SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Page 1 of 5

DISCIPLINE: CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

COURSE: Heat Transfer LECTURER: Mrs. A. Singh DATE

TOPIC: Tutorial 2: Convection 6 March 2025

1. Consider atmospheric air at 25 0C in parallel flow at 5 m/s over both surfaces of a 1 m

long flat plat maintained at 75 0C. Determine the velocity boundary layer thickness, the
surface shear stress and the heat flux at the trailing edge.

2. Steel (AISI 1010) plates of thickness 6mm and length 1 m on a side are conveyed from a
heat treatment process and are concurrently cooled by atmospheric air of velocity 10m/s
and temperature of 200C in parallel flow over the plates.
For an initial plate temperature of 300 0C, what is the rate of heat transfer from the plate?
What is the corresponding rate of change of the plate temperature? Note that the velocity
of the air is much larger than that of the plate.

3. Atmospheric air with a velocity of 5 m/s and at a temperature of 200 0C is in cross flow
over a 10 mm diameter cylinder maintained at 500 0C.
a) Calculate the rate of heat transfer per unit length using the Churchill-Bernstein
correlation.
b) Are there any other correlations that may be used to calculate the rate of heat transfer
in this instance?
c) Calculate the rate of heat transfer if the fluid is changed to engine oil. Use the
Churchill-Bernstein correlation. Compare the h value for the oil to the h value for
the air.
Properties of engine oil: ν = 340 x 10-6 m2/s, k = 0.145 W/m.K, Pr = 4000

4. Air at a velocity of 6 m/s and at an inlet temperature of 32 0C passes in cross flow over a
bank of tubes. The tube surface temperature is 212 0C, whilst the tube diameter is 2.5 cm.
There are 10 rows of tubes, with 8 tubes in each row. The tubes are in a staggered
arrangement, with a transverse pitch of 4.8 cm and longitudinal pitch of 4 cm. Calculate
the rate of heat transfer for the tube bundle, and the pressure drop across the bundle of
tubes.

5. Water, flowing at 2 kg/s through a 30 mm diameter tube that is 4 m long, enters at a

temperature of 25 0C. If the surface temperature of the pipe is 90 0C, calculate:
a) The outlet temperature of the water
b) The rate of heat transfer to the water

6. Liquid mercury at 0.5 kg/s is to be heated from 300 K to 400 K by passing it through a 50
mm diameter tube whose surface is maintained at 450 K. Calculate the required tube length
by using an appropriate correlation. Can you use the Dittus-Boelter correlation? Explain.
Properties of mercury: Cp = 137.7 J/kg.K, μ = 0.1309 x 10-2N.s/m2, k= 9.18 W/m.K,
Pr = 0.0196

Tutorial 1
 SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Page 2 of 5
DISCIPLINE: CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
COURSE: Heat Transfer LECTURER: Mrs. A. Singh DATE

TOPIC: Tutorial 2: Convection 6 March 2025

7. The core of a high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor has coolant tubes of 20 mm

diameter and 780 mm length. Helium enters at 600K and exits at 1000K when the flow rate
is 8X10-3 kg per tube.
a) Determine the uniform tube wall surface temperature for these conditions.
b) If the coolant gas is changed to air, explain how you would calculate the required
flow rate of the gas if the heat removal rate and wall surface temperature remain the
same. How would you calculate the outlet temperature of the air?

8. Hot water at 50 0C is routed from one building in which it is generated to an adjoining

building in which it is used for space heating. Transfer between the buildings occurs in a
steel pipe (k = 60 W/m.K) of 100 mm outside diameter and 8 mm wall thickness. During
the Winter, the air temperature is -5 0C and velocity of the air is 3 m/s in cross flow over the
pipe.
a) If the cost of producing the hot water is R0,10 per kW.h; what is the representative
daily cost of heat loss from an uninsulated pipe to the air per metre length of pipe?
The resistance to convection inside the pipe may be neglected.
b) Determine the cost savings associated with the application of a 10mm thick coating
of urethane insulation (k = 0,026 W/m.K) to the outer surface of the pipe.

