CRITICAL THICKNESS OF INSULATION

1) An electrical cable 1.2cm outer diameter has to be insulated with rubber (K=0.15W/mK). The
cable is to be located in air (h=8.7W/m²K) at 18ºC. Calculate: (a) The heat dissipation from the
bare pipe. (b) Maximum heat dissipation. (c) The critical thickness of insulation assuming a cable
surface temperature of 70ºC.

2) It is planned to insulate the shell of a heat exchanger. The outer diameter of the shell is 30cm
and its outer surface temperature is 280ºC and it may be assumed that at remains constant even
after applying insulation on the shell. The temperature of the outer surface of insulation must not
exceed 30ºC and the loss of heat from the heat exchanger is 200 W/m. assume outside surface
heat transfer coefficient 8W/m²K. The insulation material is slag wool whose thermal conductivity is
0.0825 W/mK. Show that whether the slag wool can serve the intended purpose or not. If yes,
calculate the thickness of insulating material to suit the intended purpose.

3) A 10mm cable is to be laid in atmosphere of 25ºC. The surface temperature of cable is likely to
be 65ºC due to heat generated within. Discuss the effect of insulating the cable with rubber having
thermal conductivity 0.134 W/mK. Heat transfer coefficient is 6.7 W/m²K.

4) An electric cable of 12mm diameter is insulated to increase the current capacity. Due to
insulation, the current carrying capacity is increased by 15% without increasing the cable surface
temperature above 70ºC. The atmospheric temperature is 30ºC. Assume that heat transfer
coefficient from the bare or insulated cable is 14W/m²K. Calculate the conductivity of the insulating
material.

5) A copper wire of diameter 1mm is insulated uniformly with a plastic (K=0.45W/mK) sheathing
1mm thick. The wire is exposed to environment at 26ºC. The outer surface coefficient carried by
the wire so that no part of the insulating plastic is above 700C. Take h = 9 W/m²K K (copper) =
-6
400 W/mK. Specific electric resistance is 2x10 ohm-m. Also calculate economic thickness of
insulation. Comment on the result.

6) An electric cable of 20mm diameter is insulated with rubber, which is exposed to atmosphere at
30ºC. Calculate the most economical thickness of rubber insulation when the cable surface
temperature with & without insulation is at 70ºC. Also calculate the percentage increase in heat
dissipation & current carrying capacity when most economical insulation thickness is provided.
Take K rubber=0.175W/mK, ho=9.3 W/m²K.
7) A copper wire 1mm in diameter is insulated with plastic of 1mm thick & exposed to surroundings
at 35ºC. Find the maximum safe current carried by the wire so that no part of the insulating plastic
is above 80ºC. Take the following data: Kcopper=400W/mK Kplastic= 0.5 W/mK h=8 W/m² K, ρ
(specific electrical resistance of copper wire) =2x10-8ohm-m.

8) An electrical conductor of 1.5mm diameter at a temperature of 70ºC is cooled by a system of air

whose temperature is 160C. (a) Determine the surface temperature of the conductor if the latter is
covered with rubber insulation of 2mm thickness (K=0.15W/mK) leaving the intensity of current
carried by the conductor unchanged. The heat transfer coefficient from the rubber surface to air is
8.2 W/m²K. (b) Also determine the thickness of rubber insulating making it possible for the
conductor to carry a current of maximum intensity with the temperature of the conductor remaining
unchanged as 70ºC.

9) An oil pipeline 44/51mm in diameter is covered with a layer of concrete of 80mm thickness.
K1(Pipeline material) =50W/mK, K2 (Concrete)=1.28W/mK. The mean temperature of oil is 120ºC &
ambient air temperature is 20ºC. The heat transfer coefficient from oil to pipe wall is 100 W/m²K.
Calculate (a) the loss of heat from one meter bare pipeline & the pipeline covered with concrete.
(b) What should be the magnitude of the thermal conductivity of the insulation to ensure a loss of
heat from the pipe line covered with insulation of any thickness, not exceeding the loss of heat
from a bare pipe line?

10) A steam pipe is 7.5 cm external diameter & 30 m long. It conveys 1000 kg of steam per hour at
a pressure of 2 MN/m², The steam enters the pipe with a dryness fraction of 0.98 & is to leave the
other end of the pipe with the minimum dryness fraction of 0.96. This is to be accomplished by
suitably lagging the pipe, the thermal conductivity of the lagging the material is 0.19W/mK.
Determine the minimum thickness of lagging required to meet the necessary conditions. Take. the
temperature of the outer surface of the lagging as 27ºC. Neglect the resistance of the pipe material
& assume that there is no pressure drop across the pipe.