CONDUCTION HEAT TRANSFER PROBLEMS

Q1. An exterior wall of a house may be approximated by an inch layer of common brick [k = 0.7
W/m.K] followed by 1.5-inch layer of gypsum plaster (k = 0.48 W/m.K). What thickness of loosely
packed rock-wool insulation (k = 0.065 W/m.K) should be added to reduce the heat loss (or gain)
through the wall by 80 percent?

Q2. Multilayer Cylindrical System

A thick-walled tube of stainless steel (18% Cr, 8% Ni, k = 19 W/m.K) with 2-cm inner diameter (ID)
and 4-cm outer diameter (OD) is covered with a 3-cm layer of asbestos insulation (k = 0.2W/m.K). If
the inside wall temperature of the pipe is maintained at 600 oC and the outside temperature of
asbestos is 100 oC.
a) Calculate the heat loss per meter of length.
b) Calculate the tube–insulation interface temperature.

Q3. Overall Heat-Transfer Coefficient for a Tube

Water flows at 50 oC inside a 2.5-cm-inside-diameter tube such that h i = 3500 W/m2.K. The tube has a
wall thickness of 0.8 mm with a thermal conductivity of 16 W/m.K. The outside of the tube loses heat
by free convection with ho = 7.6 W/m2.K. Calculate the overall heat-transfer coefficient and heat loss
per unit length to surrounding air at 20 o
C.

Q4. Critical Insulation Thickness

Calculate the critical radius of insulation for asbestos (k = 0.17 W/m.K) surrounding a pipe and
exposed to room air at 20 oC with h = 3.0 W/m2.K. Calculate the heat loss from a 200 oC, 5.0-cm-
outside diameter pipe when covered with the critical radius of insulation and without insulation.

Q5. A wall 2 cm thick is to be constructed from material that has an average thermal conductivity of
1.3 W/m.K. The wall is to be insulated with material having an average thermal conductivity of
0.35 W/m.K, so that the heat loss per square meter will not exceed 1830 W. Assuming that the inner
and outer surface temperatures of the insulated wall are 1300 oC and 30 oC, calculate the thickness of
insulation required.

Q6. A certain material 2.5 cm thick, with a cross-sectional area of 0.1 m 2, has one side maintained at
35 ◦C and the other at 95 ◦C. The temperature at the center plane of the material is 62 ◦C, and the heat
flow through the material is 1 kW. Obtain an expression for the thermal conductivity of the material
as a function of temperature.

Q7. Acomposite wall is formed of a 2.5-cm copper plate, a 3.2-mm layer of asbestos, and a 5-cm layer
of fiberglass. The wall is subjected to an overall temperature difference of 560 ◦C. Calculate the heat
flow per unit area through the composite structure. Find the thermal conductivities from tables.

Q8. One side of a copper block 5 cm thick is maintained at 250 ◦C. The other side is covered with a
layer of fiberglass 2.5 cm thick. The outside of the fiberglass is maintained at 35 ◦C, and the total heat
flow through the copper-fiberglass combination is 52 kW. What is the area of the slab?

Q9. One side of a copper block 4 cm thick is maintained at 175 ◦C. The other side is covered with a
layer of fiberglass 1.5 cm thick. The outside of the fiberglass is maintained at 80 ◦C, and the total heat
flow through the composite slab is 300 W. What is the area of the slab?

Q10. A plane wall is constructed of a material having a thermal conductivity that varies as the square
of the temperature according to the relation k = k0(1 + βT 2). Derive an expression for the heat
transfer in such a wall.
Q11. A steel tube having k = 46 W/m.K has an inside diameter of 3.0 cm and a tube wall thickness of
2 mm. A fluid flows on the inside of the tube producing a convection coefficient of 1500 W/m 2.K on the
inside surface, while a second fluid flows across the outside of the tube producing a convection
coefficient of 197 W/m2.K on the outside tube surface. The inside fluid temperature is 223 ◦C while the
outside fluid temperature is 57 ◦C. Calculate the heat lost by the tube per meter of length.

Q12. A certain material has a thickness of 30 cm and a thermal conductivity of 0.04 W/m.K. At
a particular instant in time, the temperature distribution with x, the distance from the left face, is
T = 150x2 − 30x, where x is in meters. Calculate the heat-flow rates at x = 0 and x = 30 cm. Is the solid
heating up or cooling down?

