Question Bank

1. Derive the 3D heat conduction equation for a cylindrical coordinate system by

considering internal heat generation.
2. A spherical vessel of ID 0.3 m and thickness 20 mm is made of steel with conductivity of
40 W/mK. The vessel is insulated with two layers of 60 mm thickness having
conductivity of 0.05 and 0.15 W/mK respectively. The inside surface is at – 196°C. The
outside is exposed to air at 30°C with convection coefficient of 35 W/m 2K. There is a
contact resistance of 1 × 10-3m2°C/W between the two insulation layers. Determine the
heat gain, surface temperaturesand the overall heat transfer coefficient based on outside
surface area of the vessel.
3. Orders were placed to supply formed layers of insulation A and B of thickness 5 cm each
to be applied over a pipe of 0.3 m diameter. The insulation A is of 0.3 m ID and 0.4 m
OD and insulation B is of 0.4 m ID and 0.5 m OD. The conductivities of A and B are 0.04
W/m K and 0.08 W/mK respectively. However, by mistake the supplier has supplied
insulation A of size 0.4 m ID and 0.5 m OD, and insulation B of 0.3 m ID and 0.4 m OD.
Check whether there will be any change in heat flow between two cases.
4. A long cylinder of radius 15 cm initially at 30°C is exposed togases at 600°C with a
convective heat transfer coefficient of 65 W/m 2K. Using the following property values
determine the temperatures at the centre, mid radius and outside surface of cylinder after
20 minutes. Density = 3550 kg/m 3, specific heat = 586J/kg K, conductivity = 19.5 W/mK.
Also calculate the heat flow.
5. a) A pipe is to be buried in wet soil (α = 0.001 m 2/h) initially at 5˚C. The surrounding soil
temperature to remain above 0˚C (to avoid freezing of water). If the soil temperature
drops to -5 ˚C and remains at this value for 12 hrs, determine the depth to which the pipe
has to be buried.
6. b) Briefly explain the lumped heat analysis?
7. A furnace wall is of three layers, first layer of insulation brick of 12 cm thickness of
conductivity 0.6 W/mK. The face is exposed to gases at 870°C with a convection
coefficient of 110 W/m2K. This layer is backed by a 10 cm layer of firebrick of
conductivity 0.8 W/mK. There is a contact resistance between the layers of 2.6 × 10 –4 m2
°C/W. The third layer is the plate backing of 10 mm thickness of conductivity 49 W/mK.
The contact resistance between the second and third layers is 1.5 × 10 –4 m2 °C/W. The
 plate is exposed to air at 30°C with a convection coefficient of 15 W/m 2K. Determine the
heat flow, the surface temperatures and the overall heat transfer coefficient.
8. It is desired to increase the heat dissipated over the surface of an electronic device of
spherical shape of 5 mm radius exposed to convection with a heat transfer coefficient of
10 W/m2K by encasing it in a transparent spherical sheath of conductivity 0.04 W/mK.
Determine the diameter of the sheath for maximum heat flow. For a temperature drop of
120°C from device surface determine the heat flow for bare and sheathed device.
9. A cylinder of 12 cm diameter has a heat generation rate 106 W/m 3. The conductivity of
the material is 200 W/mK. The surface is exposed to air at 30°C. The convection
coefficient is 500 W/m2K. Determine the temperatures at the center and also at mid
radius. Also determine the heat flow at the surface on unit area basis. Calculate the
temperature gradients at the mid radius and surface.
10. A motor body’s outside diameter is 30 cm and its surface temperature should not exceed
50°C when dissipating 0.15 kW. The length of the body is 20 cm. Longitudinal fins of 12
mm thickness and 30 mm height are proposed. The conductivity of the material is 40
W/mK and the convection coefficient is 40W/m 2K. Determine the number of fins
required. Atmospheric temperature is 35°C.
11. With neat sketch derive the general three dimensional conduction equation with heat
generation in cylindrical coordinates systems. Deduce the heat conduction equation for
the following special cases from the general heat conduction equation: (i) steady state;
(ii) Transient & no heat generation; (iii) steady-state, no heat generation.
