Tutorial 3

Incompressible Viscid Internal and External Flows: THERMAL Boundary Layers

[A] – Internal Flows (Forced)
1. Velocity and temperature profiles for laminar flow in a tube of radius 𝑟𝑜 = 10 𝑚𝑚 have the form
given below with units of 𝑚/𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐾, respectively. Determine the corresponding value of the
mean (or bulk) temperature, 𝑇𝑚 , at this axial position.

2. At a particular axial station, velocity and temperature profiles for laminar flow in a parallel plate
channel have the form given below with units of m/s and °C, respectively. Determine
corresponding values of the mean velocity, 𝑢𝑚 , and mean (or bulk) temperature, 𝑇𝑚 . Plot the
velocity and temperature distributions. Do your values of 𝑢𝑚 and 𝑇𝑚 appear reasonable?

3. Water enters a tube at 27°C with a flow rate of 450 kg/h. The heat transfer from the tube wall to
the fluid is given as 𝑞̇ 𝑠 (𝑊/𝑚) = 𝑎𝑥, where the coefficient a is 20 𝑊/𝑚2 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑥 (𝑚) is the axial
distance from the tube entrance. (a) Beginning with a properly defined differential control volume
in the tube, derive an expression for the temperature distribution 𝑇𝑚 (𝑥) of the water. (b) What
is the outlet temperature of the water for a heated section 30 m long? (c) Sketch the mean fluid
temperature, 𝑇𝑚 (𝑥), and the tube wall temperature, 𝑇𝑠 (𝑥), as a function of distance along the
tube for fully developed and developing flow conditions. (d) What value of a uniform wall heat
flux, 𝑞̈ 𝑠 (instead of 𝑞̇ 𝑠 = 𝑎𝑥), would provide the same fluid outlet temperature as that determined
in part (b)? For this type of heating, sketch the temperature distributions requested in part (c).
4. An oil preheater consists of a single tube of 10 mm diameter and 5 m length, with its surface
maintained at 175℃by swirling combustion gases. The engine oil (new) enters at 75℃ . What
flow rate must be supplied to maintain an oil outlet temperature of 100℃. What is the
corresponding heat transfer rate?
5. Ethylene glycol flows at 0.01 kg/s through a 3-mm diameter, thin-walled tube. The tube is coiled
and submerged in a well-stirred water bath maintained at 25°C. If the fluid enters the tube at
85°C, what heat rate and tube length are required for the fluid to leave at 35°C? Neglect heat
transfer enhancement associated with the coiling.
6. The products of combustion from a burner are routed to an industrial application through a thin-
walled metallic duct of diameter and length. The gas enters the duct at atmospheric pressure and
a mean temperature and velocity of 𝑇𝑚,𝑖 = 600 𝐾 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑚,𝑖 = 10 𝑚/𝑠, respectively. It must exit
the duct at a temperature that is no less than 𝑇𝑚,𝑜 = 1400 𝐾. What is the minimum thickness of
an alumina-silica insulation (𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑠 = 0.125 𝑊/𝑚𝐾) needed to meet the outlet requirement under
worst case conditions for which the duct is exposed to ambient air at 𝑇∞ = 250 𝐾 and a cross-
flow velocity of 𝑉 = 15𝑚/𝑠? The properties of the gas may be approximated as those of air, and
as a first estimate, the effect of the insulation thickness on the convection coefficient and thermal
resistance associated with the cross flow may be neglected.
7. Air at 25℃ flows at 30 ∗ 10−6 𝑘𝑔/𝑠 within 100 − 𝑚𝑚 long channels used to cool a high thermal
conductivity metal mold. Assume the flow is hydrodynamically and thermally fully developed. (a)
 Determine the heat transferred to the air for a circular channel (𝐷 = 10 𝑚𝑚) when the mold
temperature is 50℃ (case A). (b) Using new manufacturing methods channels of complex cross
section can be readily fabricated within metal objects, such as molds. Consider air flowing under
the same conditions as in case A, except now the channel is segmented into six smaller triangular
sections. The flow area of case A is equal to the total flow area of case B. Determine the heat
transferred to the air for the segmented channel. (c) Compare the pressure drops for cases A and
B.

8. Air at 1 atm and 285 K enters a 2-m-long rectangular duct with cross section 75 mm by 150 mm.
The duct is maintained at a constant surface temperature of 400 K, and the air mass flow rate is
0.10 kg/s. Determine the heat transfer rate from the duct to the air and the air outlet
temperature.

