CURTIN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Heat Transfer 431

Tutorial 3

1 A 1.4 kg aluminium household iron has a 500 W heating element. The surface area is
0.046 m 2. The ambient temperature is 21 oC and the surface heat transfer coefficient is
11 W/m 2.K. How long after the iron is plugged in will its temperature reach 104 oC ?

Ans: 217 s

2 A power transistor, which is mounted on a heat sink, generates internal heat at a

constant rate P during transient operation, and dissipates heat from its surface to the
ambient by convection. The convective heat transfer coefficient is h and the contact
resistance to heat flow to the heat sink is R. The temperature of the heat sink, To may
be assumed to be constant during operation.

(a) Using Lumped Capacity method derive an expression for the transient temperature
variation of the transistor. The initial temperature of the transistor is equal to the
heat sink temperature, To. Hence deduce the highest temperature attained by the
transistor during prolonged operation.

(b) If Tm is the break down temperature of the transistor, show that for steady safe
operation,
R
(Tm To )
P
hA T Tm +
hA

where A is the exposed surface area of the transistor to the ambient.

3 A steel sphere with a diameter of 76 mm is to be hardened by first heating it to a

uniform temperature of 870 oC and then quenching it in a large bath of water at a
temperature of 38 oC. The following data apply:

Surface heat transfer coefficient 590 W/m 2.K

Thermal conductivity of steel 43 W/m.K
Specific heat of steel 0.628 kJ/kg.K
Density of steel 7840 kg/m 3

Calculate: (a) time lapsed in cooling the surface of the sphere to 204 oC and (b) time
lapsed in cooling the centre of the sphere to 204 oC
Ans: 132 s, 182 s

4 A steel cylindrical billet of 25 cm diameter is to be raised to 760 oC by passing it steadily

through a 6 m long furnace. The hot gas temperature within the furnace is 1538 oC and
the overall heat transfer coefficient for the outside of the billet is 68 W/m 2.K. Determine
the maximum feeding speed of the billet if the billet enters the furnace at 204 oC.

Ans: 0.0032 m/s

5. On a hot day, a concrete roof of a building reaches 50 oC. A sudden rainstorm reduces
the surface temperature to 20 oC. How long does it take to cool the concrete to 28 oC at a
depth of 20 mm below the surface? It may be assumed that the concrete roof behaves like a
semi-infinite solid with k = 1.04 W/m.K, = 2500 kg/m 3 and c = 418 J/kg.K. (Use the
tabulated values of error function for your solution)
Ans: 29.08 min

Associate Professor TT Chandratilleke