Practice Problems – SEE 601

1- Steel balls 12 mm in diameter are annealed by heating to 1150 K and then slowly
cooling to 400 K in an air environment for which T ∞ = 325 K and h = 20 W/m 2. K.
Assuming the properties of the steel to be k = 40 W/m. K, ρ = 7800 kg/m3, and c =
600 J/kg. K, estimate the time required for the cooling process.
2- The heat transfer coefficient for air flowing over a sphere is to be determined by
observing the temperature–time history of a sphere fabricated from pure copper. The
sphere, which is 12.7 mm in diameter, is at 66°C before it is inserted into an airstream
having a temperature of 27°C. A thermocouple on the outer surface of the sphere
indicates 55°C 69 s after the sphere is inserted into the airstream. Assume and then
justify that the sphere behaves as a spacewise isothermal object and calculate the heat
transfer coefficient.
3- A solid steel sphere (AISI 1010), 300 mm in diameter, is coated with a dielectric
material layer of thickness 2 mm and thermal conductivity 0.04 W/m.K. The coated
sphere is initially at a uniform temperature of 500°C and is suddenly quenched in a
large oil bath for which T∞=100°C and h = 3300 W/m2.K. Estimate the time required
for the coated sphere temperature to reach 140°C. Hint: Neglect the effect of energy
storage in the dielectric material, since its thermal capacitance (ρcV) is small
compared to that of the steel sphere.
4- A thermal energy storage unit consists of a large rectangular channel, which is well
insulated on its outer surface and encloses alternating layers of the storage material
and the flow passage.

Each layer of the storage material is an aluminium slab of width W = 0.05 m, which is
at an initial temperature of 25°C. Consider conditions for which the storage unit is
charged by passing a hot gas through the passages, with the gas temperature and the
convection coefficient assumed to have constant values of T ∞=600°C and h = 100
W/m2. K throughout the channel. How long will it take to achieve 75% of the
maximum possible energy storage? What is the temperature of the aluminium at this
time?
5- In a particular application involving airflow over a heated surface, the boundary layer
temperature distribution may be approximated as

where y is the distance normal to the surface and the Prandtl number, Pr =cpµ/k = 0.7,
is a dimensionless fluid property. If T∞=400 K, Ts = 300 K, and u∞/Ѵ = 5000 m-1, what
is the surface heat flux?
6- For laminar flow over a flat plate, the local heat transfer coefficient h x is known to
vary as x-1/2, where x is the distance from the leading edge (x = 0) of the plate. What is
the ratio of the average coefficient between the leading edge and some location x on
the plate to the local coefficient at x?
7- A circular, hot gas jet at T∞s directed normal to a circular plate that has radius r o and is
maintained at a uniform temperature Ts. Gas flow over the plate is axisymmetric,
causing the local convection coefficient to have a radial dependence of the form h(r) =
a + brn, where a, b, and n are constants. Determine the rate of heat transfer to the plate,
expressing your result in terms of T∞ Ts, ro, a, b, and n.
8- Air at a free stream temperature of T ∞ = 20°C is in parallel flow over a flat plate of
length L = 5 m and temperature Ts = 90°C. However, obstacles placed in the flow
intensify mixing with increasing distance x from the leading edge, and the spatial
variation of temperatures measured in the boundary layer is correlated by an
expression of the form T(°C) = 20 + 70 exp (-600xy), where x and y are in meters.
Determine and plot the manner in which the local convection coefficient h varies with
x. Evaluate the average convection coefficient for the plate.
9- Consider airflow over a flat plate of length L = 1 m under conditions for which
transition occurs at xc 0.5 m based on the critical Reynolds number, Rex,c = 5 ×105.
(a) Evaluating the thermophysical properties of air at= 350 K, determine the air
velocity.
(b) In the laminar and turbulent regions, the local convection coefficients are,
respectively,

where, at T = 350 K, Clam = 8.845 W/m3/2 .K, Cturb = 49.75 W/m1.8 .K, and x has units of
m. Develop an expression for the average convection coefficient, h lam(x), as a
function of distance from the leading edge, x, for the laminar region, 0 ≤ x ≤ xc.
(c) Develop an expression for the average convection coefficient, h turb(x), as a function
of distance from the leading edge, x, for the turbulent region, xc ≤ x ≤ L.
(d) On the same coordinates, plot the local and average convection coefficients, h x and
h x, respectively, as a function of x for 0 ≤ x ≤ L.
10- Experiments have shown that, for airflow at T∞ = 35°C and V1 =100 m/s, the rate of
heat transfer from a turbine blade of characteristic length L 1 =0.15 m and surface
temperature Ts,1 = 300°C is q1 =1500 W. What would be the heat transfer rate from a
second turbine blade of characteristic length L2 =0.3 m operating at Ts,2 = 400°C in
 airflow of T∞ =35°C and V2 = 50 m/s? The surface area of the blade may be assumed
to be directly proportional to its characteristic length.
11- Experimental measurements of the convection heat transfer coefficient for a square
bar in cross flow yielded the following values:

