ME346S3 Tutorial-5

(30/09/21)

Solutions
Useful correlations [Incropera 7th Ed.]
Q-1: The weight of a thin flat plate 50 cm x 50 cm in size is balanced by a counterweight
that has a mass of 2 kg, as shown in the figure. Now a fan is turned on, and air at 1 atm
and 25°C flows downward over both surfaces of the plate with a freestream velocity of 10
m/s. Determine the mass of the counterweight that needs to be added in order to balance
the plate in this case.
Soln-1:

Density and kinematic viscosity of air at 1 atm and 25⸰C are 1.184 kg/m3 and 1.562 x10-5 m2/s resp.

which is less than critical value of

So, flow is laminar!

Flat plate correlation 7.29 gives average friction coefficient as

So, drag force (on both sides of plate) is

Therefore, mass of weight to counteract drag force on plate is

Comment: This apparatus may be a convenient method to measure drag force and thus drag coefficient.
Q-2: The forming section of a plastics plant puts out a continuous sheet of plastic
that is 1.2 m wide and 2 mm thick at a rate of 15 m/min. The temperature of the
plastic sheet is 90°C when it is exposed to the surrounding air, and the sheet is
subjected to air flow at 30°C at a velocity of 3 m/s on both sides along its surfaces
normal to the direction of motion of the sheet. The width of the air cooling section is
such that a fixed point on the plastic sheet passes through that section in 2 s.
Determine the rate of heat transfer from the plastic sheet to the air.
Soln-2:

Properties of air at 1 atm

1.2 m
and mean film temp. of (90+30)/2 = 60 °C

Width of cooling section is W

which is less than critical value of

So, flow is laminar!

Flat plate correlation 7.30 (it requires 𝑃𝑟 ≥ 0.6), average Nusselt number is

So, average heat transfer coefficient is

For heat transfer rate,

Q-3: An incandescent lightbulb is an inexpensive but highly inefficient device that converts electrical energy into light. It
converts about 10 percent of the electrical energy it consumes into light while converting the remaining 90 percent into
heat. The glass bulb of the lamp heats up very quickly as a result of absorbing all that heat and dissipating it to the
surroundings by convection and radiation.

Consider a 10-cm-diameter 100-W lightbulb cooled by a fan that blows air at 25°C to the bulb at a velocity of 2 m/s. The
surrounding surfaces are also at 25°C, and the emissivity of the glass is 0.9. Assuming 10 percent of the energy passes
through the glass bulb as light with negligible absorption and the rest of the energy is absorbed and dissipated by the bulb
itself, determine the equilibrium temperature of the glass bulb.
 Soln-3:
Properties of air at 1 atm and free
stream temp. of 25ºC

Bulb assumed to be a sphere

Whitaker’s correlation 7.56

Bulb loses heat by both

convection and radiation

Therefore, equilibrium surface

temperature is given by