Department of Chemical Engineering, NITK

Assignment - I: Heat Transfer (CH250)

Submission Date: 29-01-2024 (5pm)

1. A boiler furnace has the effective dimensions 4 m by 3 m by 3 m high. The walls are
constructed from an inner firebrick wall 25 cm thick (k = 0.4 W/mK), a layer of ceramic
blanket insulation (k = 0.2 W/mK), 8 cm thick and a steel protective layer (k=54 W/mK) 2
mm thick. The inside temperature of the firebrick layer was measured as 600°C and the
temperature of the outside of insulation as 60°C. Determine the rate of heat loss through
the vertical walls of the furnace. Also calculate the temperature drop across the steel layer.

2. Find the steady state heat flux through the infinite composite slab made up of two
materials with the thickness of 5cm and 10cm (surface temperature of 600oC and 30oC).
Also find the interface temperature Ti. The thermal conductivities of the two materials
vary linearly with temperature in the following manner:

k1 = 0.05(1 + 0.008T) W/m K

k2 = 0.04(1 + 0.0075T) W/m K

where T is the temperature in °C.

3. An infinite composite slab is made up of glass wool insulation packed in the space between
two thin metal sheets (0.5 mm thick). The metal sheets are 2 cm apart. The outer faces of
the metal sheets are in contact with the hot air at 700 °C on one side and room temperature
air at 30 °C on the other, and the values of the convective heat transfer coefficients on the
hot and cold faces are 15 and 10 W/m2K respectively. Calculate the steady state rate at
which heat flows per unit area through the slab, if the thermal conductivity of the glass
wool insulation varies with temperature in the following manner:

K=0.035(1+0.007T) W/mK

Where ‘T’ is the temperature in °C. State the assumptions made.

4. Calculate the rate at which heat flows through the walls of a closed 1 x 3 x 3 m rectangular
steel enclosure made from a 5 mm thick plate and containing hot gas at a temperature of
300°C. The air surrounding the enclosure is at a temperature of 30°C, the inside heat
transfer coefficient is 10 W/m2 K and the outside heat transfer coefficient is 20 W/m2 K.
W hat is the reduction in heat flow rate if fibre insulation 2 cm thick is put all round the
enclosure? The thermal conductivity of the insulation varies with temperature in the manner
shown in the following table:

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 Temp ( 0C) 0 100 200 300

k (W/m K) 0.027 0.037 0.050 0:010

In order to simplify the calculations, use the value of thermal conductivity corresponding to
the mean temperature of the insulation and interpolate linearly in the above table.

5. A steel tube (k = 43.26 W/mK) of 5.08 cm 1.D. and 7.62 O.D. is covered with a 2.54 cm
layer of asbestos insulation (k 0.208 W/mK). The inside surface of the tube receives heat
by convection from a hot gas at a temperature of T=316 °C with a heat transfer coefficient
h = 284 W/m³K, while the outer surface of the insulation is exposed to the ambient air at
Tb= 38 °C with a heat transfer coefficient of hb = 17 W/m²K. Estimate (i) the loss to ambient
air for 3 m length of the tube (ii) the temperature drops across the tube material and
insulation layer.

6. Calculate the rate at which heat is lost to the surroundings per unit length of an insulated
steam pipe having the following dimensions and specifications:

Inner diameter of pipe = 3 cm

Thickness of pipe = 0.2 cm

Thickness of insulation = 1 cm

Heat transfer coefficient on inside surface = 10 W/m2 K

Heat transfer coefficient on outside surface = 10 W/m2 K

Temperature of steam = 100°C

Temperature of surroundings = 25°C

Thermal conductivity of pipe metal = 15 W/m

Thermal conductivity of insulation = 0.05 W/m

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7. A 30 mm O.D. steam pipe is to be covered with two layers of insulation each having a
thickness of 25 mm. The average thermal conductivity of one insulating material is 5 times
that of the other. Determine the percentage decrease in heat transfer if better insulating
material is put next to the pipe than when it forms the outer layer. Assume that the outside
and inside surface temperatures of the composite insulation are fixed.

