Heat conduction in eccentric annuli

Under the assumption of constant properties and negligible axial effects, heat conduction in the radial direction through concentric annuli is a straightforward, 1-dim. problem. However, when the annular region is shifted from the centerline, the analysis must be made in two dimensions. A theoretical experimental, and numerical study has been made of the 2-dim. temperature distributions for a system of eccentric annuli. Two boundary conditions are examined. Te first is an angular temperature function on the outer boundary. The second is a convective boundary condition with a constant heat transfer coefficient and a constant ambient temperature. The general solutions are described which are valid for any size annular region and any degree of eccentricity. The evaluation of the analytical solutions are verified by an appropriate experiment. Several numerical approximations are examined for their suitability in handling the eccentric problem. (author)