PROBLEM SHEET

(A) CONDUCTION
Basic Concept, Conduction Heat Transfer at Steady State, Heat transfer through Composite Material,
Critical Radius of Insulation
1. A jet aircraft compartment is assumed to be a cy1idrical tube of 3 -m diameter and 20- m length. It is lined
inside with 3 cm of insulating material of k = 0.042 W/mK. It is flying at a height where the average outside
temperature is - 30C.
To find: The rate of heating required to maintain the compartment at 20C for passenger comfort.
(Ans: 13.06 kW)
2. A furnace wall has the inside surface temperature of 1100C, while the ambient air temperature is 25C. The
wall consists of 125 mm thick refractory bricks (k = 1.6 W/mK), 125 mm thick firebricks (k = 0.3 W/mK) and
12 mm thick plaster (k = 0.14 W/mK).There is an air gap which offers a thermal resistance of 0.16 K/W.The heat
transfer coefficient on the outside wall to the air is 17W/m2K.
To find: (a) The rate of heat loss per unit area of wall surface, (b) the interface temperatures throughout the wall,
and (c) the temperature of the outside surface of the wall.
(Ans: a) 1.344 kW b) 995C, 780C, 220C c) l04.l C)
3. A steam pipe made of steel (k = 58 W/mK) has inner dia of 160 mm and outer dia. of 170 mm. The saturated
steam flowing through it is at 300C, while the ambient air is at S0C. It has two layers of insulation, the inner
layer (k = 0.17 W/mK) is 30 mm thick and the outer layer (k = 0.023 W/mK) is SO mm thick, the heat transfer
coefficients on the inside and outside walls are 30 and 5.8 W/m2K respectively.
To find: The rate of heat loss per unit length of the pipe.
(Ans: 82.94 W/m)
4. An aluminium (k = 185 W/mK) pipe inner dia of 10 cm and outer dia. of 12 cm carrying steam at 110C loses
heat to the room air at 30C having h = 15 W /m2K.
To find: (i) The rate of heat transfer, (ii) the percentage reduction in heat transfer if an insulation (k = 0.2 W/mK)
of 5cm thickness covers the pipe.
(Ans: i) 452 W/m ii) 69.5%)
5. Two large aluminium (k = 240 W /mK), each 2 cm thick, with 10 m surface roughness are placed in contact
at 105 N/m2 pressure (Fig.) with the outside surface temperatures of 390C and 406C.The thermal contact
resistance is 2.75 x 10-4 m2K/W.
To find: (i) The heat flux, (ii) the temperature drop due to contact resistance, and (iii) the contact temperatures.

(Ans: i) 3.67 x 104 W/m2 ii) 9.95C iii) 402.975C, 393.025C)

6. A 0.8 m high, 1.5 m wide double pane window consists of two 4 mm thick layers of glass (k = 78 W/mK) and
is separated by a 10 mm wide stagnant air space (k = 0.026 W/mK).The room is at 20C and the outside air is at 10C. The heat transfer coefficients are hi = 10 and h0 = 40 W/m2K.
To find: (i) The rate of heat transfer through the window, (ii) the inside surface temperature.
(Ans: i) 69.2 W ii) 14.2C )

7. Given: A refrigerated container in the form of a cube with 2 m sides and 5 mm thick aluminum walls
(k = 204 W/mK) is insulated with a 0.1 m layer of cork (k = 0.043 W /mK) and the surface temperatures are
Ti = - 5C and T0 = 20C.
To find: The cooling load of the refrigerator.
(Ans: 258 W)
8. The heat flow rate through a 3 cm thick wood board for a temperature difference of 30C between the two
surfaces is 120 W/m2. Calculate the thermal conductivity of the wood.
(Ans. 0. 12 W/m K)
9. A hot plate maintained at a temperature of 120C dissipates heat at the rate of 7500 W/m2 to the ambient air at
30C. Calculate the heat transfer coefficient for convection between the plate and the air.
(Ans. 83.3 W/m2 K)
10. The inside surface of an insulating layer is at 270C, and the outside surface is dissipating heat by convection
into air at 20C. The insulation layer is 40 mm thick and has a thermal conductivity of 1.2 W/m K. What is the
minimum value of the heat transfer coefficient at the outside surface if the outside surface temperature should
not exceed 70C.
(Ans. 120 W/m2 K)
11. A fluid at an average temperature of 200C flows through a plastic pipe (k = 0.5 W/m K) of 4 cm outer
diameter and 3 cm inner diameter. If the heat transfer coefficient at the inside is 300 W /m2 K and that at the
outer surface is 10 W/m2 K, and if the pipe is located in a room at 30C, find the heat loss per unit length of pipe.
(Ans. 157 W/m)
12. A surface whose temperature is maintained at 400C is separated from an air flow by a layer of insulation 25
mm thick for which the thermal conductivity is 0.1 W/mK. If the air temperature is 35C and the convection
coefficient between the air and the outer surface of the insulation is 500 W /m2 K, what is the temperature of this
outer surface?
13. A hollow cylinder with r1 = 30 mm and r2 = 50 mm, k = 15 W/mK, is heated on the inner surface
at a rate of 105 W /m2 and dissipates heat by convection from the outer surface to a fluid at 100C with h = 400
W/m2K.
To find: The temperatures of inside and outside surfaces of the cylinder.
(Ans: 352.2C, 250C)
14. A tube 2 cm outer dia maintained at uniform temperature of Ti is covered with insulation (k = 0.20 W/mK) to
reduce heat loss to the ambient air at T with h0 = 15 W/m2K.
To find: (i) The critical thickness rc of insulation (ii) the ratio of heat loss from the tube with insulation to that
without insulation, (a) if the thickness of insulation is equal to rc (b) if the thickness of insulation is (rc + 2) cm.
(Ans: i) 0.33 cm ii) a) 1.035 b) 0.83 )
15. A 1 mm dia electric wire is covered with 2 mm thick layer of insulation (k = 0.5 W/mK). Air surrounding the
wire is at 25C and h = 25 W/m2K. The wire temperature is 100C.
To find: (i) The rate of heat dissipation from the wire per unit length with and without insulation, (ii) The critical
radius of insulation, (iii) The maximum value of heat dissipation.
(Ans: i) 10.90 W/m, 2.36 W/m ii) 50 mm iii) 42.07 W/m)
16. A plastic pipe (k =0.5 W/mK) carries a fluid such that the convective heat transfer coefficient is 300 W/m2 K.
The average fluid temperature is 100C. The pipe has an inner diameter of 3 cm and outer diameter of 4 cm. If
the heat transfer rate through the pipe per unit length is 500 W/m, calculate the external pipe temperature and the
overall heat transfer coefficient based on outside area.
(Ans. 36.53C, 62.69 W/m2 K)
17. A steel (k = 15 W/mK) tube with 5 cm inner diameter and 7.6 cm outer diameter is covered with an
insulation (k = 0.2 W/m K) of thickness 0.2 cm. A hot gas at 330C flows through the tube with hi = 400 W/m2
K. The outer surface of the insulation is exposed to air at 30C with h0 = 60 W/m2 K. Calculate (a) the heat loss