8. A nuclear fuel element is in the form of a long solid cylindrical rod (k=0.8 W/mK) of
diameter 14 mm and generates heat at the uniform rate 0.6 X 108 W/m3 because of fission.
It is encapsulated in a cladding of thickness 0.5 mm having a thermal conductivity of 9
W/mK. The heat generated is dissipated to pressurized water flowing outside of the
cladding with a bulk temperature of 300 °C and the convective heat Transfer coefficient is
15,000 W/m2K. Assuming steady state conditions, determine the maximum temperature in
the fuel rod.

9. A solid steel ball 5 cm in diameter is at a uniform temperature of 450 °C. It is quenched

in a controlled environment whose temperature is initially 90 °C but which increases linearly
with time at the rate of 10 °C per minute. Given:

Surface heat transfer coefficient = 58 W/m2K

Density of steel = 8000 kg/m3

Specific heat of steel = 0.42 kJ/kgK

Neglect internal temperature gradients and find the variation of temperature of the ball
with time. Find the value of the minimum temperature to which the ball cools and the time
taken to attain this temperature. Show that the assumption made to neglect internal
temperature gradients is valid.

10. Radioactive waste (k = 2.5 W/m K) obtained from a nuclear reprocessing plant is stored
in a thick spherical stainless steel container (ri = 0.45 m, ro = 0.50 m, k = 8.5 W/m K). Heat
is generated in the waste at the uniform rate = 10, 000 W/m3 • Assume that heat is lost by
natural convection to air at 30°C from the outer surface of the container and that the heat
transfer coefficient is 12 W/m2 K. Calculate the steady state temperature of the waste at
the centre of the sphere.

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11. A 25 mm O.D pipe line is to be thermally insulated with a material of thermal conductivity
0.025 W/mK. The heat transfer coefficient for the surroundings is 10 W/m²K. Check
whether the insulation would be effective or not. What should be the maximum value of k
for the insulating material to effectively reduce the heat transfer. Also find the thickness
of insulation if an alternative material with k=0.038 W/mK is employed and it is desired to
reduce the heat transfer to 20.7% from the bare pipe.

12. A solid steel ball 5 cm in diameter is at a uniform temperature of 450°C. It is quenched

in a controlled environment whose temperature is initially 90°C but which increases linearly
with time at the rate of 10°C per minute.

Given: Surface heat transfer coefficient = 58 W/m2 K

Density of steel = 8000 kg/m3

Specific heat of steel = 0.42 kJ/kg K

Neglect internal temperature gradients and find the variation of temperature of the ball
with time. Find the value of the minimum temperature to which the ball cools and the time
taken to attain this temperature. Show that the assumption made to neglect internal
temperature gradients is valid.

13 .A thin hollow stainless steel tube with I.D. = 7.6 mm and O.D. - 8 mm is heated with a
current of 250 A intensity. The outer surface of the tube is insulated and all the heat
evolved in the tube wall is transferred from the tube through its inner surface. The specific
resistance and the thermal conductivity of steel are respectively 85μΩ-cm² and 18.6 W/mK.
Calculate

(a) the volumetric rate of heat liberation from the inner surface.
(b) the temperature drop across the wall.

14.A heating unit made in the form of a 1.2 m long, 6 cm diameter cylinder is placed in an
atmosphere of 18°C. It is provided with 20 longitudinal straight fins 0.3 cm thick which
protrude 50 mm from the cylinder surface. The temperature of the base of the fins is 80°C.
The local heat transfer coefficient from the cylinder and fins to the ambient air is 9.3
W/m²K and the thermal conductivity of the tube wall is 55.7 W/mK Calculate the rate of
heat transfer from the finned wall to the surroundings.

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15.The chimney of a steel mill is made of reinforced concrete (k = 1.1 W/mK) and is having
an I.D. of /80 cm and O.D. of 1.3 m. It is to be lined from inside with a refractory material
(k = 0.5 W/mK). It is desired that the loss of heat should not exceed 2000 W/m and the
temperature of the inner surface of the concrete is limited to 200°C. The temperature at
the inside surface of the lining due to the flow of flue gases would be 425°C. Calculate the
thickness of the refractory lining and the temperature of the outer surface on the chimney.

