ES3003 HEAT TRANSFER

Exam 1 – Summer 2018

Due Monday June 4, 2018 by 11:59 pm (Eastern Time Zone)
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Exam is open book, open notes, lecture slides, etc. Place final answers on provided
lines/spaces. Show all work on pages that you attach to the end of the exam. Partial credit
will be given. Exam solutions should be submitted as a single PDF file with filename
yourfullnameexam1.pdf . Students may not consult any other person (except with the
instructor for clarifying questions) to complete the exam.

ATTACH THESE FOUR EXAM PAGES AS 1ST FOUR PAGES OF EXAM SOLUTION
FILE.
1. The PEM fuel cell shown in figure can be used in as a renewable energy technology in
cars. The fuel cell dimensions and various temperatures are shown. The electrochemical
reaction in the fuel cell creates 11.25 watts of power that must be removed by convection
and radiation for the fuel cell to operate at steady-state and maintain a constant fuel-cell
surface temperature of 25 oC. The convection coefficient for the fuel cell surface depends on
the air velocity flowing over the fuel cell, and is given by

h = 10.9 V0.8 (units of W/m2 K with V in m/s).

Assume that there are negligible temperature variations within the fuel cell, and
that the thin edge surfaces are well insulated.

a) Find the radiation heat transfer qrad from the fuel cell __________________

b) Find the convection heat transfer qconv from the fuel cell ______________

c) Find the air velocity over the fuel cell required to maintain the steady-state
operation.
______________
2. A turbine blade in a gas turbine jet engine is shown. The turbine blade has a
thermal barrier coating (TBC) made of a Zirconia ceramic applied to the exterior
blade which is made of a high temperature superalloy Inconel. Cooling air flows
internal to the blade, and convection also occurs on the exterior of the blade.

Assuming that the turbine blade can be modeled as a plane wall as shown, find;

a) Draw the equivalent electrical circuit for heat flow across the turbine blade.

b) Find the total thermal resistance across the turbine blade if a contact
resistance of R’’t,c = 1 x 10-4 m2 K/W exists between the Zirconia ceramic and
the Inconel. Hint: Work on a per unit area basis, e.g. cross sectional area of
the plane wall (turbine blade) will not appear in any of the resistance terms.

__________________________

c) Find the heat flux q’’ across the turbine blade __________________

d) Find the maximum temperature in the Inconel. __________________

3. A nuclear fuel element of thickness 2L is covered with a steel cladding of
thickness b. Heat generated within the nuclear fuel at a rate of Q is removed by a
fluid at T∞ which flows by the right side surface with convection coefficient h. The
left side surface is well insulated, and the fuel and steel have thermal conductivities
of kf and ks, respectively.

a) Obtain an equation for the temperature distribution T(x) in the nuclear fuel as a
function of Q, kf, L, b, ks, h and T∞.

__________________

b) Sketch the temperature distribution T(x) for the entire system.

c) For kf = 60 W/mK, L = 15 mm, b = 3mm, ks = 15 W/mK, h = 10,000 W/m2K ,

and T∞ = 200 oC, and Q = 2 x 107 W/m3, find the largest and smallest temperatures
in the nuclear fuel.

______________ ________________

Hints: Start from the one-dimensional Cartesian differential energy equations

with heat generation. Integrate twice to find a general expression for T(x).
Boundary conditions are:

1) dT/dx = 0 at insulation (x = -(b+L)),

2) T = Ts,1 @ x = L.