Convection Heat Transfer – Numerical Examples

(Ref: Heat Transfer by J P Holman)

Forced Convection:

1. Water at 60 C enters a tube of 1” inner diameter with a mean velocity of 2 cm/s. The
temperature of the wall is maintained constant at 80 C. Calculate the exit temperature if the
length of the tube is 3m.
2. A tube of 2 cm ID and a relative roughness of 0.001 is maintained at a constant wall
temperature of 90 C. Water enters the tube at 40 C and leaves at 60 C. If water enters the
tube with a velocity of 3 m/s, calculate the length of the tube required to accomplish the
heating.
3. Air at 1atm and 35 C flows across a 5cm diameter cylinder at a velocity of 50 m/s. The surface
of the cylinder is maintained at a temperature of 150 C. Calculate the rate of heat lost per
unit length of the cylinder.
Natural Convection:

1. In a plant location near a furnace, a net radiant energy flux of 800 W/m2 is incident on a
vertical metal surface 3.5 m tall and 2m wide. The metal is insulated at the back and all the
incoming radiation is lost by natural convection to ambient air at 30 C. Estimate the average
temperature attained by the plate.

Iteration 2
2. A large vertical plate 4m tall maintained at a temperature of 60 C, is exposed to an
atmospheric air at 10 C. Calculate the rate of heat transfer if the plate is 10 m wide.
3. A fine wire of diameter 0.02 mm is maintained at a constant temperature of 54 C by electric
current. It is exposed to air at 1 atm and 0 C. Calculate the electric power required to maintain
this temperature for a wire length of 0.5m.