National Institute of technology
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Monsoon 2024-25
ME2201E PRINCIPLES OF HEAT TRANSFER
TUTORIAL 3
Transinet Conduction heat transfer: Infinite solids
1. In a production facility, 3-cm-thick large brass plates (k=110 W/mK, 𝜌=8530 kg/m3, 𝑐𝑝 =380
J/kg K, and 𝛼=33.9× 10−6 m2/s) that are initially at a uniform temperature of 25 °C are
heated by passing them through an oven maintained at 700 °C. The plates remain in the
oven for a period of 10 min. Taking the convection heat transfer coefficient to be 80
W/m2K, determine the surface temperature of the plates when they come out of the oven.
2. A long cylindrical wood log (k=0.17 W/m · °C and 𝛼=1.28× 10−7 m2/s) is 10 cm in diameter
and is initially at a uniform temperature of 10 °C. It is exposed to hot gases at 500°C in a
fireplace with a heat transfer coefficient of 13.6 W/m2 °C on the surface. If the ignition
temperature of the wood is 420 °C, determine how long it will be before the log ignites.
3. For heat transfer purposes, an egg can be considered to be a 5.5-cm-diameter sphere
having the properties of water. An egg that is initially at 8 °C is dropped into the boiling
water at 100 °C. The heat transfer coefficient at the surface of the egg is estimated to be
800 W/m2 °C. If the egg is considered cooked when its center temperature reaches 60 °C,
determine how long the egg should be kept in the boiling water.
4. A man and his 6-year-old son have conducted the following experiment to determine the
thermal conductivity of a hot dog. They first boiled water in a large pan and measured the
temperature of the boiling water to be 94 °C, which is not surprising, since they live at an
elevation of about 3000 m in Ladakh. They then took a hot dog that is 12.5 cm long and
2.2 cm in diameter and inserted a thermocouple into the midpoint of the hot dog and
another thermocouple just under the skin. They waited until both thermocouples read 20
°C, which is the ambient temperature. They then dropped the hot dog into boiling water
and observed the changes in both temperatures. Exactly 2 min after the hot dog was
dropped into the boiling water, they recorded the center and the surface temperatures to
be 59 °C and 88 °C, respectively. The density of the hot dog can be taken to be 980 kg/m3,
which is slightly less than the density of water, since the hot dog was observed to be
floating in water while being almost completely immersed. The specific heat of a hot dog
can be taken to be 3900 J/kg · °C, which is slightly less than that of water, since a hot dog
is mostly water. Using transient temperature charts, determine (a) the thermal diffusivity
of the hot dog, (b) the thermal conductivity of the hot dog, and (c) the convection heat
transfer coefficient.
5. An 8-cm-diameter potato (𝜌 =1100 kg/m3, Cp =3900 J/kg °C, k = 0.6 W/m°C, and α= 1.4×
10−7 m2/s) that is initially at a uniform temperature of 25 °C is baked in an oven at 170 °C
until a temperature sensor inserted to the center of the potato indicates a reading of 70
°C. The potato is then taken out of the oven and wrapped in thick towels so that almost
no heat is lost from the baked potato. Assuming the heat transfer coefficient in the oven
to be 25 W/m2 °C, determine (a) how long the potato is baked in the oven and (b) the final
equilibrium temperature of the potato after it is wrapped.