Heat Transfer Coefficient Unit Converter

Value:

From Unit:

To Unit:

1. What is the Heat Transfer Coefficient Unit Converter?

Definition: This converter transforms heat transfer coefficient values between various units. The heat transfer coefficient measures the convective heat flux per unit temperature difference, typically in watt per square meter per kelvin (W/m²/K).

Purpose: Useful in heat transfer engineering, HVAC design, and thermal analysis for converting units in convection and heat exchanger calculations.

2. How Does the Converter Work?

The converter uses conversion factors relative to an arbitrary base (consistent with provided scaling):

Input value is converted to the base by dividing by the "From" unit's factor.
The result is converted to the "To" unit by multiplying by the "To" unit's factor.

Supported units:

watt/square meter/K (Factor: 100000)
watt/square meter/°C (Factor: 100000)
joule/second/square meter/K (Factor: 100000)
calorie (IT)/second/square centimeter/°C (Factor: 2.38846)
kilocalorie (IT)/hour/square meter/°C (Factor: 85984.52279)
kilocalorie (IT)/hour/square foot/°C (Factor: 7988.22356)
Btu (IT)/second/square foot/°F (Factor: 4.89195)
Btu (th)/second/square foot/°F (Factor: 4.89522)
Btu (IT)/hour/square foot/°F (Factor: 17611.01837)
Btu (th)/hour/square foot/°F (Factor: 17622.80394)
CHU/hour/square foot/°C (Factor: 17611.01837)

Steps:

Enter the value to convert.
Select the "From" unit (the unit of the input value).
Select the "To" unit (the desired output unit).
Submit to perform the conversion.
Results are formatted to 5 decimal places, with scientific notation for values less than 0.001.

3. Importance of Heat Transfer Coefficient Conversion

Heat transfer coefficient conversion is critical for:

Engineering Design: Sizing heat exchangers and cooling systems.
HVAC: Calculating convective heat loss or gain.
Thermal Analysis: Modeling heat transfer in fluids and solids.

4. Using the Converter

Example 1: Convert 1 watt/square meter/°C to watt/square meter/K:

Input: 1
From Unit: watt/square meter/°C (factor: 100000)
To Unit: watt/square meter/K (factor: 100000)
Calculation: \( 1 / 100000 \times 100000 = 1 \)

Result: 1 watt/square meter/K

Example 2: Convert 1 Btu (IT)/hour/square foot/°F to watt/square meter/K:

Input: 1
From Unit: Btu (IT)/hour/square foot/°F (factor: 17611.0183682)
To Unit: watt/square meter/K (factor: 100000)
Calculation: \( 1 / 17611.0183682 \times 100000 \approx 5.6783 \)

Result: 5.6783 watt/square meter/K

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is heat transfer coefficient?
A: Heat transfer coefficient (h) is the proportionality constant between heat flux and temperature difference in convection, h = q / ΔT.

Q: Why are there different units for heat transfer coefficient?
A: Units vary by power (watt, calorie), area (m², ft²), and temperature (K, °C, °F), reflecting SI, imperial, and metric systems.

Q: How are W/m²/K and W/m²/°C related?
A: They are equivalent since 1 K difference = 1 °C difference.

Q: What is CHU?
A: Centigrade Heat Unit, equivalent to Btu but using °C and pound.

Q: Can this converter be used for all heat transfer scenarios?
A: Yes, it converts units for convective heat transfer coefficients in various applications.