Measuring the heat absorbed by objects close to a radiator I have a digital piano 12"/30cm to the side of a radiator (not in front of it). Radiator is 60°C as measured on an infrared (IR) thermometer, air temperature around the piano is 16-17C with the radiator off, peaking at 20-21°C with the radiator on.
The cabinet of the piano never gets above 20°C, but should I be worried about the internals of the piano being heated up by the radiator? Or is the cabinet acting like insulation and would block any heat from transferring inside?
People say not to site electromechanical stuff near a radiator because it could be affected by the heat, but none of the measurements I can make show anything other than normal room temperatures.
Is there a formula for calculating how much energy is absorbed by an object Xcm away from a heat source?
 A: Despite their name, radiators don't primarily give out heat by radiation, but rather by conduction into the air around them, which then spreads around the room through convection.
If the cabinet of the piano doesn't get significantly above 20°C, then the only way that the insides will get hotter, is if the electronics generate more heat that can't be dissipated, and little of this heat is going through the place in the cabinet where you're measuring the temperature. (assuming you're measuring the temperature when the piano is in use). So if the cabinet is a good insulator, you've got no worries from the radiator, because the inside is insulated from it. And if the cabinet is a poor insulator, then you've got no worries, because the insides will be cooling quickly through the cabinet, and the fact that the outside doesn't get above 20°C means that the inside will be cool too.
There isn't a useful formula for calculating how much energy is absorbed by an object Xcm from a heat source. There are, however, dynamic simulation models which will give you useful estimates, such as energyplus or modelica. Using those would be to over-complicate answering your question, though.
