Chemical Engineering 6453

Heat Transfer
Prof. Geoff Silcox
Spring 2005
Solution to Homework Assignment 5
Due Wednesday, 16 February, by 17:00.

Problem 1
Consider the MATLAB code, plate.m and associated files, that is linked to the
schedule under 9 February. Validate that code by (a) making sure that it
produces a symmetrical temperature field when the BCs and source term are
symmetrical and by (b) performing an energy balance on the plate to ensure that
the energy from the source is lost to the edges.

Solution

(a) For symmetrical boundary conditions and source field (W/m
3
), the code
produces a symmetrical temperature field, T, and contour plot as shown
below. Here the boundary temperatures are all 1 and the source is uniform.

T =
1.0000 1.0000 1.0000 1.0000 1.0000 1.0000 1.0000
1.0000 1.0147 1.0286 1.0327 1.0286 1.0147 1.0000
1.0000 1.0293 1.0634 1.0740 1.0634 1.0293 1.0000
1.0000 1.0364 1.0818 1.0963 1.0818 1.0364 1.0000
1.0000 1.0399 1.0911 1.1078 1.0911 1.0399 1.0000
1.0000 1.0413 1.0950 1.1126 1.0950 1.0413 1.0000
1.0000 1.0413 1.0950 1.1126 1.0950 1.0413 1.0000
1.0000 1.0399 1.0911 1.1078 1.0911 1.0399 1.0000
1.0000 1.0364 1.0818 1.0963 1.0818 1.0364 1.0000
1.0000 1.0293 1.0634 1.0740 1.0634 1.0293 1.0000
1.0000 1.0147 1.0286 1.0327 1.0286 1.0147 1.0000
1.0000 1.0000 1.0000 1.0000 1.0000 1.0000 1.0000

(b) An energy balance on the plate adds the flux times area in at the boundaries
and the source times volume (see Lesson 2):

0 '''
CV
CV
n d d

= +

(1)

The flux in at the boundaries is


1 2
8 9
3
B
B
B
dT T T T
q k k
dx x
+
= =

(2)

where (2) assumes a uniform grid and thermal conductivity. Sample MATLAB
code that is equivalent to (1) and (2) is

% Perform overall energy balance. Remember that dz =1 m.
% Calculate energy added on boundaries, W.
eleft =k*(8*bclft-9*T(:,1)+T(:,2))/(3*dy)*dx;
etop =k*(8*bctop-9*T(1,:)+T(2,:))/(3*dx)*dy;
ergt =k*(8*bcrgt-9*T(:,ncvy)+T(:,ncvy-1))/(3*dy)*dx;
ebot =k*(8*bcbot-9*T(ncvx,:)+T(ncvx-1,:))/(3*dx)*dy;
bound =sum(eleft)+sum(etop)+sum(ergt)+sum(ebot);
% Calculate energy added via source, W.
source =sum(sum(sc*dx*dy));
balanc =bound+source;
fprintf('Overall balance (W) =%g\n',balanc)

The value of balanc should be small, something like 10
-15
.
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.12 0.14 0.16 0.18 0.2
0
0.01
0.02
0.03
0.04
0.05
0.06
0.07
0.08
0.09
0.1







Problem 2
The following problem is copied, with small changes from Glen E. Myers text,
Analytical Methods in Conduction Heat Transfer, AMCHT Publications, Madison,
WI (1998), ISBN 0-9666065-0-7, p. 378.

Please reply to the following memo.

To: H. T. Expert
From: P. D. Hot
Subject: Evaluation of Heat Meter

Is the heat meter, described by the attached flyer, suitable for measuring heat-
transfer rates of about 10,000 W/m
2
from an ambient at 400 K to an isothermal
wall at 300 K? The following questions have arisen.
1. Is the temperature rise of the sensing plate less than 20 percent of the
temperature difference between the wall and the ambient so that the wall
might still be assumed isothermal?
2. Can the thickness of the sensing plate be altered to make the device more
suitable for our needs if it is found to have too large a temperature difference
across it?
3. Is the meter reading really proportional to the total heat flux entering the
sensing plate as implied by the Beehive Engineering Company?
4. Can this device be used, as is, to make accurate heat-flux measurements in
flow fields where the average heat-transfer coefficient for the sensing disk is
unknown? If not, can you suggest any modifications that would allow the
device to be used in such an application?


