Question

The heat flux through a 1-mm thick layer of skin is 1.05 x 104 W/m2. The temperature at the inside surface is 37°C and the temperature at the outside surface is 30°C.a. What is the thermal conductivity of the skin?b. A layer of clothing material with half the thermal conductivity of skin and twice the thickness of skin is placed on the outside surface of the skin. If the outside surface of the clothing is maintained at 30°C, what is the new heat flux from the skin and what is the temperature at the skin-insulation interface?

Answer 1

a) Thermal conductivity of skin:
`k_(skin)=1.5W/mK`

b) Temperature of interface:
`T_(interface)=35.6\°C`

Heat flux through skin:
`(Q)/(A)=2100W/m^2`

Step-by-step explanation:

a)

`k=(QL)/(A(T_(2)-T_(1)))`

Where:
`k` is thermal conductivity of a material,
`(Q)/(A)` is heat flux through a material,
`L` is the thickness of the material,
`T_(1)` is the temperature on the first side and
`T_(2)` is the temperature on the second side

`k_(skin)=(QL)/(A(T_(2)-T_(1)))`

`k_(skin)=(Q)/(A)*(L)/((T_(2)-T_(1)))`

`k_(skin)=1.05*10^(4)*(1*10^(-3))/((37-30))`

`k_(skin)=1.5W/mK`

b)

`k_(insulation)=(k_(skin))/(2)`

`k_(insulation)=(1.5)/(2)`

`k_(insulation)=0.75W/mK`

The heat flux between both surfaces is constant, assuming the temperature is maintained at each surface.

`(Q)/(A)=(k(T_(2)-T_(1)))/(L)`

`(k_(skin)(T_(skin)-T_(interface)))/(L_(skin))=(k_(insulation)(T_(interface)-T_(insulation)))/(L_(insulation))`

`(1.5*(37-T_(interface)))/(0.001)=(0.75*(T_(interface)-30))/(0.002)`

`55500-1500T_(interface)=375T_(interface)-11250`

`1875T_(interface)=66750`

`T_(interface)=35.6\°C`

`(Q)/(A)=(k_(skin)(T_(skin)-T_(interface)))/(L_(skin))`

`(Q)/(A)=(1.5*(37-35.6))/(0.001)`

`(Q)/(A)=2100W/m^2`