A generalized thermal boundary condition

Abstract

 A generalized thermal boundary condition is derived to include all thermal effects of a thin layer which is in thermal contact with an adjacent domain. The thin layer may be a stationary or moving solid-skin or fluid-film. The included thermal effects of the thin layer are the thermal capacity of the layer, thermal diffusion, enthalpy flow, viscous dissipation within the layer, convective losses from the layer, and other effects. Six different kinds of thermal boundary conditions can be obtained as special cases of the generalized boundary condition. The generalized boundary condition is given for perfect and imperfect thermal contact between the thin layer and its adjacent domain. The importance of the generalized boundary condition is demonstrated in an example.