Beehive Engineering Company
Salt Lake City, Utah

Our engineering department has recently developed an improved heat meter for
measuring local heat-transfer rates. It is finding wide acceptance for
measurement of convective heat-transfer rates.

The heat-meter sensor consists of a thin, square sensing plate mounted over an
evacuated cavity in a heat sink. It is thermally and electrically bonded to the heat
sink at the perimeter of the cavity. As heat is transferred to the sensing plate
from a convective heat source, it flows along the plate into the sink. Since the
plate is thin compared to its width, a temperature difference is generated
between the center and edge which is directly proportional to the rate of heat
transfer to the sensor. By making the plate from a thermoelectric material such
as constantan and attaching wires of a second thermoelectric metal such as
copper at the center and edge, a differential thermocouple is generated to allow
measuring the temperature difference. The signal is proportional to the heat flux.
The device is sketched below. Let our sales staff show you how this device can
solve your heat flux measurement challenges.

Output
signal
Heat sink, T
0
1.2 mm
2.5 cm
Center wire
Edge
wire


Solution

The existing code works perfectly for answering P. D. Hots questions. The
boundary temperatures are set to 300 K and the uniform source (W/m
3
) is
calculated from the flux per


" " q A q
S
A
= = (3)

where is the plate thickness. All calculations summarized here are for a
thickness of 1.2 mm and a thermal conductivity of 23 W/(m K).

1. Is the temperature rise of the sensing plate less than 20 percent of the
temperature difference between the wall and the ambient so that the wall
might still be assumed isothermal?

The table below summarizes the effect of heat flux on temperature at the center
of the plate.

q, W/m
2
T, K at center T difference, K
0.5x10
4
308.3 8.2578
1x10
4
316.5 16.516
1.5x10
4
324.8 24.773
2x10
4
333.0 33.031

The temperature rise is 16.5 K for a flux of 10
4
W/m
2
. At a flux of 1.5x10
4
W/m
2
,
the temperature rise is 24.8 K which exceeds the guideline suggested by P. D.
Hots question.

2. Can the thickness of the sensing plate be altered to make the device more
suitable for our needs if it is found to have too large a temperature difference
across it?

Yes, per (3) the strength of the source, S, is inversely proportional to the
thickness of the plate. Making the plate thicker will lower the temperature
difference. The calculation we are using here neglects any temperature
gradients in the z direction. As this thickness of the plate increases this
assumption may not hold. This sensor is actually like a fin and a Biot number
could be defined as for a fin to determine if gradients in the z direction are
negligible.

3. Is the meter reading really proportional to the total heat flux entering the
sensing plate as implied by the Beehive Engineering Company?

Per the calculations summarized in the table above, the flux is directly
proportional to the temperature difference.

4. Can this device be used, as is, to make accurate heat-flux measurements in
flow fields where the average heat-transfer coefficient for the sensing disk is
unknown? If not, can you suggest any modifications that would allow the
device to be used in such an application?

From the table above, the temperature rise of the plate is directly proportional to
the flux. At high fluxes, the flux to the sensor will be low due to a decreased
driving force for convective heat transfer between the plate and the fluid.
Possible modifications to improve accuracy include (1) making the exposed
surface area of the sensor smaller and (2) increasing the thickness of the plate.

Problem 3
Read Lesson 15 of the notes posted on the web (see link at Monday, 14
February). Find the analytical solution to Equation III.A.1.

It is easier to work with Equation III.A.4:


2
2
1
0, (0) 1, ( ) 0, ,
d d cAV lV
l Pe
Pe d d PU



= = = = = (4)

where the dimensionless temperature and distance are


0
,
T T x x
cAV
T T l
PU

= = =

(5)

Because (4) is a linear equation with constant coefficients, we can assume a
solution =exp(a) to give the characteristic equation


2
0 a Pea Pe = (6)

The two roots are


2
1,2
4
2
Pe Pe Pe
a
+
= (7)

and the general solution becomes


1 2
1 2
a a
c e c e

= + (8)

From the boundary condition at , c
1
=0. From the boundary condition at =
0, c
2
=1. The final solution becomes


2
4
exp
2
Pe Pe Pe


+
=


(9)