16. Stainless steel cylinders at a uniform temperature of 325 °C are quenched in an oil bath
maintained at a constant temperature of 25 °C. Each cylinder is 6 cm in diameter and 6 cm
long. Find the temperature at the center of the circular faces of the cylinders after 3 mins
have elapsed. Find also the temperature on the curved surface at the mid-plane (z = 0) after
the same time has elapsed. Take h = 400 W/m2K. for stainless steel, assume k = 12 W/mK
and α = 4 X 10-6 m2/s.

17.A 1m long, 5 cm diameter cylinder placed in an atmosphere at 40°C is provided with 12

longitudinal straight fins (k: 75.6 W/mK). The fins are 0.8 mm thick and protrude 2.5 cm
from the cylinder surface The heat transfer coefficient from the cylinder and fins to the
ambient air is 23.25 W/m K. Calculate the rate of heat transfer if the surface temperature
is 150°C.

18.Compare the temperature distributions in a spine (pin fin) having a diameter of 2 cm and
length 10 cm and exposed to a convection environment with h=25 W/m2 K for three fin
materials: Copper (k = 385 W/mK), stainless steel (k: 17 W/mK), and glass (k = 0.8 W/mK).
Also compare the relative heat flows and fin efficiencies with respect to the copper fin.

19.A thermometer well is made of 8 mm outside diameter steel tube and has a thermal
conductivity of 58 W/mK Inside diameter of the well is 6 mm. Making suitable assumptions
estimate the true temperature of the flowing fluid if the temperature recorded by the
thermometer is 100°C, the pipe wall temperature being 50°C. The heat transfer coefficient
at the outside of the well may be taken as 29 W/m2K. Assume length = 140 mm.

20. A long steel bar has a rectangular cross-section ( 5 cm x 3 cm) and is initially at a uniform
temperature of 25 °C. It is placed in a furnace at a temperature of 1000 °C. Find the
temperature at the center of the bar after 15 minutes have elapsed. Assume:

Surface heat transfer coefficient = 100 W/m2K

k for steel = 30 W/mK

∝ for steel = 0.050 m2/h

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21.A steel pipe 1 m in diameter and 40 mm wall thickness is heavily insulated on the outside
and is originally at -20°C. A hot oil at 60°C is now pumped through the pipe resulting in a
convective surface condition with h=500 W/m²K at the inner surface of the pipe. What is
the temperature of the exterior pipe surface 8 min after the start of flow. Also calculate
the heat flux to the pipe from the oil and the energy transferred per metre of pipe length
from the oil to the pipe at t=8 min. (For steel at 20°C, ρ=7823 kg/m3, c=434 J/ kgK, k=63.9
W/mK, α-188x10 m²/s)

22. A 25 mm O.D. solid steel ball bearing initially at a temperature of 600°C is quenched in
oil at 40°C. The convective heat transfer coefficient for this situation is 1500 W/m²K.
Calculate the centre temperature and temperature at 1.25 mm from the surface after the
bearing has been in oil for 30 s. Also calculate the heat lost by the bearing during this time
period. The ball bearing properties are: ρ=7690 kg/m3 .c=460 J/kg K, k=24.2 W/mK.

23 A hollow metal sphere (ID 5 cm, OD 10 cm) is at a temperature of 500°C. It is cooled in

an oil bath maintained at a temperature of 40°C. Find the temperature on the outer surface
of the sphere after 100 seconds have elapsed. Assume that the surface heat transfer
coefficient is 90 W/m2 K and that there is negligible heat transfer at the inner surface of
the sphere. Given the following properties of the metal: Density 8000 kg/m 3 ; Thermal
conductivity 50 W/m K; Specific heat 420 J/kg K.

24. Air flows across a circumferentially finned tube (2.5 cm OD, 2.2 cm ID) inside which
water is flowing. There are 2 fins per cm, each 1 mm thick and 4 cm in diameter. Calculate
the overall heat transfer coefficient based on the inner area if the heat transfer
coefficients on the air and the water sides are 20 and 200 W/m2 K respectively, and the
effectiveness of the fins is 0.7. Neglect temperature drop through the tube wall.