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PROBLEMS
for problem sessions in

HEAT TRANSFER
FACULTY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Budapest University of Technology and Economics

1. THERMAL CONDUCTION
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1.1 The walls of a refrigerating plant consist of 3 layers; concrete, thermal insulation,
and humidity insulation. The respective thickness values are as follows; 200 mm,
100 mm, and 20 mm, the respective coductivities being 1.28 W/mK, 0.0465
W/mK, and 0.233 W/mK. The outside surface of the concrete layer is at a
uniform temperature of +15 oC while the internal surface of the humidity
insulationis at -10 oC. The walls can be considered "infinitely large" slabs.
Calculate the following quantities;
a) the heat rate through a 3 x 5 m wall of the plant,
b) the heat flux through the same,
c) the temperatures of the contact surfaces between layers, assuming zero
contact resistance.
d) Draw the temperature distribution in the cross section of the wall.
e) What is the relation between temperature gradients and the conductance
of the individual layers?

1.2 The two surfaces of a slab, thickness of 4 cm, conductivity of 20 W/mK, are
in heat transfer with fluids at temperatures of t1  130oC , t 2  30o C ,
with the respective heat transfer coefficients of
 1  250W / m2 K and 2  500W / m2 K .

Determine the heat flux through the slab and the surface temperatures.

1.3 A steam main consists of a steel pipe (=46.5 W/mK) with outside/inside
diameters of 220 mm / 200 mm and a thermal insulation, thickness of 80 mm,
conductivity of 0.0582 W/mK. In steady operation, the inside surface of the
pipe is at a temperature of 150 oC meanwhile the outside surface of the
insulation is at 30 oC.
a) Calculate the rate of heat loss through a one-meter long section of the pipe.
b) Calculate the temperature of the contact surface between pipe and insulation.
c) Plot the temperature distribution in the cross section.
d) Determine the error, per cent, if the heat loss is calculated neglecting
the thermal resistance of the steel pipe wall.

1.4 A pipe containing flowing refrigerant is covered by a thermal insulation, inside

diameter of 100 mm, thickness of 40 mm, conductivity of 0.0697 W/mK. The
inside and outside surfaces of the insulation are at -10 oC and +20 oC
respectively.
a) Calculate the rate of heat flow transferred into 1 m length of the pipe.
b) Plot the temperature distribution in the insulation.
c) Determine the thickness of the insulation necessary to reduce the heat
rate to 14 W per 1m of length, assuming unchanged surface temperatures.
d) Determine the thickness of the additional insulation layer if it is made of a
material of conductivity 0.0465 W/mK.

1.5 The electric insulation of a wire, diameter of 8 mm, is made of a plastic with
conductivity of 0.12 W/mK. The ambient air is at 20 oC . Calculate
a) the outside diameter of the insulation permitting the minimum of wire
temperature if the heat transfer coefficient to the ambient air is of 12 W/m2K;
b) the temperature of the inside surface of the insulation if the electric power
per unit length of the wire is 20 W/m .
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1.6 A steam pipe is thermally insulated on its surface. The diameters of the pipe are
220/200 mm/mm. Superheated steam, mean temperature of 200 oC, flows
inside the pipe. The coefficient of heat transfer between the steam and the inside
pipe surface is of 116 W/m2K. The thickness of the insulation is of 80 mm, the
conductivity of its material is 0.046 W/mK. The temperature of the ambient
air is 30 oC. The coefficient for heat transfer between outside insulation surface
and ambient air is 4.6 W/m2K. Calculate
a) the rate of heat loss from a 20 m length of the pipe assuming that the
temperature of steam remains unchanged in flow direction;
b) the temperature of the outside surface of the insulation.

1.7 Consider a 70 mm long steel fin with rectangular cross section of 4 mm x 80 mm

and conductivity of =46.5 W/mK. The heat transfer coefficient between fin
surface and ambient air is 17.4 W/m2K. The fin is attached, at one end, to a
surface maintained at 100 oC. The temperature of the ambient air is 30oC.
Calculate
a) the temperature of the fin at the end of every 10 mm long section of the fin;
b) the rate of heat transferred from the lateral surfaces of the fin to the air;
c) the fin efficiency, neglecting the heat transfer from the free end.
d) Repeat the above calculations assuming a copper fin, conductivity of =384
W/mK.

1.8 A circular rod fin (spine) of diameter 8 mm, length of 160 mm, is exposed to
a cooling fluid at one end while the fin base is maintained at a constant
temperature, =40 W/mK,=8.0 W/m2K. If the total heat rate from the fin
to the cooling fluid is of 3.2 W, calculate the heat rate from the half surface
of the fin between the base and the central cross section.

