How Much Water Evaporates to Remove Heat from Basal Metabolism?

[that1grrl]

I can't seem to get this problem to work out...any suggestions?

-HOw much water would have to evaporate from the skin/min to take away all of the heat generated by basl metabolism (60kcal/hr) for a 65Kg person.

 

[andrevdh]

The heat generated by this process needs to change the water from its liquid to its vapor state. The amount of heat, $Q$, required to alter a mass $m$ of water to its vapor state is given by
$$Q=mL$$ where $L$ is the heat of vaporization of water which is $539\ kcal/kg$.

 

[that1grrl]

So would I set the problem up like this:

60 Kcal/hr (60 min/hr)= m (539 Kcal/kg)

m=6.679Kg/min

 

[andrevdh]

That is about seven liters of water per minute!