Heat Transfer

Module 1

Modes of Heat Transfer and Governing Laws

1. Define the three modes of heat transfer: conduction, convection, and radiation. Explain
how energy is transferred in each mode.
2. State Fourier’s law of heat conduction and explain its significance in heat transfer.
3. State Newton’s law of cooling. Discuss its application in convection heat transfer.
4. State Stefan-Boltzmann Law and Planck’s law.
5. Describe the rate of heat transfer through a material is affected by its thermal
conductivity in the case of conduction.
6. A body radiates energy at a rate of 500 W. If the temperature of the body increases by
10%, how does the radiated energy change?
7. Why is heat transfer by radiation important in the design of heat exchangers? Explain
with an example.
8. Differentiate natural convection and forced convection. Provide an example of each.
9. How does the emissivity of a material affect the radiation heat transfer?
10. Describe the concept of thermal resistance and its significance in heat transfer analysis.
11. Define Thermal conductivity, Thermal diffusivity, Thermal contact resistance etc.

Generalized Heat Conduction Equation (Rectangular, Cylindrical, and Spherical Coordinates)

11. Derive generalized heat conduction equation in rectangular coordinates and explain
each term. State and show various cases in it.
12. Derive Laplace equation.
13. Write the generalized heat conduction equation for cylindrical and spherical
coordinates and describe each term.
14. State the generalized form of the heat conduction equation in cylindrical coordinates
and explain how it differs from that in rectangular coordinates.
15. Describe thermal resistance and it’s role in heat transfer.

Steady-State Heat Conduction

16. Derive the equation for the rate of heat transfer for steady-state heat conduction through
a plane wall with constant thermal conductivity.
17. Write the equation for the overall heat transfer rate through the composite wall.
18. Derive an equation for the rate of heat transfer for steady-state heat conduction through
a composite wall / cylindrical wall / spherical wall with constant thermal conductivity.
19. How do you calculate the heat transfer rate for steady-state conduction through a long
cylinder with a given radius and thermal conductivity?
20. Describe the critical radius of insulation and how does it affect the heat loss from the
cylinder?
21. Describe the critical radius of insulation for a cylindrical and spherical object.
22. Derive an expression for critical radius of insulation for a cylinder and sphere and
describe it with the help of graph.
 Module 2

Heat Transfer from Extended Surfaces

1. What are extended surfaces (fins), and why are they used in heat transfer applications?
2. Describe the types of extended surfaces used in heat exchangers and cooling systems.
Explain the significance of each type.
3. Define fin efficiency and fin effectiveness. How are these parameters used to evaluate
the performance of fins?
4. Describe the difference between a fin with insulated tips, a fin with a convective tip,
and a fin with an infinite length.
5. Explain the difference between the heat transfer from a long fin versus a short fin. How
does the length of the fin impact its effectiveness?
6. Describe the fin efficiency and fin effectiveness. Also derive relation between them.
7. Derive the governing differential equation for heat conduction in a fin.
8. Derive an equation for temperature distribution in fin with infinite long fin, finite length
with tip is insulated and finite length with convective heat transfer at the tip.
9. Derive an equation for heat transfer in fin with infinite long fin, finite length with tip is
insulated and finite length with convective heat transfer at the tip.