12. Fig. 1 shows two slabs, each 120 mm thick, have thermal conductivities of 14.5 W/mK
and 210 W/mK. These are placed in contact, but due to roughness, only 30% of the area is
in contact and the gap in the remaining area is 0.025 mm thick and is filled with air. If the
temperature of the face of the hot surface is at 220˚C and the outside surface of the other
slab is at 30˚C, determine: (a) Heat flow through the composite system, (b) the contact
resistance and temperature drop in contact. Assume: thermal conductivity of air, A 1 and
B1 are 0.032, 14.5 and 210 W/mK respectively.
 Fig. 1
13. A small electric heating application uses wire of 2 mm diameter with 0.8 mm thick
insulation (k = 0.12W/mK). The heat transfer coefficient on the insulated surface is 35
W/m2K. Determine the critical thickness of insulation in this case and the percentage
change in the heat transfer rate if the critical thickness is used, assuming the temperature
difference between the surface of the wire and surrounding air remains unchanged.
14. A copper bar (conductor) 80 mm × 6 mm in cross-section (k = 370 W/mK) is lying in an
insulation trough so that the heat transfer from one face and both the edges is negligible.
It is observed that when a current of 5000 A flows through the conductor, the bare face
has a constant temperature of 45˚C. If the resistivity of copper is 2 × 10 -8 ohm-m,
determine: (i) The maximum temperature which prevails in the bar and its location, (ii)
The temperature at the centre of the bar.
15. A household electric iron has a steel base [ρ = 7840 kg/m 3, cp = 450 J/kg˚C and k = 70
W/m˚C which weighs 1 kg. The base has an ironing surface of A = 0.025 m 2 and is heated
from the other surface with a 250 W heating element. Initially the iron is at a uniform
temperature of Ti = 20˚C. Suddenly the heating starts, and the iron dissipates heat by
convection from the ironing surface into an ambient at T α = 20˚C with a heat transfer
coefficient h = 50 W/m˚C. Calculate the temperature of the iron t = 5 min after the start of
heating.
16. Derive the 3D heat conduction equation for a cylinder by considering internal heat
generation with neat sketch.
17. A spherical vessel of ID 0.3 m and thickness of 20 mm is made of steel with conductivity
of 40 W/mK. The vessel is insulated with two layers of 60 mm thickness of conductivity
0.05 and 0.15 W/mK. The inside surface is at – 196°C. The outside is exposed to air at
30°C with convection coefficient of 35 W/m2K. There is a contact resistance of 1 × 10 -
3
m2°C/W between the two insulations. Determine the heat gain and also the surface
 temperatures and the overall heat transfer coefficient based on the outside surface area of
the metallic vessel.
18. Orders were placed to supply formed layers of insulation A and B of thickness 5 cm each
to be applied over a pipe of 0.3 m dia, the insulation A to be of 0.3 m ID and 0.4 m OD
and insulation B is to be of 0.4 m ID and 0.5 m OD. The conductivities of A and B are to
be 0.04 and 0.08 W/mK. However the supplier by mistake has supplied insulation A of
size 0.4 m ID and OD of 0.5 m and insulation B of 0.3 ID and 0.4 m OD. Check whether
there will be any change in heat flow.
19. A long cylinder of radius 15 cm initially at 30°C is exposed over the surface togases at
600°C with a convective heat transfer coefficient of 65 W/m2K. Using the following
property values determine the temperatures at the centre, mid radius and outside surface
after 20 minutes. Density = 3550 kg/m3, sp. heat = 586J/kg K, conductivity = 19.5
W/mK. Also calculate the heat flow.
20. Derive the 3D heat conduction equation for a Cartesian coordinate system by considering
internal heat generation [10 Marks]
21. A furnace wall is of three layers, first layer of insulation brick of 12 cm thickness of
conductivity 0.6 W/mK. The face is exposed to gases at 870°C with a convection
coefficient of 110 W/m2K. This layer is backed by a 10 cm layer of firebrick of
conductivity 0.8 W/mK. There is a contact resistance between the layers of 2.6 × 10 –4
m2°C/W. The third layer is the plate backing of 10 mm thickness of conductivity 49
W/mK. The contact resistance between the second and third layers is 1.5 × 10 –4 m2°C/W.