Q13. A wall is constructed of 2.0 cm of copper, 3.0 mm of asbestos sheet [k = 0.166 W/m.K], and 6.0
cm of fiberglass. Calculate the heat flow per unit area for an overall temperature difference of 500 ◦C.

Q14. A certain building wall consists of 6.0 inches of concrete [k = 1.2 W/m.K], 2.0 inches of fiberglass
insulation, and 83 inches of gypsum board [k = 0.05 W/m.K]. The inside and outside convection
coefficients are 2.0 and 7.0 Btu/h · ft2.oF, respectively. The outside air temperature is 20 oF, and the
inside temperature is 72◦F. Calculate the overall heat-transfer coefficient for the wall, the R value, and
the heat loss per unit area.

Q15. A wall is constructed of a section of stainless steel [k = 16 W/m.K] 4.0 mm thick with identical
layers of plastic on both sides of the steel. The overall heat-transfer coefficient, considering convection
on both sides of the plastic, is 120 W/m 2.K. If the overall temperature difference across the
arrangement is 60◦C, calculate the temperature difference across the stainless steel.

Q16. A spherical tank, 1 m in diameter, is maintained at a temperature of 120 ◦C and exposed to

a convection environment. With h = 25 W/m2.K and T∞ = 15◦C, what thickness of urethane foam
should be added to ensure that the outer temperature of the insulation does not exceed 40 ◦C? What
percentage reduction in heat loss results from installing this insulation?

Q17. A hollow sphere is constructed of aluminum with an inner diameter of 4 cm and an outer
diameter of 8 cm. The inside temperature is 100 ◦C and the outer temperature is 50◦C. Calculate the
heat transfer.

Q18. Suppose the sphere in Problem Q16 is covered with a 1-cm layer of an insulating material
having k = 50 m W/m.K and the outside of the insulation is exposed to an environment with h = 20
W/m2K and T∞ = 10◦C. The inside of the sphere remains at 100 ◦C. Calculate the heat transfer under
these conditions.

Q19. In Appendix A, dimensions of standard steel pipe are given. Suppose a 3-in Schedule 80 pipe is
covered with 1 inch of an insulation having k = 60 m W/m.K and the outside of the insulation is
exposed to an environment having h = 10 W/m 2K and T∞ = 20◦C. The temperature of the inside of the
pipe is 250◦C. For unit length of the pipe calculate (a) overall thermal resistance and (b) heat loss.

Q20. A steel pipe with 5-cm OD is covered with a 6.4-mm asbestos insulation [k = 0.096 Btu/h.ft ◦F]
followed by a 2.5-cm layer of fiberglass insulation [k = 0.028 Btu/h.ft ◦F]. The pipe-wall temperature is
315◦C, and the outside insulation temperature is 38 ◦C. Calculate the interface temperature between
the asbestos and fiberglass.

Q21. Derive an expression for the thermal resistance through a hollow spherical Shell of inside radius
ri and outside radius ro having a thermal conductivity k.

Q22. A 1.0-mm-diameter wire is maintained at a temperature of 400 ◦C and exposed to a convection

environment at 40◦C with h = 120 W/m2.K. Calculate the thermal conductivity that will just cause an
insulation thickness of 0.2 mm to produce a “critical radius.” How much of this insulation must be
added to reduce the heat transfer by 75 percent from that which would be experienced by the bare
wire?
Q23. A 2.0-in schedule 40 steel pipe (see Appendix A) has k = 27 Btu/h.ft. ◦F. The fluid inside the pipe
has h = 30 Btu/h.ft2.◦F, and the outer surface of the pipe is covered with 0.5-inch fiberglass insulation
with k = 0.023 Btu/h.ft.◦F. The convection coefficient on the outer insulation surface is 2.0 Btu/h.ft 2.◦F.
The inner fluid temperature is 320◦F and the ambient temperature is 70◦F. Calculate the heat loss per
foot of length.

Q24. Derive a relation for the critical radius of insulation for a sphere.

