CURTIN UNIVERSITY

Discipline of Mechanical Engineering/School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering

APPLIED THERMODYNAMICS AND HEAT TRANSFER (MCEN3000)
CLASS TEST Semester 1-2020
For Bentley, Miri and SLIIT Campuses

ATTEMPT ALL TWO (2) QUESTIONS

TIME ALLOWED: 4 hours TOTAL MARKS: 50

[To receive full marks, all necessary logical reasoning and units must be clearly indicated in the solution]

1 Saturated (wet) steam at 230 oC steadily flows through an uninsulated metal pipe having
100 mm inner diameter and 10 mm wall thickness. The ambient temperature in the vicinity of the
pipe is 30 oC. The convective heat transfer coefficients at the inner and outer pipe surfaces are
1800 W/m2.K and 20 W/m2.K, respectively. The thermal conductivity of the pipe metal is
60 W/m.K. One-dimensional heat flow behaviour is to be assumed for all heat flow processes.
(a) Draw a thermal network for heat flow per unit pipe length, indicating the values of thermal
resistances. Hence, find the rate of heat loss from the pipe surface to the ambient and the
steam condensation rate.
(7 Marks)
Subsequently, a thin electrical heating tape is wound on the outer pipe surface and the
pipe-heater assembly is covered on the outside with a 50 mm thick layer of insulation, to prevent
possible condensation of 230 oC saturated steam within the pipe. During steady operation, the
heating tape generates 250 W of power per unit pipe length, and 88 percent of the total heat
produced by the heating tape flows into the saturated steam in the pipe. The convective heat
transfer coefficients at the inner pipe surface and the outer insulation surface are 1800 W/m2.K
and 20 W/m2.K, respectively.
(b) Draw an appropriate thermal network to illustrate the heat flow processes in the pipe-heater
assembly. Hence, find the steady temperature of the heating tape.
(10 Marks)
(c) Calculate the heat loss to the ambient through the insulation and the required thermal
conductivity of the insulation.
(8 Marks)
The following information is provided:
(i) For saturated steam at 230 oC, hfg = 1812 kJ/kg.
(ii) Thermal resistance for radial heat flow through an annulus per unit axial length is given by
1 𝑏
ln � �, where 𝑎 and 𝑏 (𝑏 > 𝑎) are radii, and 𝑘 is thermal conductivity.
2𝜋𝜋 𝑎

(Total 25 Marks)

Turn overleaf for Question 2

 T −T∞ e m ( L − x ) + e − m ( L − x )
2 The expression = describes the temperature variation along a slender
To −T∞ e mL + e −mL
hp
uniform fin with an insulated tip, where, m2 = and the other symbols have their usual
kA
meaning. Starting from this expression, derive and show that the overall thermal resistance to
 e mL + e − mL 
heat flow through this fin may be written as,  mL − mL  (hpkA ) −1
2 . Hence, obtain an expression

 e − e 
for the heat flow through the fin base.
(6 Marks)

Metal plate
Thickness 5 mm
Thin Rod heater Ambient
5 mm Thin Rod heater
(Outside insulated)
(Outside insulated)

200 mm

Figure 1

Figure 1 above illustrates the cross section of a convective heating arrangement, which comprises a
200 mm wide, 5 mm thick metal plate with two identical thin rod heaters welded on to the two side
edges of the plate, as shown. The rod heaters are perfectly insulated on the outside and provide
heat to the metal plate. Both top and bottom plate surfaces are exposed to the ambient air at 20 oC.
The heating arrangement is infinitely long in axial direction (perpendicular to paper). During steady
operation, each rod heater generates 500 W of heat per unit axial length. The convective heat
transfer coefficient at the exposed metal plate surfaces is 23 W/m2.K. The thermal conductivity of
the plate metal is 180 W/m.K. Assume that the rod heaters are very thin in diameter and have
uniform temperatures within the body of heaters.
(a) For unit axial length of the heating arrangement, draw a suitable thermal network to describe
the heat flow process, indicating the values of thermal resistances.
(7 Marks)
(b) Find the steady operating temperatures of the rod heaters and the temperature at the centre
of the metal plate.
(6 Marks)
(c) Subsequently, one of the rod heaters develops a fault and gets turned off, whilst only one
500 W rod heater provides heat to the metal plate. Calculate the new steady temperatures
at the two rod heaters.
(6 Marks)
(Total 25 Marks)

END OF CLASS TEST PAPER