THEORITICAL QUESTIONS

1. What is the difference between thermodynamics and heat transfer?

2. Enumerate the basic laws which govern the heat transfer.
3. Name and explain briefly the various modes of heat transfer.
4. What is conduction heat transfer? How does it differ from convective heat transfer?
5. What is the significance of heat transfer?
6. Enumerate some important areas which are covered under the discipline of heat transfer.
7. What is the difference between the 'natural' and 'forced' convection?
8. What is 'Fourier's law of conduction'? State also the assumptions on which this law is based.
State some essential features of Fourier's law.
9. How is thermal conductivity of a material defined? What are its units?
10. What is thermal resistance?
11. What is 'Newton's law of cooling?
12. What is Stefan's Boltzmann law?

NUMERICALS
1. Derive the generalized 3-dimensional heat conduction equation with uniform heat
generation in Cartesian as well as cylindrical coordinate.
2. An exterior wall of a house may be approximated by a 0.1 m layer of common brick (k =
0.7 W/m°C) followed by a 0.04 m layer of gypsum plaster (k = 0.48 W/m°C). What
thickness of loosely packed rock wool insulation (k = 0.065 W/m°C) should be added to
reduce the heat loss or (gain) through the wall by 80 per cent?
3. Find the heat flow rate through the composite wall as shown in Fig. Assume one
dimensional flow. kA= 150 W/m°C, kb= 30 W/m°C, kc=65 W/m°C, and кd= 50 W/m°C
 4. The interior of a refrigerator having inside dimensions of 0.5 mx 0.5 m base area and 1 m
height, is to be maintained at 6°C. The walls of the refrigerator are constructed of two mild
steel sheets 3mm thick (k = 46.5 W/m°C) with 50 mm of glass wool insulation (k = 0.046
W/m°C) between them. If the average heat transfer coefficients at the outer and inner
surfaces are 11.6 W/m2°C and 14.5 W/m2°C respectively, calculate:
i. The rate at which heat must be removed from the interior to maintain the specified tempera-
ture in the kitchen at 25°C.
ii. The temperature on the outer surface of the metal sheet.

5. A pipe (k = 180 W/m°C) having inner and outer diameters 80 mm and 100 mm respectively
is located in a space at 25°C. Hot gases at temperature 160°C flow through the pipe.
Neglecting surface heat transfer coefficients, calculate:
i. The heat loss through the pipe per unit length,
ii. The temperature at a point halfway between the inner and outer surfaces, and
iii. The surface area normal to the direction of heat flow so that the heat transfer through the
pipe can be determined by considering material of pipe as a plane wall of the same
thickness.

6. A steam pipe of outer diameter 120 mm is covered with two layers of lagging, inside layer
45 mm thick (k = 0.08W/m°C) and outside layer 30 mm thick (k = 0.12 W/m°C). The pipe
conveys steam at a pressure of 20 bar with 50°C superheat. The outside temperature of
lagging is 25°C. If the steam pipe is 30m long, determine:
i. Heat lost per hour, and
ii. Interface temperature of lagging.
The thermal resistance of steam pipe may be neglected.

7. A spherical thin-walled metallic container is used to store liquid N2 at -196° C. The

container has a diameter of 0.5 m and is covered with an evacuated reflective insulation
composed of silica powder. The insulation is 25 mm thick and its outer layer is exposed to
air at 27 °C. The convective heat transfer coefficient on outer surface = 20 W/m2° C. Latent
 heat of evaporation of N2 = 2 x 105 J/kg. Density of N2 = 804 kg/m3, k (silica powder) =
0.0017 W/m°C. Find out the rate of heat transfer and rate of N2 boil-off.

8. Determine the rate of heat flow through a spherical boiler wall which is 2 m in diameter
and 2 cm thick steel (k = 58 W/m K). The outside surface of boiler wall is covered with
asbestos (k = 0.116 W/m K) 5mm thick. The temperature of outer surface and that of fluid
inside are 50 °C and 300 °C respectively. Take inner film resistance as 0.0023 K/W.
9. A small electric heating application uses wire of 2 mm diameter with 0.8 mm thick
insulation (k = 0.12 W/m°C). The heat transfer coefficient (h) on the insulated surface is
35 W/m2°C. Determine the critical thickness of insulation in this case and the percentage
change in the heat transfer rate if the critical thickness is used, assuming the temperature
difference between the surface of the wire and surrounding air remains unchanged.
10. A uniform sheathing of plastic insulation (k = 0.18 W/m°C) is applied to an electric cable
of 8 mm diameter. The convective film coefficient on the surface of bare cable as well as
insulated cable was estimated as 12.5 W/m2°C and a surface temperature of 45 °C was
observed when the cable was directly exposed to ambient air 20°C. Determine:
i. The thickness of insulation to keep the wire as cool as possible;
ii. The surface temperature of insulated cable if the intensity of current flowing through the
conductor remains unchanged.