E292 – Fluids and Thermodynamics Introduction to Heat Transfer There are three fundamental forms of heat transfer: Conduction: heat transfer through non-moving materials (solids, confined gases, etc) Convection: heat transfer through moving materials (liquids, gasses, etc) Radiation: heat transfer via electromagnetic radiation (light, infrared heat, etc.) The General Equation of Heat Transfer is: ̇ = ( 2 − 1 ), where U = ‘The’ heat transfer coefficient, W/m 2 ·K This is the equation that both the conductive and convective heat transfer equation (above and below) are built upon. You will need this equation when dealing with the heat losses/gains through windows and doors and a few other places. Only a few of the available materials are listed, on the left. As I am sure you can guess, there are much longer lists of engineering materials available at aid in the design of any form of heat transfer device you might envision.