PSN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

(An Autonomous Institution)

Melathediyoor, Tirunelveli-627 152.
(Approved by AICTE, New Delhi and Recognised by UGC Under Section 2 (f))
An ISO 9001:2008 Certified Institution
(Accredited by NBA and NAAC, Affiliated to Anna University)
Web Site: www.psncet.ac.in, E-Mail: hodaero@psncet.ac.in
DEPARTMENT OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING
QUESTION BANK – ANSWERS

201020 – HEAT TRANSFER

PART – A

UNIT 1 – CONDUCTION

1. What are the modes of heat transfer?

Heat transfer is the transmission of energy from one region to another as a
result of temperature gradient.
Heat is transferred in the following modes,
 Conduction
 Convection
 Radiation
2. Define Conduction and convection.
Conduction:
The transfer of heat between two solid bodies is called as conduction. It
depends on the difference in temperature of the hot and cold body. Example
of conduction heat transfer is two bodies at different temperature kept in
contact with each other. Another example is heating one end of the metal like
copper; due to conduction heat transfer the other end of the metal also gets
heated.
Convection:
Convection is a process of heat transfer that will occur between a solid
surface and a fluid medium when they are at different temperatures.
3. Write the first law of thermodynamics.
First law of thermodynamics states that when system undergoes a cyclic
process, net heat transfer is equal to work transfer.
dQ = dW
4. Define conduction.
The transfer of heat between two solid bodies is called as conduction. It
depends on the difference in temperature of the hot and cold body. Example
of conduction heat transfer is two bodies at different temperature kept in
contact with each other. Another example is heating one end of the metal like
copper; due to conduction heat transfer the other end of the metal also gets
heated.
5. Do you know which is the good thermal conductor fluid or solid ? And
why?

6. Write the second law of thermodynamics.

 Kelvin – plank statement: It states that “ It is impossible to build a
heat engineworking on cyclic process which will convert heat supplied
to it into equal amount of work” . It is impossible to construct a engine
which will give 100% efficiency.
 Clausies statement: Heat will not flow from cold body to hot body
without any external aid.

7. State Fourier’s law of heat conduction.

The rate of heat conduction is proportional to the area measured – normal to
the direction of heat flow and to the temperature gradient in that direction.
Qα – A dT/dx
Q = – kA dT/dx
where
 A – are in m2
 dT /dx - Temperature gradient in K/m
 K – Thermal conductivity W/mK.
8. Write down the three-dimensional heat conduction equation in cartesian
coordinate system.
The general three-dimensional heat conduction equation in cartesian
coordinate is
𝛛𝟐 𝐓 𝛛𝟐 𝐓 𝛛𝟐 𝐓 𝐪. 𝟏 𝛛𝐓
+ + + =
𝛛𝐱 𝟐 𝛛𝐲 𝟐 𝛛𝐳 𝟐 𝐤 ∝ 𝛛𝐭
Where,
q. = Heat generator – W/m2
∝ = Thermal diffusivity – m2 /s
 9. What is critical radius of insulation?
Critical radius = rc Critical thickness = rc – r1
Addition of insulating material on a surface does not reduce the amount of
heat transfer rate always. In fact under certain circumstances it actually
increases the heat loss up to certain thickness of insulation. The radius of
insulation for which the heat transfer is maximum is called critical radius of
insulation, and the corresponding thickness is called critical thickness.
10. Define overall heat transfer coefficient
The overall heat transfer by combined modes is usually expressed in terms of
an overall conductance or overall heat transfer co-efficient ‘U’. Heat transfer
Q = UA ΔT.
11. Define fins or extended surfaces.
It is possible to increase the heat transfer rate by increasing the surface of
heat transfer. The surfaces used for increasing heat transfer are called
extended surfaces or sometimes known as fins.
12. Define fin efficiency.
The efficiency of a fin is defined as the ratio of actual heat transfer by the fin
to the maximum possible heat transferred by the fin.
Q fin
ηfin = ----------------
Q max

13. Define fin effectiveness.

Fin effectiveness is the ratio of heat transfer with fin to that without fin
Fin effectiveness =Q with fin / Q without fin
14. State the application of fins.
 The main applications of fins are
 Cooling of electronic components
 Cooling of motor cycle engines.
 Cooling of transformers
 Cooling of small capacity compressors
15. What is meant by transient heat conduction or unsteady heat
conduction?
If the temperature of a body varies with time it is said to be in a transient
state and that type of conduction is known as transient heat conduction or
unsteady state conduction.

