Heat and Mass Transfer

Probset 1 Answer Key

1. (15 pts) Determine the steady-state rate of heat transfer per unit area (q/A) through a
5.0-cm-thick homogenous slab with its two faces maintained at uniform temperatures of 40°C
and 20°C. Thermal conductivity of the material is 0.20 W/m-K.
𝑞 Δ𝑇 𝑇1 − 𝑇2 𝑊 (40 ℃ − 20℃) 𝑾
=𝑘 =𝑘 = (0.20 ) = 𝟖𝟎 𝟐
𝐴 Δ𝑥 𝐿 𝑚−𝐾 0.05 𝑚 𝒎

2
2. (15 pts) Calculate the heat loss per m of surface area for a temporary insulating wall of
a food cold storage room where the outside temperature is 299.9 K and the inside temperature
276.5 K. The wall is composed of 25.4 mm of corkboard having a k of 0.0433 W/m · K.
𝑞 Δ𝑇 𝑇1 − 𝑇2 𝑊 (299.9 𝐾 − 276.5 𝐾) 𝑾
=𝑘 =𝑘 = (0.0433 ) = 𝟑𝟗. 𝟖𝟗𝟏 𝟐
𝐴 Δ𝑥 𝐿 𝑚−𝐾 0.0254 𝑚 𝒎

3. (15 pts) In determining the thermal conductivity of an insulating material, the

temperatures were measured on both sides of a flat slab of 25 mm of the material and were
318.4 and 303.2 K. The heat flux was measured as 35.1 W/m2.
Δ𝑇
𝑞 = 𝑘𝐴
L
𝑞 𝑊
(𝐴) 𝐿 (35.1 2 ) (0.025 𝑚) 𝑾
𝑘= = 𝑚 = 𝟎. 𝟎𝟓𝟕𝟕𝟑
Δ𝑇 318.4 𝐾 − 303.2 𝐾 𝒎−𝑲

4. (20 pts) A flat plane of thickness Δx has one surface maintained at T1 and the other at
T2. If the thermal conductivity varies according to temperature as k = A + bT + cT3 where A,
b, and c are constants, derive an expression for the one-dimensional heat flux q/A.

Fourier’s Law:
𝑞 𝑑𝑇
= −𝑘
𝐴 𝑑𝑥
𝑞
𝑑𝑥 = −𝑘𝑑𝑇
𝐴
𝑥2 𝑇2
𝑞
∫ 𝑑𝑥 = − ∫ 𝑘 𝑑𝑇
𝐴
𝑥1 𝑇1
 𝑇2
𝑇
𝑞 𝑏𝑇 2 𝑐𝑇 4 2
(x2 − 𝑥1 ) = − ∫ (𝐴 + 𝑏𝑇 + 𝑐𝑇 3 )𝑑𝑇 = − (𝐴𝑇 + + )|
𝐴 2 4 𝑇
𝑇1 1

𝑞 𝑏(𝑇22 − 𝑇12 ) 𝑐(𝑇24 − 𝑇14 )

(x2 − 𝑥1 ) = − (𝐴(𝑇2 − 𝑇1 ) + + )
𝐴 2 4

𝑏(𝑇12 − 𝑇22 ) 𝑐(𝑇14 − 𝑇24 )

𝑞 𝐴(𝑇1 − 𝑇2 ) + 2
+
4
=
𝐴 x2 − 𝑥1

Let: Δ𝑇 = 𝑇1 − 𝑇2 , Δ(𝑇 2 ) = (𝑇12 − 𝑇22 ), Δ(𝑇 4 ) = (𝑇14 − 𝑇24 ) and Δ𝑥 = 𝑥2 − 𝑥1

Acceptable
𝑏(𝑇12 − 𝑇22 ) 𝑐(𝑇14 − 𝑇24 ) answer
𝑞 𝐴(𝑇1 − 𝑇2 ) + 2
+
4 already
=
𝐴 Δ𝑥

𝒃𝚫(𝑻𝟐 ) 𝒄𝚫(𝑻𝟒 )
𝒒 𝑨𝚫𝑻 + 𝟐 + 𝟒
=
𝑨 𝚫𝒙
5. (25 pts) Consider a 5-m-high, 8-m-long, and 0.22-m-thickwall whose representative cross
section is as given in the figure. The thermal conductivities of various materials used, in W/m ·
K, are kA = kF = 2, kB = 8, kC = 20, kD = 15, and kE = 35. The left and right surfaces of the
wall are maintained at uniform temperatures of 300 oC and 100 oC, respectively. Assuming heat
transfer through the wall to be one-dimensional, determine (a) the rate of heat transfer through
the wall; (b) the temperature at the point where the sections B, D, and E meet; and (c) the
temperature drop across the section F. Disregard any contact resistances at the interfaces.

