PM SHRI KENDRIYA VIDHYALAYA NO.
2 AFS
TAMBARAM ,CHENNAI.
PHYSICS INVESTIGATORY PROJECT
TOPIC:
SESSION: 2023 – 2024
Submitted to: Submitted by:
Swathishree. M
PGT in Physics
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that______________________________
is a student of class _____, Roll no. ______has
successfully completed the research on the below
mentioned project under the guidance of
Swathishree.M(PGT in Physics) during the year 2023 –
24 in partial fulfilment of physics practical examination of
centre board of secondary education (CBSE).
PRINCIPAL
Mrs.ChitraMukundan
____________________ ____________________
(INTERNAL EXAMINER) (EXTERNAL EXAMINER)
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the project work entitled
______________________________ submitted to the
“PM SHRI KENDRIYA VIDHYALA NO.2 AFS
TAMBARAM SCHOOL”, is a record of original work
done by me except of the experiments, which are duly
acknowledged, under the guidance of my subject teacher
Swathishree. M , PGT in Physics.
CONTENT
S.No INDEX Page.No
1 INTRODUCTION
2 THEORY
3 EXPERIMENT
4 OBSERVATION
5 CONCLUTION
6 PRECAUTION
7 BIBLIOGRAPHY
INTRODUCTION
HEAT TRANSMISSION MODES
It is important to know how heat is transferred in holds. Heat is
transferred by conduction, convection or radiation, or by a
combination of all three. Heat always moves from warmer to
colder areas; it seeks a balance. If the interior of an insulated
fish hold is colder than the outside air, the hold draws heat from
the outside. The greater the temperature difference, the faster the
heat flows to the colder area.
Conduction
By this mode, heat energy is passed through a solid, liquid or
gas from molecule to molecule in a material. In order for the
heat to be conducted, there should be physical contact between
particles and some temperature difference. Therefore, thermal
conductivity is the measure of the speed of heat flow passed
from particle to particle. The rate of heat flow through a specific
material will be influenced by the difference of temperature and
by its thermal conductivity.
Convection
By this mode, heat is transferred when a heated air/gas or liquid
moves from one place to another, carrying its heat with it. The
rate of heat flow will depend on the temperature of the moving
gas or liquid and on its rate of flow.
Radiation
Heat energy is transmitted in the form of light, as infrared
radiation or another form of electromagnetic waves. This energy
emanates from a hot body and can travel freely only through
completely transparent media. The atmosphere, glass and
translucent materials pass a significant amount of radiant heat,
which can be absorbed when it falls on a surface (e.g. the ship’s
deck surface on a sunny day absorbs radiant heat and becomes
hot). It is a well-known fact that light coloured or shiny surfaces
reflect more radiant heat than black or dark surfaces, therefore
the former will be heated more slowly
TECHNICAL TERMS
Heat energy
One kilocalorie (1 kcal or 1000 calories) is the amount of heat
(energy) needed to raise the temperature of one kg of water by
one degree Celsius (°C). The SI standard unit for energy is Joule
(J). One kcal is approximately 4.18 kJ (this varies slightly with
temperature). Another unit is the Btu (British thermal unit). One
Btu corresponds roughly to 1 kJ.
Thermal conductivity
In simple terms this is a measure of the capacity of a material to
conduct heat through its mass. Different insulating materials and
other types of material have specific thermal conductivity values
that can be used to measure their insulating effectiveness. It can
be defined as the amount of heat/energy (expressed in kcal, Btu
or J) that can be conducted in unit time through unit area of unit
thickness of material, when there is a unit temperature
difference.
Thermal conductivity can be expressed in kcal m-1 °C-1 , Btu
ft-1 °F-1 and in the SI system in watt (W) m-1 °C-1 .
Thermal resistivity
The thermal resistivity is the reciprocal of the k-value (1/k).