****************************************************
UNIT 2 – CONVECTION

1. What is dimensional analysis?

Dimensional analysis is a mathematical method which makes use of the
study of the dimensions solving several engineering problems. This method
can be applied to all types of fluid resistances, heat flow problems in fluid
mechanics and thermodynamics.
2. State Buckingham π theorem.
Buckingham π theorem states as follows: “If there are n variables in a
dimensionally homogeneous equatin and if these contain m fundamental
dimensions, then the variables are arranged into (n – m) dimensionless terms.
These dimensionless terms are called Buckingham π theorem.
3. Define Reynolds number.
Reynolds number is defined as the ratio of inertia force to viscous force.
viscous force
Re= ----------------
Inertia force
4. Define Prandtl number.
Prandtl number is the ratio of the momentum diffusivity of the thermal
diffusivity.

Momentum diffusivity
Pr = -------------------------
Thermal diffusivity
5. Define Nusselt number.
It is defined as the ratio of the heat flow by convection process under an unit
temperature gradient to the heat flow rate by conduction under an unit
temperature gradient through a stationary thickness (L) of meter.
Q conv
Nusselt number (Nu) = -----------
Q cond
6. Define Grashof number.
It is defined as the ratio of product of inertia force and buoyancy force to the
square of viscous force.
Inertia force x Buoyancy force
Gr = ---------------------------------------
(Viscous force)2
7. Define Stanton number.
Stanton number is the ratio of nusselt number to the product of Reynolds
number and prandtl number.
Nu
St =---------------
Re x Pr
8. Define free convection.
If the fluid motion is produced due to change in density resulting from
temperature gradients, the mode of heat transfer is said to be free or natural
convection
9. What is hydrodynamic boundary layer?
In hydrodynamic boundary layer, velocity of the fluid is less than 99% of
free stream velocity.
10. What is meant by laminar flow and turbulent flow?
Laminar flow: Laminar flow is sometimes called stream line flow. In this
type of flow, the fluid moves in layers and each fluid particle follows a
smooth continuous path. The fluid particles in each layer remain in an
orderly sequence without mixing with each other.
Turbulent flow: In addition to the laminar type of flow, a distinct irregular
flow is frequency observed in nature. This type of flow is called turbulent
flow. The path of any individual particle is zig – zag and irregular. Fig.
shows the instantaneous velocity in laminar and turbulent flow.
11. State Newton’s law of convection.
Heat transfer by convection is given by Newton’s law of cooling
Heat transfer from the moving fluid to solid surface is given by the equation
Q = hA (Ts - T∞)
Where
A – Area exposed to heat transfer in m2 , h - heat transfer coefficient
in W/m2K
Ts – Temperature of the surface in K,
T∞ - Temperature of the fluid in K.
12. What is meant by free or natural convection?
If the fluid motion is produced due to change in density resulting from
temperature gradients, the mode of heat transfer is said to be free or natural
convection.
13. What is forces convection?
If the fluid motion is artificially created by means of an external force like a
blower or fan, that type of heat transfer is known as forced convection.
 14. Define boundary layer thickness.
The thickness of the boundary layer has been defined as the distance from
the surface at which the local velocity or temperature reaches 99% of the
external velocity or temperature
15. Define effectiveness of heat exchanger
The heat exchanger effectiveness is defined as the ratio of actual heat transfer
to the maximum possible heat transfer.
Actual heat transfer
Effectiveness 
Maximum possible heat transfer

