Tutorial 2 (Week 3 and Week 4)

1) Please indicate whether the following statements are true or false. If true, give reasons.
If false, give examples to show that it is false.
a) Materials with high thermal conductivity usually have high thermal effusivity.
b) Thermal effusivity determines the thermal penetration depths in transient heat
transfer, i.e., how far heat diffuses into a surface after a certain period of time.
c) Thermal diffusivity determines how fast heat diffuses into a semi-infinite solid
to reach thermal equilibrium.
d) When we touch a wood table with hands, the temperature of the contact points
(between the table and our hands) is close to the temperature of our hands.
e) If the temperature profile of across a homogeneous thin layer is linear under a
steady-state condition, we may conclude that there is no heat generated within
the thin layer.
f) For a wire with an insulation layer, it is always true that the thinner the
insulation layer, the easier for heat generated in the wire to dissipate to the
surrounding.
g) For a solid with uniform heat generation, maximum temperature always
occurs inside the solid where the heat flux is zero.
h) Under steady-state conditions, temperature profile of a thin wall is always a
straight line if there is no heat generated within the wall.


2. (5.69) A thick steel slab ( =7800 kg/m
3
, c =481 J /kg-K, k=50 W/m-K) is initially at
300
o
C and is cooled by water jets impinging on one of its surfaces. The temperature of
the water is 25
o
C, and the jets maintain an extremely large, approximately uniform
convection coefficient at the surface. Assuming that the surface is maintained at the
temperature of the water throughout the cooling, how long will it take for the temperature
to reach 50
o
C at a distance of 25 mm from the surface? Properties of the steel slab are
given below.










3. (3.13) A house has a composite wall of wood, fiberglass insulation and plaster board,
as indicated in the sketch. On a cold winter day the convection heat transfer coefficients
are h
o
=60 W/m
2
-K and h
i
=30W/m
2
-K. The total wall surface area is 350 m
2
. Thermal
conductivity of fiberglass blanket, plywood siding and plasterboard are 0.038, 0.12, and
0.17 W/m-K, respectively.

a) Determine a symbolic expression for the total thermal resistance of the wall,
including inside and outside convection effects for the prescribed conditions.
b) Determine the total heat loss through the wall.
c) If the wind were blowing violently, raising h
o
to 300 W/m
2
-K, determine the
percentage increase in the total loss.
d) What is the controlling resistance that determines the amount of heat flow through
the wall?

4. (3.39) A stainless steel (AISI 304, k =14.2 W/m-K) tube used to transport a chilled
pharmaceutical has an inner diameter of 36 mm and a wall thickness of 2 mm. The
pharmaceutical and ambient air are at temperature of 6
o
C and 23
o
C respectively, while
the corresponding inner and outer convection coefficients are 400 W/m
2
-K and 6 W/m
2
-
Krespectively.
a) What is the heat gain per unit tube length?
b) What is the heat gain per unit length if a 10-mm-thick layer of calcium silicate
insulation (k
ins
=0.05 W/m-K) is applied to the tube?
5. (3.60) A spherical vessel used as a reactor for producing pharmaceuticals has a 10-
mm-thick stainless steel wall (k=17 W/m-K) and an inner diameter of 1m. The exterior
surface of the vessel is exposed to ambient air ( T

=25
o
C) for which a convection
coefficient of 6 W/m
2
-K may be assumed.
a) During steady-state operation, an inner surface temperature of 50
o
C in maintained
by energy generated within the reactor. What is the heat loss from the vessel?
b) If a 20-mm-thick layer of fiberglass insulation (k =0.04 W/m-K) is applied to the
exterior of the vessel and the rate of thermal energy generation is unchanged,
what is the inner surface temperature of the vessel?
6. (3.74) Consider a plane composite wall that is composed of three materials (materials
A, B and C are arranged left to right) of thermal conductivities k
A
=0.24 W/m-K,
k
B
=0.13W/m-K, and k
C
=0.5W/m-K. The thickness of the three sections of the wall are
L
A
=20 mm, L
B
=13 mm, and L
C
=20 mm. A contact resistance of
, t c
R =10
-2
m
2
-K/W exists
at the interface between materials B and C. The left face of the composite wall is
insulated, while the right face is exposed to convective conditions characterized by h =10
W/m
2
-K, T

=20
o
C. For case 1, thermal energy is generated within material A at the rate
A
q =5000 W/m
3
. For Case 2, thermal energy is generated within material C at the rate
C
q =5000 W/m
3
.
a) Determine the maximum temperature within the composite wall under steady
state conditions for case 1.
b) Sketch the steady state temperature distribution on T-x coordinates for case 1.
c) Sketch the steady state temperature distribution for case 2 on the same T-x
coordinates used for case 1.

7. (3.128) A 40-mm-long, 2-mm-diameter pin fin is fabricated of an aluminum alloy (k =
140 W/m
2
-K).
a) Determine the fine heat transfer rate for T
b
=50
o
C, T

=25
o
C, h =1000 W/m
2
-K,
and adiabatic tip condition.
b) An engineer suggests that by holding the fin tip at a low temperature, the fin heat
transfer rate can be increased. For T(x=L) =0
o
C, determine the new fin heat
transfer rate. Other conditions are as in part (a).
c) Plot the temperature distribution, T(x), over the range 0xL for the adiabatic tip
case and the prescribed tip temperature case. Also show the ambient temperature
in your graph. Discuss relevant features of the temperature distribution.