[B] – External Flows (Forced)

1. Air at a pressure of 1 atm and a temperature of 50°C is in parallel flow over the top surface of a
flat 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?
2. An array of power transistors, dissipating 6 W of power each, are to be cooled by mounting them
on a 25 − 𝑐𝑚 × 25 − 𝑐𝑚-square aluminum plate and blowing air at 35℃ over the plate with a
fan at a velocity of 4 m/s. The average temperature of the plate is not to exceed 65℃. Assuming
the heat transfer from the back side of the plate to be negligible and disregarding radiation,
determine the number of transistors that can be placed on this plate.
3. A long, cylindrical, electrical heating element of diameter D = 10 mm, thermal conductivity k = 240
W/m K, density = 2700 kg/m3, and specific heat cp = 900 J/kg K is installed in a duct for which air
moves in cross flow over the heater at a temperature and velocity of 27°C and 10 m/s,
respectively. (a) Neglecting radiation, estimate the steady-state surface temperature when, per
unit length of the heater, electrical energy is being dissipated at a rate of 1000 W/m. (b) If the
heater is activated from an initial temperature of 27°C, estimate the time required for the surface
temperature to come within 10°C of its steady-state value.
4. To determine air velocity changes, it is proposed to measure the electric current required to
maintain a platinum wire of 0.5-mm diameter at a constant temperature of 77°C in a stream of
air at 27°C. (a) Assuming Reynolds numbers in the range 40 < ReD < 1000, develop a relationship
between the wire current and the velocity of the air that is in cross flow over the wire. Use this
result to establish a relation between fractional changes in the current, ∆I/I, and the air velocity,
 ∆V/V. (b) Calculate the current required when the air velocity is 10 m/s and the electrical
resistivity of the platinum wire is 17.1*10-5 Ω 𝑚.
5. A spherical thermocouple junction 1.0 mm in diameter is inserted in a combustion chamber to
measure the temperature T∞ of the products of combustion. The hot gases have a velocity of V
= 5 m/s. (a) If the thermocouple is at room temperature, Ti, when it is inserted in the chamber,
estimate the time required for the temperature difference, T∞ −Ti to reach 2% of the initial
temperature difference, T∞ −Ti. Neglect radiation and conduction through the leads. Properties
of the thermocouple junction are approximated as k = 100 W/mK, c = 385 J/kg K, and 𝜌 = 8920
kg/m3, while those of the combustion gases may be approximated as k = 0.05 W/mK, _ = 50*10-6
m2/s, and Pr = 0.69. (b) If the thermocouple junction has an emissivity of 0.5 and the cooled walls
of the combustor are at Tc = 400 K, what is the steady-state temperature of the thermocouple
junction if the combustion gases are at 1000 K? Conduction through the lead wires may be
neglected.

[C] – Free Convection

1. A thin-walled container with a hot process fluid at 50°C is placed in a quiescent, cold water bath
at 10°C. Heat transfer at the inner and outer surfaces of the container may be approximated by
free convection from a vertical plate. Determine the overall heat transfer coefficient between the
hot process fluid and the cold-water bath. Assume the properties of the hot process fluid are
those of water.
2. A circular grill of diameter 0.25 m and emissivity 0.9 is maintained at a constant surface
temperature of 130°C. What electrical power is required when the room air and surroundings are
at 24°C?
3. Under steady-state operation the surface temperature of a small 20-W incandescent light bulb is
125°C when the temperature of the room air and walls is 25°C. Approximating the bulb as a sphere
40 mm in diameter with a surface emissivity of 0.8, what is the rate of heat transfer from the
surface of the bulb to the surroundings?
4. Consider two long vertical plates maintained at uniform temperatures 𝑇𝑠1 > 𝑇𝑠2. The plates are
open at their ends and are separated by the distance 2L. (a) Sketch the velocity distribution in the
space between the plates. (b) Write appropriate forms of the continuity, momentum, and energy
equations for laminar flow between the plates. (c) Evaluate the temperature distribution, and
express your result in terms of the mean temperature, 𝑇𝑚 = (𝑇𝑠1 + 𝑇𝑠2 )/2. (d) Estimate the
vertical pressure gradient by assuming the density to be a constant 𝜌𝑚 corresponding to 𝑇𝑚 .
Substituting from the Boussinesq approximation, obtain the resulting form of the momentum
equation. (e) Determine the velocity distribution.
5. A vertical array of circuit boards is immersed in quiescent ambient air at 𝑇∞ = 17°𝐶. Although the
components protrude from their substrates, it is reasonable, as a first approximation, to assume
flat plates with uniform surface heat flux 𝑞𝑠 . Consider boards of length and width L = W = 0.4 m
and spacing S = 25 mm. If the maximum allowable board temperature is 77°C, what is the
maximum allowable power dissipation per board?