SAMPLE QUESTIONS
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS
Conduction, Convection, Radiation & Basic Concepts
i. Differentiate between conduction and convection.
ii. Differentiate between conduction and radiation.
iii. Differentiate between forced convection and free convection.
iv. Demonstrate Newton’s Law of Cooling with a relevant equation.
v. State the concept of thermal diffusivity and explain its significance.
vi. Differentiate between thermal diffusivity and thermal capacity
Fins, Prandtl Number & Boundary Layers
i. Differentiate various types of fins based on geometry and heat‑transfer characteristics.
ii. Analyze how Prandtl number influences relative diffusivity of momentum and heat.
iii. Illustrate the variation of velocity and thermal boundary layers w.r.t Prandtl number for
flow over a flat plate.
iv. Illustrate the thermal boundary layer for flow over a flat plate.
MEDIUM ANSWER QUESTIONS
Insulation & Conduction
i. Derive expression for critical radius of insulation – cylinder.
ii. Derive expression for critical radius of insulation – sphere.
iii. Derive expression for thermal resistance in plane wall.
iv. Derive expression for thermal resistance of cylindrical wall.
Fins & Extended Surfaces
i. Derive relation between fin effectiveness and fin efficiency.
ii Derive governing equation for heat transfer through an extended surface (fin)
Forced Convection Numerical Problems
i. Air at atmospheric pressure and 40°C flows with a velocity of U = 5 m/s over a 2 m
long flat plate whose surface is kept at a uniform temperature of 120°C. Determine the
average heat transfer coefficient over the 2 m length of the plate. Also find out the rate
of heat transfer between the plate and the air per 1 m width of the plate. [The thermos-
physical properties of air at 1 atm. and 80°C are:
υ = 2.107 × 10-5 m2/s, k = 0.03025 W/mK; Pr = 0.6965]. Use the following correlation:
ii. Air at 27° C flows over a 400 mm long flat plate at a speed of 2 m/s. If the plate is maintained
at 60°C, calculate the heat transferred. Take the width of the plate as 1 m. The properties of air
at mean temperature of (27 + 60)/2 = 43.5° C are given as: υ = 17.36×10-6 m2/s; ρ = 1.16 kg/m3,
k = 0.02749 W/m°C, Cp = 1006 J/kgK; Pr = 0.7. Use the following correlation:
̅𝐿
ℎ
̅̅̅̅
𝑁𝑢 = = 0.664 (𝑅𝑒)1/2 (𝑃𝑟)1/3
𝑘
LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS
Fin Theory
i. Derive equation for heat transfer through fin of finite length with insulated tip.
ii. Derive equation for heat transfer through fin of infinite length.
Insulation & Composite Walls
i. An exterior wall of a house may be approximated by a 0.1 m layer of common brick (k
= 0.7 W/m oC) followed by a 0.04 m layer of gypsum plaster (k = 0.48 W/m oC).
Determine the thickness of loosely packed rock wool insulation (k = 0.065 W/m oC)
that should be added to reduce the heat loss or (gain) through the wall by 80 percent?
ii. A steel pipe with 50 mm outer diameter is covered with a 6.4 mm asbestos insulation
(k = 0.166 W/mK) followed by a 25 mm layer of fiber-glass insulation (k = 0.0485
W/mK). The pipe wall temperature is 393 K and the outside insulation temperature is
311 K. Calculate the interface temperature between the asbestos and fiber-glass.
Internal Convection Numericals
i. When 0.5 kg of water per minute is passed through a tube of 20 mm diameter it is found
to be heated from 20oC to 50oC. The heating is accomplished by condensing steam on
the surface of the tube and subsequently the surface temperature of the tube is maintained
at 85oC. Determine the length of the tube required for fully developed flow. Consider the
wall temperature to be constant. Use the following correlation:
̅𝐷
ℎ
̅̅̅̅
𝑁𝑢 = = 3.65
𝑘
Take the thermo-physical properties of water at 60oC as :
ρ = 983.2 kg/m3,𝑐𝑝 = 4.178 kJ/kgK, k = 0.659 W/moC, υ = 0.478 × 10-6 m2/s
ii. When 0.8 kg of oil per minute flows through a 25 mm diameter tube, it is heated from
35°C to 70°C. The heating is achieved by condensing steam on the outer surface of the
tube, maintaining the tube wall temperature at 95°C. Determine the length of the tube
required assuming. Flow is laminar and fully developed. Wall temperature is constant.
Use the correlation:
̅𝐷
ℎ
̅̅̅̅ =
𝑁𝑢 = 3.66
𝑘
Take the thermo-physical properties of oil at mean film temperature as :
ρ = 845 kg/m3,𝑐𝑝 = 2.15 kJ/kgK, k = 0.14 W/moC, υ = 1.6 × 10-5 m2/s