Q25. A cylindrical tank 80 cm in diameter and 2.0 m high contains water at 80 ◦C. The tank is 90
percent full, and insulation is to be added so that the water temperature will not drop more than 2 ◦C
per hour. Using the information given in this chapter, specify an insulating material and calculate the
thickness required for the specified cooling rate.

Q26. A hot steam pipe having an inside surface temperature of 250 ◦C has an inside diameter of 8 cm
and a wall thickness of 5.5 mm. It is covered with a 9-cm layer of insulation having k = 0.5 W/m.K,
followed by a 4-cm layer of insulation having k = 0.25 W/m.K. The outside temperature of the
insulation is 20◦C. Calculate the heat lost per meter of length. Assume k = 47 W/m.K for the pipe.

Q27. A house wall may be approximated as two 1.2-cm layers of fiber insulating board, an 8.0-cm
layer of loosely packed asbestos, and a 10-cm layer of common brick. Assuming convection heat-
transfer coefficients of 12 W/m2.K on both sides of the wall, calculate the overall heat-transfer
coefficient for this arrangement.

Q28. Calculate the R value for the following insulations: (a) urethane foam, (b) fiberglass mats,
(c) mineral wool blocks, (d) calcium silicate blocks.

Q29. An insulation system is to be selected for a furnace wall at 1000 ◦C using first a layer of mineral
wool blocks followed by fiberglass boards. The outside of the insulation is exposed to an environment
with h = 15 W/m2.K and T∞ = 40◦C. Using the data of Table 2-1, calculate the thickness of each
insulating material such that the interface temperature is not greater than 400 ◦C and the outside
temperature is not greater than 55◦C. Use mean values for the thermal conductivities. What is the heat
loss in this wall in watts per square meter?

Q30. Derive an expression for the temperature distribution in a plane wall having uniformly
distributed heat sources and one face maintained at a temperature T 1 while the other face is
maintained at a temperature T 2. The thickness of the wall may be taken as 2L.

Q31. A 5-cm-diameter steel pipe is covered with a 1-cm layer of insulating material having k = 0.22
W/m.K followed by a 3-cm-thick layer of another insulating material having k = 0.06 W/m.K. The
entire assembly is exposed to a convection surrounding condition of h = 60 W/m 2.K and T∞ =15◦C. The
outside surface temperature of the steel pipe is 400◦C. Calculate the heat lost by the pipe-insulation
assembly for a pipe length of 20 m. Express in Watts.

Q32. Derive an expression for the temperature distribution in a plane wall in which distributed heat
sources vary according to the linear relation q̇=q̇ w [1+ β ( T −T w ) ] where q̇ w is a constant and equal to
the heat generated per unit volume at the wall temperature T w. Both sides of the plate are maintained
at Tw, and the plate thickness is 2L.

Q33. A plane wall 6.0 cm thick generates heat internally at the rate of 0.3 MW/m 3. One side of the wall
is insulated, and the other side is exposed to an environment at 93 ◦C. The convection heat-transfer
coefficient between the wall and the environment is 570 W/m 2K. The thermal conductivity of the wall
is 21 W/m.K. Calculate the maximum temperature in the wall.
Q34. Consider a shielding wall for a nuclear reactor. The wall receives a gamma-ray flux such that
heat is generated within the wall according to the relation q̇=q̇ o e−ax where q̇ o is the heat generation
at the inner face of the wall exposed to the gamma-ray flux and a is a constant. Using this relation for
heat generation, derive an expression for the temperature distribution in a wall of thickness L, where
the inside and outside temperatures are maintained at T i and To, respectively. Also obtain an
expression
for the maximum temperature in the wall.

Q35. Heat is generated in a 2.5-cm-square copper rod at the rate of 35.3 MW/m 3. The rod is exposed
to a convection environment at 20◦C, and the heat-transfer coefficient is 4000 W/m 2.K. Calculate the
surface temperature of the rod.

Q36. A plane wall of thickness 2L has an internal heat generation that varies according to
q̇=q̇ ocos ax, where q̇ o is the heat generated per unit volume at the center of the wall (x = 0) and a
is a constant. If both sides of the wall are maintained at a constant temperature of T w, derive an
expression for the total heat loss from the wall per unit surface area.

