15CH403J Process Modeling and Simulation

Department of Chemical Engineering

SRM University, Kattankulathur

Tutorial – 1

Molecular and Convective flux

1. Show that the force per unit area can be interpreted as the momentum flux.

2. The steady rate of heat loss through a plane slab, which has a surface area of 3 m2 and is 7 cm

thick, is 72 W. Determine the thermal conductivity of the slab if the temperature distribution in the

slab is given as

T = 5x + 10

Where T is temperature in C and x is the distance measured from one side of the slab in cm

(Answer: 0.048 W/m.K)

3. The inner and outer surface temperatures of a 20 cm thick brick wall are 30 C and -5 C,

respectively. The surface area of the wall is 25 m2. Determine the steady rate of heat loss through

the wall if the thermal conductivity is 0.72 W/m K. (Answer: 3150 W)

4. Energy is generated uniformly in a 6 cm thick wall. The steady state temperature distribution is

T = 145 + 3000 z – 1500 z2

Where T is temperature in C and z is the distance measured from one side of the wall in meters.

Determine the rare of heat generation per unit volume if the thermal conductivity of the wall is 15

W/m K.

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5. Estimate area averaged velocity for given data below

Velocity
0.5 0.49218 0.4687 0.4296 0.375 0.3046 0.21875 0.11718 0
(m/s)

Radius
0 0.025 0.05 0.075 0.1 0.125 0.15 0.175 0.2
(m)

(Answer: 0.25 m/s)

6. The geothermal gradient is the rate of increase of temperature with depth in the earth’s crust

a) If the average geothermal gradient of the earth is about 25  C/km, estimate the steady rate of

heat loss from the surface of the earth.

b) One your friends claims that the amount of heat escaping from 1 m2 in 4 days is enough to

heat a cup of coffee. Do you agree? Justify your answer.

Take the diameter and the thermal conductivity of the earth as 1.27 x 104 km and 3 W/m. K,

respectively (Answer: a) 38 x 109 kW)

7. Air at 20 C and 1 atm pressure flows over a porous plate that is soaked in ethanol. The molar

concentration of ethanol in the air CA is given by

CA = 4 e-1.5 z

Where CA is in kmol/m3 and z is the distance measured from the surface of the plate in meters.

Calculate the molar flux of ethanol from the plate. DAB = 1.45 x 10-5 m2/s

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