9. Ethylene glycol is flowing through a circular pipe at a rate of 0.08 kg/s. The pipe is 10 m
long and has a diameter of 0.25 m. The mean inlet temperature of the ethylene glycol is 25
0C whilst the mean outlet temperature is 58 0C. The pipe has a constant surface temperature

of 900C.
a) Assuming a thermal entry length, calculate the convective heat transfer coefficient.
Note that you should use properties at Tm for any necessary calculations.
b) Assuming a thermal entry length, use an appropriate correlation to calculate the
convective heat transfer coefficient.
c) Assuming a combined entry length, use an appropriate correlation to calculate the
convective heat transfer coefficient.
d) Compare the three ‘h’ values and comment on the differences/ similarities. Explain
your findings.
e) If the mass flow rate of ethylene glycol increased to 3.6 kg/s, could the Dittus-Boelter
correlation be used to calculate Nu? Explain/ justify your answer. Include any
necessary calculation/s. Recall that the Dittus-Boelter correlation is valid if Re >
10 000, 0.7 < Pr < 160 and (L/D) > 10.

Tutorial 1
 SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Page 3 of 5
DISCIPLINE: CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
COURSE: Heat Transfer LECTURER: Mrs. A. Singh DATE

TOPIC: Tutorial 2: Convection 6 March 2025

10.A hot fluid passes through a thin-walled tube of 10 mm diameter and 1 m length. Coolant
at 25 0C is in cross flow over the tube. When the hot fluid flow rate is 18 kg/h and the mean
inlet temperature is 85 0C, the mean outlet temperature is 78 0C.
Assuming fully developed flow and thermal conditions in the tube, determine the mean
outlet temperature of the fluid if the hot fluid flow rate is increased by a factor of 2.
Thermophysical properties of the hot fluid at the system conditions are given as:
ρ = 1079 kg/m3, Cp = 2637 J/kg.K, μ = 0,0034 N.s/m2, k = 0,261 W/m.K

11. A sphere of 25 mm diameter contains an embedded electrical heater. Calculate the power
required to maintain the surface temperature at 94 0C when the sphere is exposed to a
quiescent medium at 20 0C when the medium is:
a) Air at atmospheric pressure
b) Water at atmospheric pressure

12. Consider a 0.6 m X 0.6 m thin square plate in a room at 30 0C. One side of the plate is
maintained at a temperature of 90 0C, while the other side is insulated. Determine the rate
of heat transfer from the plate by free convection if the plate is:
a) Vertical.
b) Horizontal with hot surface facing down.
c) Compare your answers and comment on the difference (if any)

13.Beverage in cans 150 mm long and 60 mm in diameter are initially at 27 0C and is to be

cooled by placement in a refrigerator compartment at 4 0C. In the interest of maximizing
the cooling rate, should the cans be laid horizontally or vertically in the compartment? You
may neglect heat transfer from the ends.

14. A rectangular cavity consists of two parallel, 0,5 m square plates separated by a distance
of 50 mm, with the lateral boundaries insulated. The heated plate is maintained at 325 K
and the cooled plate is at 275 K. Estimate the heat flux between the surfaces for three
orientations of the cavity, using the notation presented in your notes/ Incropera:
a) Vertical with τ = 90o
b) Horizontal with τ = 0o
c) Horizontal with τ = 180o

15. Water at 35 0C with a velocity of 0.05 m/s flows over a horizontal 50 mm diameter cylinder
maintained at a uniform surface temperature of 20 0C.
a) Do you anticipate that heat transfer by free convection will be significant?
b) What would be the situation if the fluid were air at atmospheric pressure?

Tutorial 1
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Page 4 of 5
DISCIPLINE: CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
COURSE: Heat Transfer LECTURER: Mrs. A. Singh DATE

TOPIC: Tutorial 2: Convection 6 March 2025

Tutorial 1
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Page 5 of 5
DISCIPLINE: CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
COURSE: Heat Transfer LECTURER: Mrs. A. Singh DATE

TOPIC: Tutorial 2: Convection 6 March 2025

Tutorial 1