When it reached point 2 the temperature started to
decrease faster until it reached stabilize.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we managed to identify thermal conductivity for three different types of
material used which are Mica, Magnesium Oxide and Kaolin as an insulating material. From
the result, we know that Mica has the lowest thermal conductivity followed by Kaolin and the
highest thermal conductivity Magnesium Oxide. Mica has a higher outer temperature as
itable to absorb heat faster than the others. While the Magnesium Oxide has the lowest
temperature for the outer surface as its thermal conductivity is the highest. This means that
the lower the thermal conductivity, the higher the temperature able to absorb. Hence, the
objectives of this experiment have been achieved.

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UNIVERSITI TENAGA NASIONAL

MEHB3041 - HEAT TRANSFER & APPLIED

GROUP FORMAL REPORT

TITLE :THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY OF INSULATING MATERIALS

AUTHOR : Ahmad Firdaus Bin Zainusham (ME0107325)

INSTRUCTOR : Ir. Ts. Dr. Prem A/L Gunnasegaran

A - Area perpendicular to the direction of the heat flow

Test Material: Magnesium Oxide

Test Material: Kaolin

Graph 1: Temperature against point for Mica

Temperature againt point for Magnesium Oxide

Graph 2: Temperature against point for Magnesium Carbonate

Graph 3: Temperature against point for Kaolin

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