The plate is exposed to air at 30°C with a convection coefficient of 15 W/m 2K. Determine
the heat flow, the surface temperatures and the overall heat transfer coefficient. [10
Marks]
22. Derive the one dimensional steady heat conduction equation for sphere by neglecting heat
generation. [6 Marks]
23. A spherical electronic device of 10 mm diameter generates 1 W. It is exposed to air at
20°C with a convection coefficient of 20 W/m 2K. Find the surface temperature. The heat
transfer consultant advices to enclose it in a glass like material of k = 1.4 W/mK, to a
thickness of 5 mm all around to reduce the temperature. Investigate the problem and also
find the thickness to obtain 50°C surface temperature.
24. The heat generation rate in a hollow cylinder of ID 0.14 m and OD 0.18 m is 5 × 10 6
W/m3. The conductivity of the material is 30 W/mK. If the inside surface is insulated,
 determine the temperature at the inside surface. The outside surface is exposed to a fluid
at 100°C with a convection coefficient of 335.73 W/m2K.
25. A thermocouple is formed by soldering end-to-end wires of 0.5 mm dia. The thermal
diffusivity of the material is 5.3 × 10 –6 m2/s. The conductivity of the material is
19.1W/mK. The probe initially at 30°C is placed in a fluid at 600°C to measure the
temperature of the fluid. If the convective heat transfer coefficient between the wire and
the fluid is 85 W/m2K, determine the time constant for the probe and also the time taken
for it to read 598°C. [10 Marks]
26. With neat sketch derive the general three dimensional conduction equation with heat
generation for an isentropic slab in Cartesian coordinates. Deduce the heat conduction
equation for the following special cases from the general heat conduction equation: (i)
steady state; (ii) Transient & no heat generation; (iii) steady-state, no heat generation.
27. A thin-walled copper tube of outside metal radius r = 0.01 m carries steam at 400 K and
kept inside a room, where the surrounding air temperature is 300 K. The tube is insulated
with magnesia insulation of an approximate thermal conductivity of 0.07 W/m K.
28. Derive the equation for critical thickness of insulation and apply to find critical thickness
of insulation for an external convective heat transfer coefficient h = 4.0 W/m2 K?
(Assume negligible conduction resistance due to the wall of the copper tube.). Also, find
out the rate of heat transfer per metre of tube length for this critical thickness of
insulation.
29. A plane wall of a refrigerated van is made of 1.5 mm steel sheet(k ¿ ¿ s=25 W /mK )¿ at
the outer surface, 10 mm plywood ¿ ¿) at the inner surface and 20 mm glass wool ¿ ¿) in
between the outer and inner surfaces. The temperature of the cold environment inside the
van is –15 °C, while the outside surface is exposed to a surrounding ambient at 24 °C.
The average values of convective heat transfer coefficients at the inner and outer surfaces
of the wall are 12 W/mK and 20 W/mK respectively. The surface area of the wall is 0.75
2
m . Determine: (i) The individual components of the thermal resistance to heat flow, (ii)
The rate of heat flow through the wall.
30. The temperatures at (i) the outer surface of the wall, (ii) the interface between steel sheet
and glass wool, (iii) the interface between glass wool and plywood, and (iv) the inner
surface of the wall.
 31.
32. A spherical electric heated oven of 1.0 m internal diameter is made of 225 mm thick layer
of fire bricks. On the outer surface, a Magnesia layer of 100 mm thickness is applied for
insulation. The temperature at the inner surface of the oven is 800 °C. If the ambient
temperature is 20 °C and outside convective heat transfer coefficient is 10 W/m 2 K,
calculate the heat loss from the oven through the spherical shell with and without
insulation. Also find out the temperature of the outer surface of the fire bricks. The
thermal conductivities of fire bricks and Magnesia are 0.3 and 0.05 W/mK, respectively.