from the tube which is 10 m long and (b) the temperature drops resulting from the thermal resistances of the hot
gas flow, the steel tube, the insulation layer and the outside air.
(Ans. (a) 7251 W, (b) 12C, 3.3C, 253C and 31 . 7C)
18. Derive an expression for the one-dimensional steady-state temperature distribution in a slab of thickness L
where heat is generated at a constant rate of qG W/m3. The boundary surface at x = 0 is insulated and that at x =
L is kept at zero temperature. Calculate the temperature of the insulated surface for k =40 W/m K, qG = 106 W/m3
and L = 0.1 m.
(Ans. l 25C)
19. A plane wall of width L bas a constant thermal conductivity k. The surface temperatures are T1 at x = 0 and
T2 at x = L. The heat generated per unit volume in the wall varies according to the expression q0= bx2. Determine
(a) the steady temperature distribution, (b) the location of the plane of maximum temperature and ( c) the heat
flux leaving the wall at the surface x = L.
20. Determine the steady-state temperature distribution and the total radial heat flow in a hollow sphere in a
region a < r < b when the boundary surface at r = a and r = b are kept at uniform temperatures T0 and Ti
respectively.

21. An industrial furnace is made of fireclay brick of thickness 25 cm and thermal conductivity k1 = 1 W/m K.
The outside surface is insulated with material (k2 =0.05 W/m K). Determine the thickness of the insulation layer
in order to limit the heat loss from the furnace wall to q = 1000W/m2 when the inside surface of the wall is at
1030C and the outside surface at 30C.
(Ans. 3.75 cm)
22. A hollow steel sphere (k = 10 W/m K) has an inside radius of 10 cm and outside radius of 20 cm. The inside
surface is maintained at a uniform temperature of 230C and the outside surface dissipates heat by convection
with h = 20 W/m2 K into the ambient air at 30C. Determine the thickness of asbestos insulation (k = 0.5 W/m
K) required to reduce the heat loss by 50%.
(Ans. 5.8 cm)
23. Determine the steady-state temperature distribution and the radial heat flow rate for a length L in a hollow
cylinder of inside radius ri and outside radius r0 , in which heat is generated at a constant rate of qG W/m3,while
the inside and outside surfaces are maintained constant at uniform temperatures Ti and To respectively.

24. A 1 mm diameter electrical wire is covered with a 2-mm thick layer of plastic insulation (k = 0.5 W/m K).
The wire is surrounded by air with an ambient temperature of 25C and h = 10 W/m2 K. The wire temperature is
100C. Determine the rate of heat dissipated from the wire per unit length with and without insulation. Find the
radius of insulation when the rate of heat dissipation is maximum. What is the maximum value of this heat
dissipation? (Ans. Q with insul = 10.90 W/m,Q without insul = 2.36 W/m,(r0 )cr = 50 mm, Qmax = 42. 1 W/m)
25. An electrically heated sphere of diameter 6 cm is exposed to the ambient air at 25C with a convection heat
transfer coefficient 20 W/m2 K. The surface of the sphere is maintained at 125C. Calculate the rate of beat loss
(a) when the sphere is uninsulated and (b) when the sphere is insulated for maximum heat loss.
(Ans. 22.6 W, 44.4 W)