****************************************************
UNIT 3 - RADIATION

1. Define Radiation
The heat is transferred from one body to another without any transmitting
medium is known as radiation. It is an electromagnetic wave phenomenon.
2. Define emissive power.
The emissive power is defined as the total amount of radiation emitted by a
body per unit time and unit area. It is expressed in W/m2.
3. Define monochromatic emissive power. [𝐄𝒃𝝀 ].
The energy emitted by the surface at a given length per unit time per unit
area in all directions is known as monochromatic emissive power
4. What is meant by absorptivity?
Absorptivity is defined as the ratio between radiation absorbed and incident
radiation.
α= radiation absorbed / incident radiation
5. What is meant by reflectivity?
Reflectivity is defined as the ratio of radiation reflected to the incident
radiation.
ρ = radiation reflected / incident radiation
6. What is black body?
Black body is an ideal surface having the following properties
A black body absorbs all incident radiation, regardless of wave length
and direction
For a prescribed temperature and wave length, no surface can emit
more energy than black body.
7. What is meant by gray body?
If a body absorbs a definite percentage of incident radiation irrespective of
their wave length, the body is known as gray body. The emissive power of a
gray body is always less than that of the black body
8. State Plank’s distribution law.
The relationship between the monochromatic emissive power of a black body
and wave length of a radiation at a particular temperature is given by the
following expression, by Planck
C1λ-5
Ebλ = ----------------------
e(C2/ λT)-1
Where
 Ebλ = Monochromatic emissive power W/m2
 λ = Wave length – m
  C1 = 0.374 x10-15 W m2
 C2 = 14.4 x 10-3 Mk
9. What is radiosity (J).
It is used to indicate the total radiation leaving a surface per unit time per
unit area. It is expressed in W/m2
10. Define irradiation (G)
It is defined as the total radiation incident upon a surface per unit time per
unit area. It is expressed in W/m2
11. State Wien’s displacement law.
The Wien’s law gives the relationship between temperature and wave length
corresponding to the maximum spectral emissive power of the black body at
that temperature.
λmas T = C3
Where
c3 = 2.9 x 10-3 [Radiation constant]
λmas T = 2.9 x10-3 mK
12. What are the assumptions made to calculate radiation exchange between
the surfaces?
 All surfaces are considered to be either black or gray
 Radiation and reflection process are assumed to be diffuse.
 The absorptive of a surface is taken equal to its emissivity and
independent of temperature of source of the incident radiation
13. State Stefan-Boltzmann law.
The emissive power of a black body is proportional to the fourth power of
absolute temperature.
Eb∞T4
Eb=σT4
Where
 E = Emissive power, w/m2
 σ = Stefan. Boltzmann constant = 5.67 x10-8 W/m2 K4
 T = Temperature, K
14. What is the purpose of radiation shield?
Radiation shields constructed from low emissivity (high reflective) materials.
It is used to reduce the net radiation transfer between two surfaces.
 15. Define shape factor and mention its physical significance.
The shape factor is defined as ‘’the fraction of the radiative energy that is
diffused from one surface element and strikes the other surface directly with
no intervening reflections ‘’. It is represented by Fij. Other names for
radiation shape factor are view factor, angle factor and configuration factor.
The shape factor is used in the analysis of radiating heat exchange between
two surfaces

