7.

An industrial freezer is designed to operate with an internal air temperature of - 20 degree

Celsius when the external air temperature is 25 degrees Celsius and the internal and external heat
transfer coefficients are 12 W/m2 K and 8 W/m2 K, respectively. The walls of the freezer are
composite construction, comprising of an inner layer of plastic (k = 1 W/m K, and thickness of 3
mm), and an outer layer of stainless steel (k = 16 W/m K, and thickness of 1 mm). Sandwiched
between these two layers is a layer of insulation material with k = 0.07 W/m K. Find the width of
the insulation that is required to reduce the convective heat loss to 15 W/m2.
GIVEN: T i=−20 ℃=253.15 K K K2 K3
K2 K1 K1

T o=25 ℃=298.15 K

W
hi =12 2 Inside
m −K Outside
Ti To
W hi ho
h o=8 2
m −K
W
k plastic =k 1=1 ; x =3 mm
m−K 1 1 2 3 4
K K K K

W
k stainless steel=k 3=16 ; x =1 mm
m−K 3
W
k insulation=k 2=0.07
m−K
Q W
=15 2
A m
REQUIRED: x 2=?
SOLUTION:
KA ∆ T
Q=
∆x
Q ∆T
=
A R i + R 1 + R 2+ R 3 + R o

Q ∆T
=
A 1 x1 x2 x3 1
+ + + +
hi k 1 k 2 k 3 ho
 W ( 298.15−( 253.15 ) ) K
15 =
m2
1
+
3 mm ( 10001 mmm ) + x2
+
1mm ( 10001 mmm ) + 1
W W W W W
12 2 1 0.07 16 8 2
m −K m−K m−K m−K m −K
W 45 K
15 =
m2 3m 1m
( m−K ) ( m−K )
2
m −K 1000 x 2 ( m−K ) 1000 2
m −K
+ + + +
12 W 1W 0.07 W 16 W 8W
W 45 K
15 =
m2 3 2 1
m −K m2 −K
2
m −K 1000 x ( m−K ) 1000 2
m −K
+ + 2 + +
12 W 1W 0.07 W 16 W 8W
W 45 K
15 = 2
[ ]
2
m m −K 1 3 x2 1 1
+ + + +
W 12 1000 0.07 m 16000 8

(Cancel all common units)

45
15=
[ 1
+
3
+
x2
+
1
+
12 1000 0.07 m 16000 8
1
]
x 2=0.1952022917 m

x 2=0.1952 m