Suez Canal University Heat and Mass Transfer

Faculty of Engineering 4th Level

Mechanical Eng. Dept. Sheet No. (2)

External forced convection

1- The local atmospheric pressure in Denver, Colorado (elevation 1610 m), is 83.4 kPa. Air at this
pressure and 20°C flows with a velocity of 8 m/s over a 1.5 m x 6 m flat plate whose temperature
is 140°C. Determine the rate of heat transfer from the plate if the air flows parallel to the (a) 6-
m-long side and (b) the 1.5-m side.
2- Consider a hot automotive engine, which can be approximated as a 0.5-m-high, 0.40-m-wide,
and 0.8-m-long rectangular block. The bottom surface of the block is at a temperature of 80°C
and has an emissivity of 0.95. The ambient air is at 20°C, and the road surface is at 25°C.
Determine the rate of heat transfer from the bottom surface of the engine block by convection
and radiation as the car travels at a velocity of 80 km/h. assume the flow to be turbulent over
the entire surface because of the constant agitation of the engine block.
3- The forming section of a plastics plant puts out a continuous sheet of plastic that is 1.2 m wide
and 2 mm thick at a rate of 15 m/min. The temperature of the plastic sheet is 90°C when it is
exposed to the surrounding air, and the sheet is subjected to air flow at 30°C at a velocity of 3
m/s on both sides along its surfaces normal to the direction of motion of the sheet. The width of
the air cooling section is such that a fixed point on the plastic sheet passes through that section
in 2 s. Determine the rate of heat transfer from the plastic sheet to the air.
4- A 15-cm x 15-cm circuit board dissipating 15 W of power uniformly is cooled by air, which
approaches the circuit board at 20°C with a velocity of 5 m/s. Disregarding any heat transfer from
the back surface of the board, determine the surface temperature of the electronic components
(a) at the leading edge and (b) at the end of the board. Assume the flow to be turbulent since the
electronic components are expected to act as turbulators.
5- A long 8-cm-diameter steam pipe whose external surface temperature is 90°C passes through
some open area that is not protected against the winds. Determine the rate of heat loss from the
pipe per unit of its length when the air is at 1 atm pressure and 7°C and the wind is blowing across
the pipe at a velocity of 50 km/h.
6- A stainless steel ball (ρ = 8055 kg/m3, Cp = 480 J/kg ·°C) of diameter D = 15 cm is removed from
the oven at a uniform temperature of 350°C. The ball is then subjected to the flow of air at 1 atm
pressure and 30°C with a velocity of 6 m/s. The surface temperature of the ball eventually drops
to 250°C. Determine the average convection heat transfer coefficient during this cooling process
and estimate how long this process has taken.
7- An average person generates heat at a rate of 84 W while resting. Assuming one-quarter of this
heat is lost from the head and disregarding radiation, determine the average surface
temperature of the head when it is not covered and is subjected to winds at 10°C and 35 km/h.
The head can be approximated as a 30-cm-diameter sphere.
8- A 6-mm-diameter electrical transmission line carries an electric current of 50 A and has a
resistance of 0.002 ohm per meter length. Determine the surface temperature of the wire during
a windy day when the air temperature is 10°C and the wind is blowing across the transmission
line at 40 km/h.
9- Air is to be heated by passing it over a bank of 3-m-long tubes inside which steam is condensing
at 100ºC. Air approaches the tube bank in the normal direction at 20ºC and 1 atm with a mean
velocity of 5.2 m/s. The outer diameter of the tubes is 1.6 cm, and the tubes are arranged
staggered with longitudinal and transverse pitches of SL = ST = 4 cm. There are 20 rows in the
flow direction with 10 tubes in each row. Determine (a) the rate of heat transfer, (b) and pressure
drop across the tube bank, and (c) the rate of condensation of steam inside the tubes.
10- In an industrial facility, air is to be preheated before entering a furnace by geothermal water at
120ºC flowing through the tubes of a tube bank located in a duct. Air enters the duct at 20ºC and
1 atm with a mean velocity of 4.5 m/s, and flows over the tubes in normal direction. The outer
diameter of the tubes is 1.5 cm, and the tubes are arranged in-line with longitudinal and
transverse pitches of SL = ST = 5 cm. There are 6 rows in the flow direction with 10 tubes in each
row. Determine the rate of heat transfer per unit length of the tubes, and the pressure drop
across the tube bank.
11- Consider a person who is trying to keep cool on a hot summer day by turning a fan on and
exposing his body to air flow. The air temperature is 32°C, and the fan is blowing air at a velocity
of 5 m/s. The surrounding surfaces are at 40°C, and the emissivity of the person can be taken to
be 0.9. If the person is doing light work and generating sensible heat at a rate of 90 W, determine
the average temperature of the outer surface (skin or clothing) of the person. The average human
body can be treated as a 30-cm-diameter cylinder with an exposed surface area of 1.7 m2.
12- Consider a furnace whose average outer surface temperature is measured to be 90°C when the
average surrounding air temperature is 27°C. The furnace is 6 m long and 3 m in diameter. The
plant operates 80 h per week for 52 weeks per year. You are to insulate the furnace using
fiberglass insulation (𝑘 = 0.038 W/m · °C) whose cost is $10/m2 per cm of thickness for
materials, plus $30/m2 for labor regardless of thickness. The combined heat transfer coefficient
on the outer surface is estimated to be ℎ = 30 W/m2 · °C. The furnace uses natural gas whose
unit cost is $0.50/therm input (1 therm = 105,500 kJ), and the efficiency of the furnace is 78
percent. The management is willing to authorize the installation of the thickest insulation (in
whole cm) that will pay for itself (materials and labor) in one year. That is, the total cost of
insulation should be roughly equal to the drop in the fuel cost of the furnace for one year.
Determine the thickness of insulation to be used and the money saved per year. Assume the
surface temperature of the furnace and the heat transfer coefficient are to remain constant.
13- Engine oil at 60°C flows over the upper surface of a 5-m-long flat plate whose temperature is
20°C with a velocity of 2 m/s . Determine the total drag force and the rate of heat transfer per
unit width of the entire plate.

14- A long 10-cm-diameter steam pipe whose external surface temperature is 110°C passes through
some open area that is not protected against the winds. Determine the rate of heat loss from the
pipe per unit of its length when the air is at 1 atm pressure and 10°C and the wind is blowing
across the pipe at a velocity of 8 m/s.

15- A 25-cm-diameter stainless steel ball (𝜌 = 8055 kg/m3, Cp = 480 J/kg · °C) is removed from the
oven at a uniform temperature of 300°C. The ball is then subjected to the flow of air at 1 atm
pressure and 25°C with a velocity of 3 m/s. The surface temperature of the ball eventually drops
to 200°C. Determine the average convection heat transfer coefficient during this cooling process
and estimate how long the process will take.