1.9 Consider a glass wool thermal insulation applied on the outside surface of a
300 mm outside diameter pipe. The inside surface of the insulation is at 280 oC.
In the range of 0 oC to 320 oC, the temperature dependence of conductivity
of glass wool can be approximated by the following relation;
  2.833310 7  t2  9.833310 5  t  0.031 W / mK.
a) Determine the necessary thickness of the insulation so that, if the temperature
of the outside insulation surface is 20 oC, the heat loss of 1 m long section of
the pipe is 150 W.
b) Represent the temperature distribution in the insulation by calculating the
temperature in some locations.
c) For the thickness calculated as answer to question a), determine the rate of
heat loss and the temperature distribution based on a constant conductivity
belonging to the mean insulation temperature of 150 oC.

1.10 Answer question a) of problem 1.9 if the insulation is made of a material with
conductivity approximated by the following relation;
  0.05 9.37510
 5  t W / mK.
1.11 Consider the composite of two materials combined in series paths. The
respective thicknesses and conductivities are as follows;
 1  300mm,  1  1 0.018 t[oC ] W / mK,  2  100mm,  2  5.0W / mK.

Layer No1 is heated by a fluid at a temperature of t1  400oC with a heat

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transfer coefficient  1  80W / m2 K . The other layer is cooled from the outside;
t2  10oC ,  2  10W / m2 K . Calculate the heat rate through the composite
wall and the temperatures of the free surfaces.

1.12 A cylindrical heater, diameter of 5 mm, is positioned coaxially in an 'infinitely

long' rectangular block cross section of 80 mm x 40 mm. The conductivity of
the block is 18 W/mK and its outside surface is uniformly at 80 oC. If the heat
rate transferred to the ambient air from unit length of the block is 24 kW/m,
calculate
a) the surface temperature of the cylinder and
b) the heat transfer coefficient between the outer surface of the block and the
ambient air that is at 30 oC.

1.13 The wall of a boiler, an infinite slab, is at a uniform temperature of 450 oC

initially. Then, the wall is cooled by air at 60 oC at both sides, with a heat
transfer coefficient of 7.0 W/m2K. The thickness of the wall is 20 cm, and the
thermophysical properties of the material are as follows:  = 0.49 W/mK;
 =2620 kg/m3; c = 418 J/kgK. Determine the temperature of the surface
for each side of the wall 2 hours after the cooling began.

1.14 A long cylindrical wire, diameter of 60 mm and a uniform initial temperature

of 800 oC is exposed to a fluid at a constant temperature of 50 oC. The heat
transfer coefficient between the surface of the wire and the fluid is 400 W/m2K.
The properties of the material of the wire are: = 60 W/mK; a =2•10-5 m2/s.
a) Determine the temperature in the central line of the wire 10 minutes after the
start of exposal.
b) How long time is needed to cool the center line to 100 oC ?

1.15 The steady-state temperature distribution in a fireclay brick wall is linear, the
surface temperatures being 600 oC and 400 oC respectively. From the instant
of operation stop, the wall is cooled, from both sides, by air at 50 oC with heat
transfer coefficients of 11.6 W/m2K. The thermophysical properties of the brick
are:  = 1.28 W/mK;  =2300 kg/m3; c =836 J/kgK.
In order to investigate the temperature distribution in the wall during cooling,
a laboratory model is to be applied. The model is a slab made of a material of
 = 0.69 W/mK;  =1600 kg/m3; c =626 J/kgK. The highest permissible tempe-
rature in the slab is 200 oC and the temperature of the cooling air is 20 oC.
a) If the temperature distribution in the brick wall is to be determined for every
5 minutes, what is the time period of measurements on the slab?
b) What is the necessary heat transfer coefficient at the measurements?
c) If the maximum temperature is adjusted on the hot surface of the slab,
determine the initial temperature at its cold surface.
2. HEAT TRANSFER TO/FROM A SURFACE

2.1 Water at a mean temperature of 37.5 oC with a flow velocity of 0.515 m/s enters
an 18-mm-ID, 1.5-m-long tube whose surface is maintained at a uniform
temperature of 45 oC.
a) Calculate the mean coefficient of heat transfer between the water and the tube
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wall.
b) What will be the coefficient if the tube is only 0.5 m long ?

2.2 Air at 100 oC with a flow velocity of 2 m/s enters a 5-mm-ID tubing that
consists of 1-m-long straight tube sections. The outlet temperature of the air
at the end of the last section is 60 oC. The mean wall temperature of the
tubing is 50 oC.
a) Determine the character of the flow.
b) Calculate the heat transfer coefficient.

2.3 Wind at 20 oC blows over a 10 m long house wall at a mean surface temperature
of 10 oC. The velocity of the wind is 5 m/s.
a) Determine the character of the flow.
b) Calculate the heat transfer coefficient.
c) Determine the length in which the flow is laminar.

2.4 Consider the flow of air perpendicular to a tube bank of aligned arrangement of a
heat exchanger. The air velocity in the narrowest cross section of the bundle is
5 m/s. The bundle consists of 30-mm-OD tubes 10 rows deep in the direction
of flow, maintained at a mean wall temperature of 60 oC. Each row has the same
number of tubes. At inlet to the tube bank, the air is at 20 oC and it is at 40 oC
at outlet. Determine the coefficient of the heat transfer between the air and the
tuBe bank.

