ME346 - Heat Transfer - Assignment 5
1. 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 = 25W/m2 K exist over the entire length of L =
3m
(a) For the case of uniform surface heat flux at qs′′ = 1000W/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 qs′′ (W/m2 ) =
500x (m), what are the values of of q, Tm,o , Ts,i , and 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.
(c) For the two heating conditions of parts (a) and (b), plot the mean fluid and
surface temperatures, Tm (x) and Ts (x), respectively, as functions of dis-
tance along the tube. What effect will a fourfold increase in the convection
coefficient have on the temperature distributions?
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(d) For each type of heating process, what heat fluxes are required to achieve an
air outlet temperature of 125◦ C? Plot the temperature distributions.
2. Consider a horizontal, thin-walled circular tube of diameter D = 0.025 m sub-
merged in a container of n-octadecane (paraffin), which is used to store thermal
energy. As hot water flows through the tube, heat is transferred to the paraf-
fin, converting it from the solid to liquid state at the phase change tempera-
ture of T∞ = 27.4◦ C. The latent heat of fusion and density of paraffin are
hsf = 244kJ/kg and ρ = 770kg/m3 , respectively, and thermophysical proper-
ties of the water may be taken as cp = 4.185kJ/kgK, k = 0.653W/mK, µ = 467
x 10−6 kg/sm, and Pr = 2.99.
(a) Assuming the tube surface to have a uniform temperature corresponding to
that of the phase change, determine the water outlet temperature and total
heat transfer rate for a water flow rate of 0.1 kg/s and an inlet temperature of
60◦ C. If H = W = 0.25 m, how long would it take to completely liquefy the
paraffin, from an initial state for which all the paraffin is solid and at 27.4◦ C
2
(b) The liquefaction process can be accelerated by increasing the flow rate of the
water. Compute and plot the heat rate and outlet temperature as a functon
of flow rate for 0.1 ≤ ṁ ≤ 0.5 kg/s. How long would it take to melt the
paraffin to melt the paraffin for ṁ = 0.5 kg/s?
3. A coolant flows through a rectangular channel (gallery) within the body of a mold
used to form metal injection parts. The gallery dimensions are a = 90 mm and b
= 9.5 mm, and the fluid flow rate is 1.3 x 10−3 m/3 s. The coolant temperature is
15◦ C, and the mold wall is at an approximately uniform temperature of 140◦ C.
To minimize corrosion damage to the expensive modl, it is customary to use a
heat transfer fluid such as ethylene glycol, rather than process water. Compare the
convection coefficients of water and ethylene glycol for this application. What is
the trade-off between thermal performance and minimizing corrosion?
3
4. A counterflow concentric tube heat exchanger is designed to heat water from 20
to 80◦ C using hot oil, which is supplied to the annulus at 160◦ C and discharged
at 140◦ C. The thin-walled inner tube has a diameter of Di = 20mm, and the
overall heat transfer coefficient is 500W/m2 K. The design condition calls for a
total heat transfer rate of 3000 W.
(a) What is the length of the heat exchanger?
(b) After 3 years, the performance is degraded by fouling on water side of the
exchanger, and the water outlet temperature is only 65◦ C for the same fluid
flow rates and inlet temperatures. What are the corresponding values of
heat transfer rate, the outlet temperature of the oil, the overall heat transfer
′′
coefficient, and the water-side fouling factor, Rf,c ?
