Temperature Drop

the temperature difference between different points or cross sections of a body or flow. The temperature drop, together with the thermal conductivity, characterizes the intensity of thermal processes in a solid or medium. For solids, the temperature drop determines the thermal stresses, which may attain large values capable of destroying the body, especially when the thermal conductivity is low and the coefficient of thermal expansion is large. In unsteady heat-exchange processes the maximum possible temperature drop usually determines the maximum rate at which heat exchange can occur.