PROBLEM 6.

9

KNOWN: Variation of local convection coefficient with distance x from a heated plate with a
uniform temperature T
s
.

FIND: (a) An expression for the average coefficient
12
h for the section of length (x
2
- x
1
) in terms of
C, x
1
and x
2
, and (b) An expression for
12
h in terms of x
1
and x
2
, and the average coefficients
1
h and
2
h , corresponding to lengths x
1
and x
2
, respectively.

SCHEMATIC:

h
x
=Cx
-1/2
dq
ASSUMPTIONS: (1) Laminar flow over a plate with uniform surface temperature, T
s
, and (2) Spatial
variation of local coefficient is of the form
1/2
x
h Cx

= , where C is a constant.

ANALYSIS: (a) The heat transfer rate per unit width from a longitudinal section, x
2
- x
1
, can be
expressed as
( )(
12 12 2 1 s
q h x x T T )

= (1)
where
12
h is the average coefficient for the section of length (x
2
- x
1
). The heat rate can also be
written in terms of the local coefficient, Eq. (6.11), as
(2) ( ) ( )
2
1 1
x x
12 x s s x
x
q h dx T T T T h

= =

2
x
dx

Combining Eq. (1) and (2),

( )
2
1
x
12 x
x
2 1
1
h
x x
=

h dx (3)
and substituting for the form of the local coefficient,
1/2
x
h Cx

= , find that

( )
2
2
1
1
x
1/2 1/2
1/2
x
1/2 2 1
12
x
2 1 2 1 2 1
x
x x
1 C x
h Cx dx 2C
x x x x 1/ 2 x x

= = =

(4)<
(b) The heat rate, given as Eq. (1), can also be expressed as
( ) ( )
12 2 2 s 1 1 s
q h x T T h x T T

=

(5)

which is the difference between the heat rate for the plate over the section (0 - x
2
) and over the section
(0 - x
1
). Combining Eqs. (1) and (5), find,

2 2 1 1
12
2 1
h x h x
h
x x

(6)<

COMMENTS: (1) Note that, from Eq. 6.6,

x x
1/2 1/ 2
x x
0 0
1 1
h h dx Cx dx 2Cx
x x

= = =

(7)

or
x
h =2h
x
. Substituting Eq. (7) into Eq. (6), see that the result is the same as Eq. (4).

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