JME 3710

September 3, 2020

Homework #2

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1. (10 pts) A beverage cooler wall is made up of 2
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outer “shell” layers of plastic, each having a con- 0000000
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ductivity of 4k, and an inner layer of insulation 0000000
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having a conductivity of k (Fig. 1). The thickness 0000000
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shell

shell
of each shell is d, while the thickness of the insu- 0000000
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lation is 2d. Assuming one–dimensional, steady– 0000000
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state conduction and a temperature difference be- 1111111111111
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tween the inner (cooler) surface and outer surface
of ∆T , calculate the heat flux into the cooler in
terms of k, ∆T , and d. Figure 1: Wall cross–section
2. (10 pts) Given the configuration in Question 1, calculate the heat flux if a better insulation
material having a conductivity of k/2 were to be used. Compare to your answer in Question 1
and comment as to why or why not the flux should be half of that calculated in Question 1.
3. (10 pts) A large wall of insulating material has a regular pattern
of aluminum bolts, such that the ratio of the total bolt surface Lw
area to wall area is Ab = Aw /100 (Fig. 2). The bolt head and
left wall surface (x = 0) are at uniform temperature T1 , while T1 x
the nut and the right wall face are at uniform T2 . Assuming
1–D steady heat conduction in the x direction, calculate what T2
fraction f of the total heat transfer is due to the wall if the length
and thermal conductivity ratios are Lb = 2 Lw and kb = 1000 kw ,
respectively. (Hints: Disregard the fact that the bolt head and Lb
nut are slightly wider than the threaded portion of the bolt and
then model the group of bolts as a single equivalent bolt shaft
having the total cross–sectional area Ab .) Figure 2: Bolt detail.

4. (10 pts) One–dimensional steady–state heat conduction occurs

in a slab of thickness L and a constant thermal conductivity k
(Fig. 3) and the temperature distribution is known to be of the x
form  2
x x
 
T (x) = A0 + A1 − A2 ,
L L
where A0 . . . A2 are constants having units of K. Determine the
volumetric rate of heat generation within the slab, q̇, with the L
aid of the one–dimensional steady energy equation and verify
that its physical units are W/m3 .

Figure 3: 1–D slab.

5. (10 pts) Assuming the slab in Question 4 has both a height and a depth “into the paper”
of H, calculate the heat fluxes at the two boundaries, x = 0 and x = L and comment on
the relationship between Ėgen in the conceptualized steady–state conservation equation Ėgen +
Ėin − Ėout = 0 and q̇ found in Question 4.