****************************************************
UNIT 4 – NUMERICAL METHODS IN HEAT TRANSFER

1. What is meant by steady state?

A system or a process is in a steady state if the variables which define the
behavior of the system or the process are not changing with respect to
time.
2. What is meant by unsteady state?
A system or a process is in a steady state if the variables which define the
behavior of the system or the process are changing with respect to time.
3. What is boundary condition?
Boundary conditions are constraints required to be satisfied at all or part of
the boundary of a region when solving a boundary value problem. A
boundary value problem is a system of differential equations to be solved in
a domain on whose boundary a set of conditions is known.
4. What is initial condition?
Initial conditions are constraints used for the solution of differential
equations, which are usually specified at the initial time (i.e. t=0).
5. List the types of boundary conditions.
 Dirichlet Condition
 Von Neumann Condition
 Robin Condition (Mixed Condition)
6. What is discretization?
Analytical solutions of partial differential equations involve closed-form
expressions which give the variation of the dependent variables continuously
throughout the domain. In contrast, numerical solutions can give answers at
only discrete points in the domain. These points are called grid points.
7. List down the errors associated with numerical results.
There are two major errors associated with numerical results
 Discretization error
 Round-off error
8. What is round-off error?
The numerical error introduced after a repetitive number of calculation in
which the computer is constantly rounding the number to somesignificant
figure.
9. What is truncation error?
Truncation errors are those that result from using an approximation to a
derivative in place of an exact mathematical procedure. For example,
approximation to a derivative using a finite difference equation
 10. What is stream function?
Stream function is a scalar function,that is used to satisfycontinuity equation
by expressing velocity components in terms of stream function, are
substituting them in the continuity equation.

For incompressible two-dimensional flows with constant fluid properties, the

Navier–Stokes equations can be simplified by introducing the stream
function ψ and vorticity ω as dependent variables.

****************************************************
UNIT 5 – PROBLEMS IN AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

1. What is aerodynamic heating.

Aerodynamic heating is the heating of a solid body produced by its high-
speed passage through air, whereby its kinetic energy is converted to heat by
skin friction on the surface of the object at a rate that depends on the
viscosity and speed of the air
2. What is ablative heat transfer?
Together with penetrating cooling, ablative facings form the class of active
heat protection, the basis for which is the direct effect on the process of heat
transfer from the surrounding medium to the body
3. Define moving boundary in aerodynamic heat transfer.

4. Define recovery factor.

 The recoverable amount of hydrocarbon initially in place, normally
expressed as a percentage.
 The recovery factor is a function of the displacement mechanism.
 An important objective of enhanced oil recovery is to increase the
recovery factor.
5. What is meant by ablative cooling?
In aerospace design, ablation is used to both cool and protect mechanical
parts that may be damaged by extremely high temperatures.
Ablative material is designed to slowly burn away in a controlled manner, so
that heat can be removed from the parts.
Examples : Heat shields for spacecraft, satellites, and missiles entering a
planetary atmosphere from space and cooling of rocket engine nozzles
6. What is meant by fuel cooled tubular wall?
 Clearly a small variation in the wall temperature of 2.5 °C (from
335˚C to 337.5 °C) caused an 80˚C local rise in reactor temperature!
This 'hot spot' generation can lead to reactor runaway for many
reasons.
 Undesirable reactions of high activation energy can take off at this
elevated temperature, vapor formation can cause increased pressure,
rate of reaction may reach extreme values, etc.
 Therefore, it is imperative to operate the wall cooled tubular reactor in
such a manner that it does not exhibit such extreme parametric
sensitivity and, hence, is not prone to runaway
7. How ablation is used for high speed cooling?
 Ablation cooling possible, reduce the laser pulse energies needed
.High speed laser drilling of metals using a high repetition rate.
  Ablation is used to both cool and protect mechanical parts the search
for new fireproof materials to achieve the best ablative performance.
 Whereas at high heat loads, graphites and carbon-based materials are
used.
8. What is LMTD correction factor?
 The average driving force for heat transfer was defined by log mean
temperature difference (LMTD).
 Thus the LMTD can be used for 1-1 exchangers for co-current and
counter current.
9. What is Low-thrust rocket thrust chamber?
 A rocket engine uses stored rocket propellant mass for forming its
high-speed propulsive jet.
 Compared to other types of jet engines, rocket engines are by far the
lightest, and have the highest thrust, but are the least propellant-
efficient (they have the lowest specific impulse).

10. What is random variable thrust?

****************************************************