Solving Heat Transfer Problems - Seeking Help

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around solving heat transfer problems involving a copper rod and a hot plate. Participants explore the theoretical and practical aspects of heat conduction and convection, addressing specific scenarios and equations related to thermal equilibrium and temperature distribution.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Exploratory
  • Homework-related
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant presents two heat transfer problems involving a copper rod and a hot plate, seeking assistance in determining temperature distributions.
  • Another participant suggests that the first problem is a steady-state heat transfer scenario, noting that heat flow must equal heat loss and mentioning the need for convection coefficients.
  • A different participant introduces the concept of a "cooling fin" for the first problem, providing a differential equation to describe the heat transfer process and specifying boundary conditions.
  • Concerns are raised about the assumptions made in the analysis, particularly regarding free convection and the impact of thermal boundary layers in the second problem.
  • The original poster clarifies that their interest in the problems stems from practical applications in their work as a CNC machinist, rather than academic homework.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the nature of the problems, with some suggesting they resemble homework questions while the original poster insists they stem from practical curiosity. There is no consensus on the best approach to solve the problems, and multiple models and equations are discussed without resolution.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the complexity of the problems, highlighting the need for advanced topics in heat transfer, such as convection coefficients and differential equations, which may not be straightforward for all readers.

CERIBES
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Hello Gentlemen,

Long time reader first time poster.

I have a problem that I am trying to solve below.

Problem 1

A metal copper rod say 20mm diameter has a constant heat applied to it of 150°C on one end. Ambient temp of Air is 25°C.

What length rod do I need so the other end is at 50°C one equilibrium is reached?

Problem 2

Also another one that I am looking at is. If the electric stove hot plate is at a constant 100°C area of 100mmX100mm what would be the temperature of the air 200mm above the hot plate using ambient air temp of 25°C again?

They seem like straight forward problems but for the life of me I can't get my head around it. Any help would be appreciate it.

Thank you in advance.
 
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I sense these are homework problems. Are they? Here are my thoughts on the problems. I don't have them all worked out, but these are some things to consider:

Problem 1: It's a steady-state problem, so the heat flow in must equal the heat flow out. The heat flow due to conduction along the rod must be convected away by the air, so kA_{xsec}\frac{\partial T}{\partial x} = hA_{surf}(T_{wall}-T_∞). You didn't mention any moving air, so it's a free convection. I'm assuming there's a linear heat gradient across the rod, so \frac{\partial T}{\partial x} = \frac{dT}{dx} = \frac{T_h-T_c}{L}. If you don't have your h for convection, then you have to solve for it using nondimensional numbers like Grashof, Prandtl, Nusselt and such.

Problem 2: This one's a free convection problem with heated surfaces radiating to air. To determine the heat flow out of the plate, we can use an equation derived in Heat Transfer by Holman (p.346) for heated horizontal surfaces facing upward for free convection to air: h = 1.32\left ( \frac{T_{plate}-T_{air}}{P/A} \right )^{1/4}, where P is the perimeter of the plate, A is the surface area. Then you can use q = hA_{surf} (T_{plate}-T_{air}) to get the heat flow out of the plate. The problem with this kind of analysis is that it's assumed that the temperature above the thermal boundary layer of the plate is the free-stream temperature T (in this case, 25 deg C). Since the plate is radiating upwards, eventually that temperature will change depending on the conduction of heat through the air. You might need to do this numerically to get something exact.
 
In problem 1, you are dealing with a "cooling fin" situation. Timethereaper is on the right track, but the differential equation is really:

kA_{xsec}\frac{d^2T}{dx^2}-hP(T-T_{amb})=0

where P is the perimeter of the rod. The boundary conditions are T = 150 at x = 0, and zero flux at x = L.
 
timthereaper said:
I sense these are homework problems. Are they?

Absolutely Not. I am a CNC Machinist by trade and Learning Physics / Match / 3d cad in my spare time. I am one of those that finds TV boring.

Problem 1 came about when heat shrinking inference fit couplers together, so I was curious if there is a simple equation that explain heat dissipation over distance. I just used copper as an example cos its a good heat conductor.

Problem 2 was just my curiosity i thought they would be straight forward to answer but apparently i need to study some advanced topics before I can tackle this.
 
Chestermiller said:
In problem 1, you are dealing with a "cooling fin" situation.

Yeah, that sounds right. I had a feeling that my equation wasn't the right one.

CERIBES said:
Absolutely Not. I am a CNC Machinist by trade and Learning Physics / Match / 3d cad in my spare time. I am one of those that finds TV boring.

Sorry, my bad. The questions just had that textbook feel to them. +1 for learning in your spare time instead of just TV.
 

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