Home Work 1, 2019 

Basic Heat Transfer 
 

Problem 1
A cylindrical resistor element on a circuit board dissipates 0.75 W of power. The resistor is 1.5 cm long,
and has a diameter of 0.4 cm. Assuming heat to be transferred uniformly from all surfaces, determine (a)
the amount of heat this resistor dissipates during a 24-hour period, (b) the heat flux, and (c) the fraction of
heat dissipated from the top and bottom surfaces.

Problem 2
Consider a house with a floor space of 200 m2 and an average height of 3 m at sea level, where the standard
atmospheric pressure is 101.25 kPa. Initially the house is at a uniform temperature of 10°C. Now the electric
heater is turned on, and the heater runs until the air temperature in the house rises to an average value of
22°C. Determine how much heat is absorbed by the air assuming some air escapes through the cracks as
the heated air in the house expands at constant pressure. Also, determine the cost of this heat if the unit cost
of electricity in that area is IDR1425.00/kWh.

Problem 3
An engineer who is working on the heat transfer analysis of a house in English units needs the convection
heat transfer coefficient on the outer surface of the house. But the only value he can find from his handbooks
is 20 W/m2 °C, which is in SI units. The engineer does not have a direct conversion factor between the two
unit systems for the convection heat transfer coefficient. Using the conversion factors between W and Btu/h,
m and ft, and °C and °F, express the given convection heat transfer coefficient in Btu/h ft2 °F.

Problem 4
A 1.5-m-long, 0.2-cm-diameter electrical wire extends across a room that is maintained at 20°C. Heat is
generated in the wire as a result of resistance heating, and the surface temperature of the wire is measured
to be 250°C in steady operation. Also, the voltage drop and electric current through the wire are measured
to be 220 V and 1 A, respectively. Disregarding any heat transfer by radiation, determine the convection
heat transfer coefficient for heat transfer between the outer surface of the wire and the air in the room.

Problem 5
A 200-ft-long section of a steam pipe whose outer diameter is 4 inches passes through an open space at
50°F. The average temperature of the outer surface of the pipe is measured to be 280°F, and the average
heat transfer coefficient on that surface is determined to be 6 Btu/h ft2 °F. Determine (a) the rate of heat
loss from the steam pipe and (b) the annual cost of this energy loss if steam is generated in a natural gas
furnace having an efficiency of 86 percent, and the price of natural gas is IDR 9000.00/therm (1 therm =
100,000 Btu).