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DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL AND BIOMOLECULAR ENGINEERING

University of Houston
CHEE 3369- Transport Processes – Fall 2018
Homework #4

Problem 1

A thermocouple is formed by soldering end-to-end wires of 0.5 mm dia. The thermal diffusivity
of the material is α=5.3 × 10–6 m2/s, and its conductivity is 19.1 W/m-K. The probe initially at 30
°C is placed in a fluid at 600 °C to measure the temperature of the fluid. If the convective heat
transfer coefficient between the wire and the fluid is h=85 W/m2-K, determine the time taken for
the thermocouple to read 598 °C. How many thermocouple “time constants” are needed to reach
598 °C?

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Problem 2

A thick concrete wall (assume semi-infinite slab) initially at 30 °C suddenly has its surface
temperature increased to 600 °C by an intense fire which lasts for 25 minutes.

1. Write down the differential equation describing this heat transfer process.
2. What are the initial and boundary conditions?
3. The material will disintegrate up to a depth where the temperature reaches 400 °C.
Determine the thickness of material which may disintegrate. The thermal diffusivity is
α=4.92 × 10–7 m2/s; k = 1.28 W/m-K.
4. Determine the total heat flow/m2 during the 25 min exposure time.

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Problem 3

In a different situation, the concrete wall of Problem 2, initially at 30 °C, is exposed to gases at
900 °C with a convective heat transfer coefficient h=85 W/m2-K.

1. Write down the differential equation describing this heat transfer process.
2. What are the initial and boundary conditions?
3. Provide an equation for the surface temperature as a function of time.
4. Plot the surface temperature as a function of time.
5. What is the temperature at 1 cm depth after 1 hour? (Use the analytical solution given in
the course notes, or the graph below).

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To determine the surface temperature vs. time put x=0 in Eq. (6.13a)

Problem 4: When installing water pipes underground, utilities must be concerned with the
possibility of water freezing and pipe rapturing during cold periods. Although the problem of
determining the temperature in the soil is complicated, a reasonable assumption can be made of
constant surface temperature during a period of cold weather. What minimum burial depth would
you recommend to avoid freezing if the soil, initially at a uniform temperature of 20 °C, is
subjected to a constant surface temperature of -15 °C for 60 days.

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