Thermal resistance (R-value)
The thermal resistance (R-value) is the reciprocal of l (1/l) and is
used for calculating the thermal resistance of any material or
composite material. The R-value can be defined in simple terms
as the resistance that any specific material offers to the heat
flow. A good insulation material will have a high R-value. For
thicknesses other than 1 m, the R-value increases in direct
proportion to the increase in thickness of the insulation material.
This is x/l, where x stands for the thickness of the material in
metres.
WHY INSULATION IS NECESSARY
The primary function of thermal insulation materials used in
small fishing vessels using ice is to reduce the transmission of
heat through fish hold walls, hatches, pipes or stanchions into
the place where chilled fish or ice is being stored. By reducing
the amount of heat leak, the amount of ice that melts can be
reduced and so the efficiency of the icing process can be
increased. As has already been discussed, ice is used up because
it removes heat energy from the fish but also from heat energy
leaking through the walls of the storage container. Insulation in
the walls of the container can reduce the amount of heat that
enters the container and so reduce the amount of ice needed to
keep the contents chilled.
The main advantages of insulating the fish hold with adequate
materials are:
● to prevent heat transmission entering from the surrounding
warm air, the engine room and heat leaks (fish hold walls,
hatches, pipes and stanchions);
● to optimise the useful capacity of the fish hold and fish-
chilling operating costs;
● to help reduce energy requirements for refrigeration
systems if these are used.
INSULATING MATERIALS
Because hold space is often at a premium on small vessels and
the costs of insulation can amount to a significant proportion of
the costs involved in construction, the choice of insulation
material can be very important.
Several thermal insulation materials are used commercially for
fishing vessels, but few are completely satisfactory for this
purpose. The main problems are lack of sufficient mechanical
strength and moisture absorption. The latter is a particularly
significant problem in fishing vessels, where melting ice is used
as a chilling medium. Thermal insulators work by trapping
bubbles or pockets of gas inside a foam structure. When these
cells of gas are filled with moisture, there are significant losses
in insulating efficiency.
The thermal conductivity of water (at 10 °C) is 0.5 kcal m-1 h-1
°C-1 and that of ice (at 0 °C) is 2 kcal m-1 h-1 °C-1 (about four
times the value of water). In comparison, dry stagnant air is
about 0.02 kcal m-1 h-1 °C-1. Figure 5.1 shows the thermal
conductivities of R-11, dry air, water vapour and ice within an
insulation material and illustrates the significant increase in
thermal conductivity that can occur if air/gas is replaced by
water vapour in the insulation.
Absorption of moisture by the insulating materials can take
place not only by direct contact with water leaking into the hold
walls, but also by condensation of water vapour in the walls
where the dew point is reached in the temperature gradient
through the walls.
The proper design of water vapour barriers is therefore of utmost
importance for protecting the insulation from gaining moisture.
In most climates the transmission of water vapour will tend to be
from the outside to the inside of the hold walls, as the external
temperature is likely to be higher than the internal temperature.
This requires an impervious moisture-proof layer on the outside
of the insulation, as well as a waterproof barrier on the lining to
prevent liquid melt water entering the insulation. The vapour
barrier can be achieved either through watertight surfaces of
prefabricated insulation panels (sandwich-type panels, with one
face being the vapour barrier of light-gauge galvanised steel
sheets and the other face being the internal finish of plastic-
coated aluminium or galvanised iron sheets), reinforced plastic
materials, polythene sheets, plastic films of minimum thickness
of 0.2 mm or aluminium foil of minimum thickness of 0.02 mm,
laminated with a bitumen membrane. The minimum thickness of
aluminium or galvanised sheets should be 0.3 mm.
THERMAL INSULATION MATERIALS
A wide range of insulation materials is available; however, few
meet the requirements of modern fish hold construction.
