Heat Flux⚠ unverified
Physics / Heat Transfer · Compute heat flux from heat rate and area
Parameters
| Input | Symbol | Unit | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| q | q | W | 1.0 | Heat rate |
| A | A | m**2 | 1.0 | Area normal to the heat flow |
| Output | Symbol | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| result | q'' | W/m**2 | Heat flux, in watts per square metre (W/m**2). Returns 0.0 when A is not positive |
The science & history
Understanding the Parameters
- $Q$ — total watts (conduction, convection, or radiation net).
- $A$ — the area used consistently with how $Q$ was defined.
- $q''$ — local design limit for electronics, boiling, solar loads, etc.
Derivation (Approaching a Proof)
By definition of average flux over area $A$: $q''_{\mathrm{avg}} = (1/A)\int q''\,dA = Q/A$ when $Q$ is the integral of flux.
History
Heat flux is the natural intensity measure in all modes of heat transfer.
Related Concepts: 1D Steady Conduction, Convection Heat Transfer, Radiation Heat Transfer
Notes: Registry calculator heat-flux (unverified). Average flux only.