DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (ISM) DHANBAD
Subject: Heat and Mass Transfer (NMEC208)
Session: 2025-2026 (Winter)
Class: [Link]. 4th sem (Mechanical Engg.)
Tutorial Sheet: Module 1 (Introduction)
1. The concrete slab of a basement is 11 m long, 8 m wide, and 0.20 m thick. During the winter,
temperatures are nominally 170C and 100C at the top and bottom surfaces, respectively. If the
concrete has a thermal conductivity of 1.4 W/m K, what is the rate of heat loss through the
slab? If the basement is heated by a gas furnace operating at an efficiency of ηf= 0.90 and
natural gas is priced at Cg = 1 Rs/MJ, what is the daily cost of the heat loss? Ans: 4312 W,
414 Rs/d
2. A glass window of width W = 1 m and height H = 2 m is 5 mm thick and has a thermal
conductivity of kg = 1.4 W/m K. If the inner and outer surface temperatures of the glass are
150C and -200C, respectively, on a cold winter day, what is the rate of heat loss through the
glass? To reduce heat loss through windows, it is customary to use a double pane construction
in which adjoining panes are separated by an air space. If the spacing is 10 mm and the glass
surfaces in contact with the air have temperatures of 100C and -150C, what is the rate of heat
loss from a 1 m × 2 m window? The thermal conductivity of air is ka = 0.024 W/m K. Ans:
19600 W, 120 W
3. The coating on a plate is cured by exposure to an infrared lamp providing a uniform irradiation
of 2000W/m2. It absorbs 80% of the irradiation and has an emissivity of 0.50. It is also exposed
to an air flow and large surroundings for which temperatures are 20°C and 30°C, respectively.
If the convection coefficient between the plate and the ambient air is 15W/m 2 K, what is the
cure temperature of the plate? Ans: 1040C
4. A spherical interplanetary probe of 0.5-m diameter contains electronics that dissipate 150 W.
If the probe surface has an emissivity of 0.8 and the probe does not receive radiation from other
surfaces, as, for example, from the sun, what is its surface temperature? Ans: 254.7 K
5. Three electric resistance heaters of length L = 250 mm and diameter D = 25 mm are submerged
in a 10-gallon (1 gallon=3.78 l) tank of water, which is initially at 295 K. The water may be
assumed to have a density and specific heat of ρ = 990 kg/m3 and cp = 4180 J/kg K.
1
a. If the heaters are activated, each dissipating q1 = 500 W, estimate the time required to bring the
water to a temperature of 335 K. Ans: 4180 s
1⁄
b. If the natural convection coefficient is given by an expression of the form ℎ = 370(𝑇𝑠 − 𝑇) 3,
where Ts and T are temperatures of the heater surface and water, respectively, what is the
temperature of each heater shortly after activation and just before deactivation? Units of h and
(Ts – T) are W/m2 K and K, respectively. Ans: 319 k, 354 K
c. If the heaters are inadvertently activated when the tank is empty, the natural convection
coefficient associated with heat transfer to the ambient air at T = 300 K may be approximated
1⁄
as ℎ = 0.70(𝑇𝑠 − 𝑇) 3. If the temperature of the tank walls is also 300 K and the emissivity
of the heater surface is ε = 0.85, what is the surface temperature of each heater under steady-
state conditions? Ans: 830 K
6. An electrical resistor is connected to a battery, as shown schematically. After a brief transient,
the resistor assumes a nearly uniform, steady-state temperature of 950C, while the battery and
lead wires remain at the ambient temperature of 250C . Neglect the electrical resistance of the
lead wires.
a. Consider the resistor as a system about which a control surface is placed. Determine the
corresponding values of 𝐸̇𝑖𝑛 (𝑊), 𝐸̇𝑔 (𝑊), 𝐸̇𝑜𝑢𝑡 (𝑊) 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐸̇𝑠𝑡 (𝑊). If a control surface is
placed about the entire system, what are the values of 𝐸̇𝑖𝑛 , 𝐸̇𝑔 , 𝐸̇𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐸̇𝑠𝑡 ? Ans: Control
volume: Resistor, 𝑬̇𝒊𝒏 = 𝟎, 𝑬̇𝒈 = 𝟏𝟒𝟒 𝑾, 𝑬̇𝒐𝒖𝒕 = 𝟏𝟒𝟒 𝑾 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑬̇𝒔𝒕 = 𝟎, Control volume:
Battery-Resistor System, 𝑬̇𝒊𝒏 = 𝟎, 𝑬̇𝒈 = 𝟏𝟒𝟒 𝑾, 𝑬̇𝒐𝒖𝒕 = 𝟎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑬̇𝒔𝒕 = −𝟏𝟒𝟒 𝑾
b. If electrical energy is dissipated uniformly within the resistor, which is a cylinder of
diameter D= 60 mm and length L = 250 mm, what is the volumetric heat generation rate,
𝑞̇ (𝑊 ⁄𝑚3 )?Ans: 2.04105 𝑾⁄𝒎𝟑
a. Neglecting radiation from the resistor, what is the convection coefficient? Ans: h 39.0W
m2K
2
7. A hair dryer may be idealized as a circular duct through which a small fan draws ambient air
and within which the air is heated as it flows over a coiled electric resistance wire.
a. If a dryer is designed to operate with an electric power consumption of Pelec = 500 W and to
heat air from an ambient temperature of Ti = 200C to a discharge temperature of To = 450C, at
what volumetric flow rate should the fan operate? Heat loss from the casing to the ambient air
and the surroundings may be neglected. If the duct has a diameter of D = 70 mm, what is the
discharge velocity Vo of the air? The density and specific heat of the air may be approximated
as ρ = 1.10 kg/m3 and cp = 1007 J/kg K, respectively. Ans: 0.0181 m3 / s, 4.7 m/s
b. Consider a dryer duct length of L = 150 mm and a surface emissivity of ε = 0.8. If the
coefficient associated with heat transfer by natural convection from the casing to the ambient
air is h = 4 W/m2 K and the temperature of the air and the surroundings is T∞ = Tsur = 200C,
confirm that the heat loss from the casing is, in fact, negligible. The casing may be assumed to
have an average surface temperature of Ts =400C. Ans: 5.97 W