MAE 101C (Spring 2020) – Final Exam ( 180 minutes )

Problem 1 (10 points)

In a nuclear reactor cooling system, liquid potassium is used in a pipe of 8-meter length and 4-cm inside
diameter at an average velocity of 2 m/s. The average temperature of the fluid is 500 K. Potassium enters
the tube at a pressure of 3 atm. The tube is made of cast iron, and the walls are not smooth (Table 4.8).
Neglect the variable-property effects. Use Table A.9 for the liquid properties.
(a) Find the average heat transfer coefficient. (b) Calculate the pressure at the tube exit.

Problem 2 (10 points)

At a desert resort, the soil is completely dry during summer. The daily temperature variation of the soil
surface is sinusoidal. A gasoline tank is placed at a depth where the daily temperature variation (i.e.,
temperature amplitude) is 3% of the daily surface-temperature variation. Find the required depth. (Note:
 = 2 rad/day). Use Table A.3 for the soil thermal properties.

Problem 3 (10 points)

In a laboratory test, a cylindrical vessel is being studied. All surfaces are black. The vessel has a height
of 50 cm and diameter of 30 cm. The top surface is insulated. The wall has a temperature of 1200 K.
The base is at a temperature of 900 K. Label the surfaces as: top (1), wall (2), base (3).
(a) Calculate the temperature of the top surface.
(c) Obtain the heat transfer rate of the base, and show whether it is heat removal or heat addition.

Problem 4 (10 points)

A large piece of hard rubber is a slab with a thickness of 8 cm at an initial temperature of 40 C. We cool
this slab with a liquified gas at a temperature of −120 C. Thermal properties of hard rubber are not a
function of temperature (use Table A.3 for the properties).
(a) Calculate the time required for the center of the slab to reach −40 C.
(b) Find the heat flux from the surface of the slab.
(c) Determine the slab temperature at a depth of 1 cm, 20 minutes after the onset of cooling process.

Problem 5 – Bonus Problem (4 points) − Parts are independent

(a) A convectively cooled sphere has Bi = 0.04 and Fo = 10. Its initial temperature is 400 K. The air
temperature is 300 K. Calculate the center temperature of the sphere and its fractional energy loss
at this instant. You can use the graphs of Appendix C or the corresponding formulas.
(b) A square plate has dimensions of 1-m1-m. One of its faces is cold (at 250 K). Ambient air is at
290 K and is stagnant. Find the rate of convective heat transfer if the cold surface is facing down.