ME 530 Advanced Heat Transfer (Fall, 2015)

Problemset2
1. A high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor has a tubular thorium fuel rod, a concentric graphite
8
3
sheath and He coolant, as shown. For uniform generation rate of q 10 W/m , find T1, T2 & the
temperature distributions in
thorium and graphite under
Steady-state operation.
Assume: One-D conduction,
Constant properties, negligible
contact resistance, negligible
radiation, and adiabatic surface
at r1. Thorium Tmp=2000K &
for graphite Tmp=2300K.
Obviously, T1 & T2 should not
exceed these numbers. [lecture
prob. assigned for HW]
2. Heat is generated at a rate Q v in
a long solid nuclear rod of radius R. The rod is immersed in a liquid at temperature Te. The heat
transfer from the cylinder surface to the liquid can be characterized by a heat transfer coefficient.
Obtain the steady-state temperature distribution for the following cases:
(i ) Q v constant ; (ii ) Q v Q v0 1 r R 2 ; (iii ) Q v a b T Te .
3. Some cooling fins lose heat predominantly by radiation. Show that the solution for temperature
distribution along a long pin fin can be given as an integral that can be numerically evaluated. Also
find the heat loss from a pin fin of 1 cm diameter, 10 cm long, when the base temperature is 1000K
and the surroundings may be considered black at 300K. The thermal conductivity of the fin material
is 10 W/mK. Assume a constant view factor F = 0.8 along the fin. [2.72, Mills]
4. A copper-constantan thermocouple is constructed from a 24
gage (0.51mm diameter) wire and protrudes into a steam
chamber. The steam is at 320K, and the chamber is at 300K.
The wires are bare and well separated. If the length of
protrusion is 5 cm, calculate the error due to conduction along
the wires for a heat transfer coefficient of 100 W/m2K.

copper

steam

constantan

5. A long rectangular steel bar

0 x a, 0 y b, and a, b L , the bar length, is heated with a uniform heat flux qs on the
surface y = b. The other surfaces are exposed to condensing steam at temperature Tsat . Determine
the temperature distribution T(x,y) and an expression for the maximum temperature. Evaluate the
maximum temperature for b = a. Note that the Biot number Bi for condensing steam is practically
infinity.

6. For heat transfer in one-dimensional (radial) cylindrical coordinate system under steady-state
conditions with uniform volumetric heat generation.
a) Derive finite difference equations for an interior node m, and

b) An exterior node that is subjected to convection boundary

condition (T, h).
7. In a 2-D cylindrical configuration, the radial (r) and angular
() spacings of the nodes are uniform. The boundary at r = ri is
of uniform temperature Ti. The boundaries in the radial direction
are adiabatic and exposed to surface convection (T, h). Derive
the finite difference equations for (a) node 2, (b) node 3, and (c)
node 1.
8. For an anisotropic material, where k depends on direction i.e.
k is actually a tensor kij. Thus, the heat conduction equation

T (r , t )
kij T, j (r , t ) , i

C p

Rate of increase in
Energy storage = E st

Net rate at which

energy is conducted
into the C.V =(E in -E out )

g r , t

Energy generation rate / vol (electrical,

nuclear, chemical, radiation or friction)
E gen

with the generation term becomes:

Assuming that the coordinates can be aligned in the 3 principle directions of thermal conductivity,
i.e. all elements of kij are zero except kj or kj = ij kij . Also assuming that kj are constants, is there any
way to convert the above equation to the equation of an isotropic solid with constant thermal
conductivity? Please attempt this conversion. You may use Cartesian coordinates for convenience
and ignore the heat generation term. [Hint: Try appropriately scaling the coordinates]
9. Solve the above equation to determine the temperature distribution in plane, cylindrical and spherical
isotropic solids with constant thermal conductivity shown below. Use the appropriate 1-D, steady
state heat conduction equation with uniform heat generation and the boundary conditions shown.

10. A 50 mm hot aluminum sphere, which is initially at 800 K, is removed rapidly from a furnace and
introduced into a large room where the temperature of both the walls and the air are 300 K. The
material properties of the sphere are: = 2702 kg/m3, cp = 1033 J/kg-K, k = 231 W/m-K, and the
surface emissivity = 0.75. Determine the temperature history of the sphere as it cools considering
both radiation and convection. Plot T(t) and compare it with pure convection. [Use available
software such as Mathematica, Matlab, etc.]