CHEMICAL ENGINEERING SERIES: HEAT TRANSFER

SOLVED PROBLEMS

Consider a composite wall that includes an 8-mm thick hardwood siding (k= 0.094 W/mK), 40-
mm by 130-mm hardwood studs (k= 0.16 W/mK) on 0.65-m centers with glass fiber
insulations (paper-faced, 28 kg/m3) (k= 0.038 W/mK), and a 12-mm layer of gypsum
(vermiculite) (k= 0.17 W/mK) wall board. What is the thermal resistance associated with a
wall that is 2.5 m high by 6.5 m wide (having 10 studs, each 2.5 m high)?

Source: Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer 6 th edition, by Incropera, et al

SOLUTION:

Mode of Heat Transfer: conduction with resistances in series and parallel

1 RT
Rwall= =
10
10
( R1 )
T

RT =R A + R + R D

1
RT =R A + + RD
1 1
+
R B RC

xA 0.008 m K
RA= = =0.0524
kA AA W W
( 0. 094
mK )( 0.65 m x 2.5 m )

xB 0.130 m K
RB = = =8.125
kB AB W
(0. 16 mW K )( 0. 04 m x 2.5 m )

ENGR. RONNIE V. FLORES Page 1

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING SERIES: HEAT TRANSFER
SOLVED PROBLEMS

xC 0.130 m K
RC = = =2.2433
k C AC W W
( 0.038
m K )
( 0.6 1 m x 2.5 m )

xD 0.0 12 m K
R D= = =0.0434
kD AD W
(0. 17 mW K )( 0.65 m x 2.5 m )
K 1 m K
RT =0.0524 + + 0.0434
W 1 1 W
+
K K
8.125 2.2433
W W

K
RT =1.8537
W

K
1.8537
W
Rwall=
10

K
Rwall=0.18537
W

ENGR. RONNIE V. FLORES Page 2