Assume that the functional form of the Nusselt number is, where C,
m, and n are constants.
(a) What will be the convection heat transfer coefficient for a similar bar with L = 1 m
when V = 15 m/s?
(b) What will be the convection heat transfer coefficient for a similar bar with L = 1 m
when V = 30 m/s?
(c) Would your results be the same if the side of the bar, rather than its diagonal, were
used as the characteristic length?
12- As a means of preventing ice formation on the wings of a small, private aircraft, it is
proposed that electric resistance heating elements be installed within the wings. To
determine representative power requirements, consider nominal flight conditions for
which the plane moves at 100 m/s in air that is at a temperature of -23°C. If the
characteristic length of the airfoil is L = 2 m and wind tunnel measurements indicate
an average friction coefficient of C f for the nominal conditions, what is the average
heat flux needed to maintain a surface temperature of Ts = 5°C?
13- Air at a pressure of 1 atm and a temperature of 50°C is in parallel flow over the top
surface of a plate that is heated to a uniform temperature of 100°C.The plate has a
length of 0.20 m (in the flow direction) and a width of 0.10 m. The Reynolds number
based on the plate length is 40,000. What is the rate of heat transfer from the plate to
the air? If the free stream velocity of the air is doubled and the pressure is increased to
10 atm, what is the rate of heat transfer?
14- Consider a rectangular fin that is used to cool a motor- cycle engine. The fin is 0.15 m
long and at a temperature of 250°C, while the motorcycle is moving at 80 km/h in air
at 27 °C. The air is in parallel flow over both surfaces of the fin, and turbulent flow
conditions may be assumed to exist throughout.
(a) What is the rate of heat removal per unit width of the fin?
(b) Generate a plot of the heat removal rate per unit width of the fin for motorcycle
speeds ranging from 10 to 100 km/h.
15- Consider the following fluids, each with a velocity of V = 5 m/s and a temperature of
T =20 °C, in cross flow over a 10-mm-diameter cylinder maintained at 50°C:
atmospheric air, saturated water, and engine oil.
 (a) Calculate the rate of heat transfer per unit length, q,, using the Churchill–
Bernstein correlation.
16- A spherical droplet of alcohol, 0.5 mm in diameter, is falling freely through quiescent
air at a velocity of 1.8 m/s. The concentration of alcohol vapor at the surface of the
droplet is 0.0573 kg/m3, and the diffusion coefficient for alcohol in air is 10 -5 m2/s.
Neglecting radiation and assuming steady-state conditions, calculate the surface
temperature of the droplet if the ambient air temperature is 300 K. The latent heat of
vaporization is 8.42×105 J/kg.
17- At a particular axial station, velocity and temperature profiles for laminar flow in a
parallel plate channel have the form

Determine corresponding values of the mean velocity, u m, and mean (or bulk)
temperature, Tm. Plot the velocity and temperature distributions. Do your values of u m
and Tm appear reasonable?
18- Atmospheric air enters the heated section of a circular tube at a flow rate of 0.005 kg/s
and a temperature of 20°C. The tube is of diameter D = 50 mm, and fully developed
conditions with h = 25 W/m2 .K exist over the entire length of L = 3 m.
(a) For the case of uniform surface heat flux at q ,,s =1000 W/m2, determine the total
heat transfer rate q and the mean temperature of the air leaving the tube Tm,o. What is
the value of the surface temperature at the tube inlet Ts,i and outlet Ts,o? Sketch the
axial variation of Ts and Tm. On the same figure, also sketch (qualitatively) the axial
variation of Ts and Tm for the more realistic case in which the local convection
coefficient varies with x.
(b) If the surface heat flux varies linearly with x, such that q ,,s (W/m2) =500x (m), what
are the values of q, T m,o, Ts,i, and Ts,o? Sketch the axial variation of T s and Tm. On the
same figure, also sketch (qualitatively) the axial variation of Ts and Tm for the more
realistic case in which the local convection coefficient varies with x.
19- In the final stages of production, a pharmaceutical is sterilized by heating it from 25 to
75°C as it moves at 0.2 m/s through a straight thin-walled stainless steel tube of 12.7-
mm diameter. A uniform heat flux is maintained by an electric resistance heater
wrapped around the outer surface of the tube. If the tube is 10 m long, what is the
required heat flux? If fluid enters the tube with a fully developed velocity profile and a
uniform temperature profile, what is the surface temperature at the tube exit and at a
distance of 0.5 m from the entrance? Fluid properties may be approximated as ρ=
1000 kg/m3, cp = 4000 J/kg K, m = 2 ×10 -3 kg/s .m, k = 0.8 W/m. K, and Pr =10.