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MEG 2600 Heat Transfer: Classic Papers

Robert Boyle, 1662

            Boyle, Robert. New Experiments Physio-Mechanical, Touching the Air. Second Edition. Oxford University, 1662. Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership, 2011, quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A29007.0001.001?view=toc, accessed 6 November, 2020. 

Robert Boyle was among the first to truly study the thermal-fluid sciences with a serious amount of rigor. His work, New Experiments Physico Mechanical, Touching the Air, is filled with detailed descriptions and drawings of his experiments of pressure, volume, and temperature. All of which eventually led him to postulate what is now known as Boyle’s Law, which details the relationships of pressure, volume, and temperature.

The text itself is quite lengthy, and having been written over 350 years ago, the English can be difficult to follow as well. However, the history of this science has become invaluable for the development of many modern applications. He details his findings not just in numbers and tables as many papers are now, but quite often he details them in their relationship to nature. He describes the air becoming thinner in Experiment 40, and he has shown this when a bee has become unable to fly in this thinner air. It is remarkable to read the thoughts of a man who was discovering the laws of nature we take for granted today.

As this work was one of the first to relate to the field of the thermal-fluid sciences, its impact has been remarkable in many areas of modern research. One field in particular however, is the usage of Boyle’s law in relationship to heat pumps. All heat pumps operate on the principle that Boyle discovered, and without it, our understanding of heat and fluids would be dramatically different.

Horatio Scott Carslaw, 1906

            Carslaw, Horatio Scott. Introduction to the Mathematical Theory of the Conduction of Heat in Solids. Macmillan and Company, limited, 1906. books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=yco-AAAAIAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&ots=4WzkBsb3Bq&sig=T2eRdFO-URnBH66U5bbhmhJu7bw#v=onepage&q&f=false

Introduction to the Mathematical Theory of the Conduction of Heat in Solids finished Horatio Scott Carslaw’s work on his book depicting Fourier's Series and Integrals and the Mathematical Theory of the Conduction of Heat. This second volume of the book is devoted wholly to the mathematical theory of the conduction of heat in solids. For reader-ease, the book has also been completely rewritten and much enlarged. This work features twelve chapters all dealing with various conduction heat transfer situations along with the relationship between the certain integrals, or functions, and the equation of conduction.

Carslaw’s book may be of interest to any individual searching for a better understanding of conduction heat transfer as it starts with a basic conceptualization of conduction and builds from there to more complex heat transfer applications. Though written over a century ago, this book contains fundamental information on the conduction of heat in solids that many heat transfer students must understand.

J. C. Chato, 1981

            Chato, J. C. “ASME Centennial Historical Perspective Paper: Reflections on the History of Heat and Mass Transfer in Bioengineering.” Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, vol. 103, no. 2, 1981, pp. 97–101, https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3138267.

One hundred and fifty years ago, there was almost no distinction between a mathematician, physicist, scientist, engineer or philosopher. People involved in defining the natural laws were most often multidisciplinary. To explain the world around us, new tools had to be created to help solve and explain complex phenomena. Practical experimentation helped shape our theoretical understanding of the world around us in the first place, where today, our established theoretical knowledge helps us produce better practical work.

Therefore, this paper shows the significance of the mutual collaboration between technical fields from both practical and theoretical backgrounds. This paper is also a great example of how collaboration between two fields, medical and engineering heat transfer, can help with significant contributions to the modern world.

Works recommended by the professor

            Marner, W. J. "75 Years of Progress: A History of the ASME Heat Transfer Division." ASME Journal of Heat Transfer, vol. 135, no. 6, 2013, pp. 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4023546.

This paper presents a history of the ASME Heat Transfer Division (HTD) over the past 75 years. The foundations, birth, growth, and maturation of the division are addressed. An overview of honors and awards is presented and selected developments and trends are discussed. Noteworthy events and workshops, including the 50th anniversary celebration, are considered in some detail. The growing trend toward internationalization is addressed through several conferences and initiatives. Publications, with a focus on the Journal of Heat Transfer, are addressed. The Heat Transfer Division story is told through the contributions and dedicated service of the men and women of the division. The paper concludes with some thoughts about the future.


Frigo, A A. Heat-shield design for glovebox applications. United States. 1998. www.osti.gov/biblio/10869-jxlFC4/webviewable/

Heat shields can often be used in place of insulation materials as an effective means of insulating glove box furnace vessels. If used properly, shields can accomplish two important objectives: thermal insulation of the vessel to maintain a desired process temperature and protection of the glovebox, equipment, and user. A heat-shield assembly can be described as an arrangement of thin, properly-spaced, metal sheets that reduce radiation heat transfer. The main problem encountered in the design of a heat shield assembly is choosing the number of shields. In determining the heat transfer characteristics of a heat shield assembly, a number of factors must be taken into consideration. The glovebox or outside environment, material properties, geometry, and operating temperature all have varying effects on the expected results. A simple method, for planar-horizontal and cylindrical-vertical shields, allowing the approximation of the outermost shield temperature, the practical number of shields, and the net heat-transfer rate will be presented. Methods used in the fabrication of heatshield assemblies will also be discussed.