Thermal Diffusivity

Thermal diffusivity, abbreviated as \(\alpha\) (Greek symbol alpha), is a measure of the transient thermal reaction of a material to a change in temperature.

 

Thermal diffusivity formula
\(\large{ \alpha = \frac{ k }{ \rho \; Q }   }\)
Symbol	English	Metric
\(\large{ \alpha }\)  (Greek symbol alpha) = thermal diffusivity	\(\large{\frac{ft^2}{sec}}\)	\(\large{\frac{m^2}{s}}\)
\(\large{ \rho }\)  (Greek symbol rho) = density	\(\large{\frac{lbm}{ft^3}}\)	\(\large{\frac{kg}{m^3}}\)
\(\large{ Q }\) = specific heat capacity	\(\large{\frac{Btu}{lbm-F}}\)	\(\large{\frac{kJ}{kg-K}}\)
\(\large{ k }\) = thermal conductivity	\(\large{\frac{Btu}{hr-ft^2-F}}\)	\(\large{\frac{W}{m-K}}\)