Selection of insulation material should be based on initial cost,
effectiveness, durability, the adaptation of its form/shape to that
of the fish hold and the installation methods available in each
particular area. From an economic point of view, it may be
better to choose an insulating material with a lower thermal
conductivity rather than increase the thickness of the insulation
in the hold walls. By reducing the thermal conductivity, less
insulation will be required for a given amount of refrigeration
and more usable volume will be available in the fish hold. The
space occupied by the insulation materials in fishing vessels can
represent, in many instances, about 10 to 15 percent of the gross
capacity of the fish hold.
Density values and thermal conductivity at 20-25 °C of
polyurethane insulation
Type Densit Thermal conductivity
y (W m-1 °C-1) / (kcal h-1 m-1 °C-1)
(kg/
m3)
Foam 30 0.026/0.0224
Rigid expanded 30 0.02-0.025/0.0172-0.0215
board average: 0.0225/0.0193
Rigid expanded 40 0.023/0.02
board
Rigid expanded 80 0.04/0.34
board
Foamed in place 24-40 0.023-0.026/0.0198-0.0224
average: 0.0245/0.0211
EXPERIMENT
AIM
To compare the effectiveness of different materials as thermal
insulators.
APPARATUS REQUIRED
● Small Beaker
● Large beaker
● Kettle
● Water
● Thermometer
● Piece of card
● Stopwatch
● Paper
● Cotton balls
● Sand
● Foam
● Aluminium foil
PROCEDURE
1. Place a small beaker into a larger beaker.
2. Fill the small beaker with hot water from a kettle.
3. Put a piece of cardboard over the beakers as a lid. The lid
should have a hole suitable for a thermometer.
4. Place a thermometer into the smaller beaker through the
hole.
5. Record the temperature of the water in the small beaker and
start the stopwatch.
6. Record the temperature of the water every 2 minutes for 20
minutes.
7. Repeat steps 1-6, each time packing the space between the
large beaker and small beaker with the chosen insulating
material.
8. Plot a graph of temperature (y-axis) against time (x-axis).
RESULT
time/mins N o Material 1 Material 2 Material 3 Material 4 Material 5
insulation/ /Co /Co /Co /Co /Co
Co
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
OBSERVATION
Plot all of the curves on the same axes. This will make the
materials easier to compare.
This graph shows:
● The curve which takes the longest time for the water
temperature to drop (the shallowest) should be the material
which is the best insulator.
● The temperature falls quickly at high temperatures and
slowly at low temperatures.
● When the beaker is at a high temperature, there is a big
difference between the temperature of the beaker and the
temperature of the surrounding air. This means there is a
high rate of transfer.
● When the beaker is at a lower temperature, there is less
difference between the temperature of the beaker and the
temperature of the surrounding air. This means there is a
lower rate of transfer.
PRECAUTION
Hazard Consequence Control measures
Do not overfill the kettle. Place the
small beaker inside the large beaker
Boiling before gently pouring the water.
Scald skin
water Remember to place any scald under
cold running water for at least 10
minutes.
Knocking
Place the beaker away from the edge
beaker
Scald skin of the desk. Carry out the experiment
off the
whilst standing.
desk
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1.https://www.savemyexams.com/gcse/physics/aqa/18/revision-
notes/1-energy/1-1-energy-changes-in-a-system/1-1-14-
required-practical-investigating-insulation/
2.https://www.tlsenergysavers.com/wp-content/uploads/
2023/10/131941302_m_normal_none.jpg
3.https://sciencenotes.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Types-
of-Heat-Transfer.png
4.https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Gf4HqZJXL.jpg
5 . h t t p s : / / w w w. f a o . o r g / 3 / y 5 0 1 3 e /
y5013e08.htm#:~:text=to%201%20kJ.-,Thermal%20
conductivity,to%20 measure%20their%20 insulating%20
effectiveness.
6 . h t t p s : / / w w w. u o m u s . e d u . i q / i m g / l e c t u r e s 2 1 /
MUCLecture_2022_81621395.pdf
7.https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z2gjtv4/revision/3
