I am modeling a gas-based cooling system. To compute the total heat flux, I need the effective thermal conductivity of a gas in 3D. However, In many papers published in high impact journals, isotropic thermal conductivity has been considered for gasses. Do you think it is fine or not?
Heat capacities in solids often depend on the direction relative to some structure in the solid. However, in liquids, and especially in gases, such structures rarely exist and the thermal conductivity is generally isotropic.
Thank you, dear Dr. Larry L. Baxter . Is it also valid in terms of turbulent flow?
Mohammad Alipour
I can imagine that in very unusual circumstances one might see anisotropic thermal conductivities, purely driven by flow structures, as alluded to by Dr. Baxter.
Some years ago I was operating a cryogenic tensile strength apparatus - and noticed this phenomenon - driven by the differences in density of air in contact with the grips or the system.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9dx56OekZUscUcwMjlmckxQV2s
You'r looking at a rolling 'sausage' of air about 60mm in depth, and maybe 1cm in diameter - which has a layered structure and rotates via a 'katabatic' wind.
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