Unsteady State Heat Transfer: Lumped Heat Capacity Analysis

11. Describe the concept of transient heat conduction and provide an example where
unsteady-state heat transfer occurs.
12. Define lumped heat capacity analysis.
13. State the assumptions and condition in lumped heat capacity analysis.
14. For a body with a mass of 1 kg, specific heat of 500 J/kg·K, and an initial temperature
of 25°C, if it is suddenly exposed to a temperature of 100°C, calculate the heat required
to bring the body to 60°C using lumped capacitance.
15. A metal object with a thermal mass of 100 J/K is heated by a constant heat source. If
the heat transfer coefficient between the object and surroundings is 50 W/m²·K, and the
ambient temperature is 30°C, calculate the time required for the temperature of the
object to reach 60°C, given that the initial temperature was 40°C.
16. Discuss the concept of thermal time constant. How is it related to the lumped heat
capacity model?
17. For a lumped capacitance system, derive the equation that describes the temperature
variation with time when a body is heated or cooled in a surrounding medium.
18. In a lumped capacitance system, a body of mass 2 kg and specific heat 400 J/kg·K is
heated at a constant rate. If the body’s temperature rises by 15°C in 10 minutes,
calculate the heat transfer rate (W) supplied to the body.
19. A small metal object has a thermal time constant of 5 minutes when placed in an
environment with a temperature of 25°C. If the object is initially at 50°C, calculate the
temperature of the object after 15 minutes of exposure to the ambient temperature.
 Module 3
1. Define convection and distinguish between free (natural) and forced convection.
Provide an example for each.
2. Explain how heat is transferred in free convection and the role of buoyancy in this
process.
3. Describe the factors that affect heat transfer in forced convection, and explain how
the velocity of the fluid influences the heat transfer rate.
4. Calculate the heat transfer rate due to free convection for a flat vertical plate in air at
25°C if the plate has a temperature of 100°C. Use appropriate correlations for natural
convection.
5. Compare the heat transfer characteristics of forced convection and free convection
for a given fluid in a pipe and flow over a flat plate.
6. Describe the impact of increasing fluid velocity on forced convection heat transfer in
a horizontal pipe and flow over a flat plate. How does this affect the thermal boundary
layer and Nusselt number in both cases (in a horizontal pipe and flow over a flat
plate)?
7. Describe the velocity boundary layer and how does it differ from the thermal
boundary layer in external flow over a flat plate?
8. Describe the effect of surface roughness on the boundary layers (velocity and
thermal) in turbulent flow over a flat plate.
9. Describe the development of the velocity and thermal boundary layers in laminar
flow inside a tube. How do these layers evolve with distance from the entrance?
10. Define constant heat flux and constant surface temperature conditions in heat transfer
problems.
11. List and describe the different boiling regimes with the help of neat sketch.
12. Describe the mechanisms behind film boiling and drop-wise condensation.
13. Differentiate film condensation and drop-wise condensation.
14. State the Stefan-Boltzmann law wien’s displacement law and explain its application
in radiation heat transfer.
15. Explain the difference between emission, absorption, and reflection in radiation heat
transfer.
16. Define shape factor, configuration factor.
17. Derive reciprocity theorem.
18. Describe the factors that affect the heat exchange between two bodies.

Module 4

1. Classify heat exchangers commonly used in engineering applications. Describe

working of each type of heat Exchanger.
2. Define a shell-and-tube heat exchanger and describe its applications.
3. Differentiate counter flow heat exchanger and a parallel flow heat exchanger. Draw T-
A/T-L diagram for it.
4. Describe a plate heat exchanger and compare it to a shell-and-tube heat exchanger.
5. Given the flow arrangements (counter flow, parallel flow), determine which type of
heat exchanger is more effective for a high heat transfer rate with minimal temperature
difference between the fluids. Justify your answer.
6. Define the overall heat transfer coefficient (U) in a heat exchanger.
7. Derive expression for the overall heat transfer coefficient (U) tube in tube type heat
exchanger.
8. Describe the effect of fouling on the overall heat transfer coefficient in a shell-and-tube
heat exchanger. How does fouling reduce the heat transfer efficiency?
9. Describe the Log Mean Temperature Difference (LMTD) method in heat exchanger
analysis.
10. Derive an expression for Log Mean Temperature Difference (LMTD) for parallel flow
and counter flow heat exchanger.
11. Describe the correction factor is used to adjust the LMTD for a heat exchanger with
multiple passes on the shell side or in cross-flow configurations.
12. Define the concept of effectiveness and Number of Transfer units (NTU) in the context
of heat exchangers. How is it related to the heat exchanger’s performance?
13. Describe the ɛ-NTU method used for evaluating heat exchanger performance. What are
the key differences between the LMTD method and the NTU method?
14. Define mass transfer and explain its significance in engineering processes.
15. Explain the difference between mass transfer and heat transfer. State the key
mechanisms involved in mass transfer.
16. Write down Fick’s law of diffusion and explain its role in mass transfer processes.