(a)
𝐿𝐴 0.01 𝑚 𝑲
𝑅𝐴 = = = 𝟎. 𝟎𝟒
𝑘𝐴 𝐴𝐴 (2 𝑊 2 𝑾
𝑚 − 𝐾 )( 0.12 𝑚 )
𝐾
Following this formula for all resistances in 𝑊:
𝑹𝑩 = 𝟎. 𝟏𝟔, 𝑹𝑪 = 𝟎. 𝟎𝟔, 𝑹𝑫 = 𝟎. 𝟏𝟏, 𝑹𝑬 = 𝟎. 𝟎𝟓, 𝑹𝑭 = 𝟎. 𝟐𝟓
Let 𝑅𝑚𝑖𝑑,1 = resistance across C-B-C section,
𝑅𝑚𝑖𝑑,2 =resistance across D-E section
1 1 1 1 1 1 1
= + + = + +
𝑅𝑚𝑖𝑑,1 𝑅𝐶 𝑅𝐵 𝑅𝐶 0.06 0.16 0.06
𝑲
𝑹𝒎𝒊𝒅,𝟏 = 𝟎. 𝟎𝟐𝟓
𝑾
 1 1 1 1 1
= + = +
𝑅𝑚𝑖𝑑,2 𝑅𝐷 𝑅𝐸 0.11 0.05
𝑲
𝑹𝒎𝒊𝒅,𝟐 = 𝟎. 𝟎𝟑𝟒
𝑾

𝑲
𝑅𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 𝑅𝐴 + 𝑅𝑚𝑖𝑑,1 + 𝑅𝑚𝑖𝑑,2 + 𝑅𝐹 = 0.04 + 0.025 + 0.034 + 0.25 = 𝟎. 𝟑𝟒𝟗
𝑾
For a 12 cm by 1 m section :
𝑇1 − 𝑇2 300 ℃ − 100℃
𝑄̇𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = = = 572 𝑊
𝑅𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 0.349 𝐾/𝑊

Let 𝐴𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 0.12 𝑚 × 1 𝑚 = 0.12 𝑚2

𝐴𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 5 𝑚 × 8 𝑚 = 40 𝑚2

For the w hole w all:

𝑄̇𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑄̇𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
=
𝐴𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

𝑄̇𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐴𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 (572 𝑊)(40 𝑚2 )

𝑄̇𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = = = 𝟏𝟗𝟎𝟔𝟔𝟔. 𝟔𝟕 𝑾
𝐴𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 0.12 𝑚2

(b) Let 𝑅𝐵𝐷𝐸 be resistance from hot surface to point where sections B, D, and E meet

𝐾
𝑅𝐵𝐷𝐸 = 𝑅1 + 𝑅𝑚𝑖𝑑,1 = 0.04 + 0.025 = 0.065
𝑊
𝑇1 − 𝑇 𝐾
𝑄̇𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = → 𝑇 = 𝑇1 − 𝑄̇𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑅𝐵𝐷𝐸 = 300 ℃ − (572 𝑊) (0.065 ) = 𝟐𝟑𝟔 ℃
𝑅𝐵𝐷𝐸 𝑊

(c) Temperature drop across section F

Δ𝑇 𝐾
𝑄̇𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = → Δ𝑇 = 𝑄̇𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑅𝐹 = (572 𝑊) (0.25 ) = 𝟏𝟒𝟑℃
𝑅𝐹 𝑊

6. (10 pts) Determine the current running through a 5-m long cylindrical wire if it has a
center temperature of 55 oC. The wire has a resistance of 0.05 ohms and the outer temperature
Tw is held at 20 oC. use a thermal conductivity of 25 W/m-K.

Let 𝜌 be the electric resistance in ohms,

𝐼 be the current running through the wire,

𝑅 be the radius of the wire

 𝑄
𝑞̇ 𝑅2 ( 2 ) (𝑅 2 )
𝑇𝑜 = + 𝑇𝑤 = 𝜋𝑅 𝐿 + 𝑇𝑤
4𝑘 4𝑘
𝑄 = 𝐼2 𝜌

𝐼2 𝜌
( ) (𝑅 2 )
𝜋𝑅 2 𝐿
𝑇𝑜 = + 𝑇𝑤
4𝑘
4𝑘(𝑇𝑜 − 𝑇𝑤 )𝜋𝐿
= 𝐼2
𝜌

4𝑘(𝑇𝑜 − 𝑇𝑤 )𝜋𝐿
𝐼=√
𝜌

𝑊
√4 (25 𝑚 − 𝐾 ) (55 − 20 𝐾)(𝜋)(5 𝑚)
𝐼= = 𝟏𝟎𝟒𝟖. 𝟔 𝑨
0.05 Ω