Q37. The temperature distribution in a certain plane wall is

T −T 1
=¿ C1 + C2x2 +C3x3
T 2−T 1
where T1 and T2 are the temperatures on each side of the wall. If the thermal conductivity of the wall
is constant and the wall thickness is L, derive an expression for the heat generation per unit volume as
a function of x, the distance from the plane where T = T1. Let the heat-generation rate be q̇ o at x = 0.

Q38. Electric heater wires are installed in a solid wall having a thickness of 8 cm and k = 2.5 W/m.K.
The right face is exposed to an environment with h = 50 W/m 2.K and T∞ = 30◦C, while the left face is
exposed to h = 75 W/m2.K and T∞ = 50◦C. What is the maximum allowable heat-generation rate such
that the maximum temperature in the solid does not exceed 300 ◦C?

Q39. Two 5.0-cm-diameter aluminum bars, 2cm-long, have ground surface sanda
rejoined in compression with a 0.025-mm brass shim at a pressure exceeding 20 atm. The combination
is subjected to an overall temperature difference of 200◦C. Calculate the temperature drop across the
contact join.

Q40. A 3.0-cm-thick plate has heat generated uniformly at the rate of 5 x 105 W/m 3. One side of the
plate is maintained at 200◦C and the other side at 45◦C. Calculate the temperature at the center of the
plate for k = 16 W/m.K.

Q41. Heat is generated uniformly in a stainless steel plate having k = 20 W/m.K. The thickness of the
plate is 1.0 cm and the heat-generation rate is 500 MW/m 3. If the two sides of the plate are maintained
at 100 and 200◦C, respectively, calculate the temperature at the center of the plate.

Q42. A 3.2-mm-diameter stainless-steel wire 30 cm long has a voltage of 10 V impressed on it. The
outer surface temperature of the wire is maintained at 93 ◦C. Calculate the center temperature of the
wire. Take the resistivity of the wire as 70 μμ · cm and the thermal conductivity as 22.5 W/m.K.

Q43. Derive an expression for the temperature distribution in a sphere of radius r with uniform heat
generation q̇ and constant surface temperature Tw.

Q44. A stainless-steel sphere [k = 16 W/m.K] having a diameter of 4 cm is exposed to a convection

environment at 20◦C, h = 15 W/m2K. Heat is generated uniformly in the sphere at the rate of 1.0
MW/m3. Calculate the steady-state temperature for the center of the sphere.

Q45. An aluminum-alloy electrical cable has k = 190 W/m.K, a diameter of 30 mm, and carries an
electric current of 230 A. The resistivity of the cable is 2.9 μμ · cm, and the outside surface
temperature of the cable is 180◦C. Calculate the maximum temperature in the cable if the surrounding
air temperature is 15◦C.

Q46. Derive an expression for the temperature distribution in a hollow cylinder with heat sources that
vary according to the linear relation q̇=a+ br
with q̇ i the generation rate per unit volume at r = r i . The inside and outside temperatures are T = T i.
at r = r = r i and T = To at r = r o .

Q47. The outside of a copper wire having a diameter of 2 mm is exposed to a convection environment
with h = 5000 W/m2.K and T∞ = 100◦C. What current must be passed through the wire to produce
a center temperature of 150◦C? Repeat for an aluminum wire of the same diameter. The resistivity of
copper is 1.67 μμ · cm.

Q48. A hollow tube having an inside diameter of 2.5 cm and a wall thickness of 0.4 mm is exposed to
an environment at h = 100 W/m2.K and T∞ = 40◦C. What heat generation rate in the tube will produce
a maximum tube temperature of 250◦C for k =24 W/m.K?

Q49. Water flows on the inside of a steel pipe with an ID of 2.5 cm. The wall thickness is 2 mm, and
the convection coefficient on the inside is 500 W/m 2K. The convection coefficient on the outside is 12
W/m2K. Calculate the overall heat-transfer coefficient. What is the main determining factor for U?

Q50. The pipe in Problem Q49 is covered with a layer of asbestos [k = 0.18 W/m.K] while still
surrounded by a convection environment with h = 12 W/m2K. Calculate the critical insulation radius.
Will the heat transfer be increased or decreased by adding an insulation thickness of (a) 0.5 mm,
(b) 10 mm?