2.5 A cylindrical 200-mm-OD duct of central heating is stated vertically in a 3-m-

-high room. The outside surface of the duct is at 40 oC while the temperature
of the air in the room is 20 oC.
a) Determine the heat transfer coefficient between the duct surface and the air.
b) Calculate the rate of heat loss of the duct.

2.6 Saturated water at 10 bar pressure is boiled in a boiler, by a surface heat flux of
210 kW/m2.
a) Calculate the heat transfer coefficient of boiling.
b) Determine the temperature of the heating surface.
c) What is, under the given conditions, the highest possible heat transfer
coefficient at nucleate boiling ?

2.7 Saturated steam at 50 oC condenses on a 18-mm-OD,1.5-m-long vertical tube.

The mean surface temperature of the tube is 45 oC.
a) Determine the heat transfer coefficient.
b) Calculate the heat rate transferred from the steam to the surface.
c) What will be the heat transfer coefficient if the tube is positioned horizontally?

3. HEAT EXCHANGERS

3.1 Calculate the necessary heat transfer surface area of the following counterflow
heat exchanger;
The hot fluid, with a flow-stream capacity rate of 2320 W/K, enters the heat
exchanger at 200 oC. These data for the cold fuid are 1160 W/K and 50 oC
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respectively.The temperature of the hot fluid at outlet from the heat exchanger is
180 oC. The heat transfer coefficient on the side of the hot fluid is of 1160
W/m2K and it is 580 W/m2K on the side of the cold fluid. The separating wall
between the two fluids is made of 2-mm-thick steel sheets, thermal conductivity
of 46.5 W/mK.
Plot the temperature distribution of the fluids over the heat transfer surface.

3.2 Assume that the fluids of the above counterflow recuperator are coupled
into parallel flow arrangement. The structure of the heat exchanger as well
as the heat transfer coefficients and fluid flow capacity rates are unchanged.
Calculate
a) the fluid outlet temperatures
b) the performance of the recuperator (kW)
c) the loss in performance , per cent, as compared to the performance in
counter flow as calculated in problem 3.1.
d) Plot the temperature distribution of fluids.

3.3 Assume that the heat transfer surfaces of the recuperator described in problem
3.1 are fouled after some time of operation. The thickness of the deposit is of
0.2 mm and its conductivity is 0.12 W/mK.
a) Calculate the performance of the fouled heat exchanger assuming that all
the rest of the conditions are unchanged.
b) Explain the reason why the loss in percent of the performance is lower
than the decrease in percent of the overall heat transfer coefficient.

3.4 Hot air for a drying operation is to be produced by routing the air through a
crossflow heat exchanger. The heating fluid is products of combustion. The air
enters the heat exchanger at 40 oC at a heat capacity rate of 2320 W/K and
leaves at 200 oC, while the gases at 1160 W/K have an inlet temperature of
440 oC . In the heat exchanger, the two fluids are separated by flat plates,
thickness of 2 mm, conductivity of 35 W/mK. If the heat transfer coefficients are
580 and 350 W/m2K for the two sides, determine the necessary area of the
heat transfer surface assuming that
a) both fluids are unmixed and
b) the air is mixed in the cross sections of the heat exchanger meanwhile
the gases remain unmixed.

4. RADIATION
(Problems below refer to grey, isothermal surfaces radiating through
non-participating media.)

4.1 Consider two large, parallel surfaces. The following data are given:
t1  300 oC,  1 0.8 , t 2  50 oC,  2  0.7 .
a) Calculate the radiative heat transfer between the surfaces.
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b) How could you decrease the radiant flux keeping the temperatures and
the emissivities unchanged ?

4.2 Two concentric spheres are characterised by the following data:

r1  200 mm, t1  200 oC,  1 0.8 , r2  800 mm, t 2  100 oC,  2  0.6 .
a) Calculate the radiative heat rate between the spheres.
b) Does the heat rate depend on the location of the inner sphere ?

4.3 Consider two large, parallel surfaces of =0.85. To decrease the radiant flux
between them, two parallel shields are inserted. Calculate
a) the radiated heat rate between the surfaces assuming no shield between
them;
b) the same assuming shield emissivities of 0.85 , equally on all surfaces;
c) the respective temperatures of the shield surfaces for case b);
d) the heat rate assuming shield emissivities of 0.1 .

4.4 Two plane coaxial disks are separated by a distance of 100 mm. The following
data are given:
d1  50mm, t1  300 oC,  1  0.9 ; d 2  100 mm, t 2  50 oC,  2  0.8 .
Neglecting mutual reflected radiation, determine the radiated heat rate between
the disks.

4.5 Two square plates are separated by a distance of 100 mm. The dimensions of
the plates are 20x20 mm and 100x100 mm. Determine the view factor between
the (parallel) plates for the following two cases:
a) the smaller plate is under a corner of the larger one;
b) the plates are positioned coaxially.