A2 Which of the following statements is incorrect?

(a) A temperature gradient must exist for heat exchange

(b) Heat flow is always from a higher temperature to a lower temperature
(c) A material medium is always necessary for heat transmission
(d) The process of heat transfer is thermodynamically an irreversible process.






2009 Exam Part A Questions
A6 correlates the relative thickness of the hydrodynamic and thermal boundary
layers.
(a) Mach number (b) Nusselt number
(c) Prandtl number (d) Grashoff number
A4 The Grashof number physically represents a ratio of
(a) buoyancy forces to viscous forces. (b) conduction to convection heat transfer.
(c) viscous forces to inertial forces (d) inertial forces to viscous forces.
A8 A skier gets burnt more easily because the snow reflects/radiates almost all of the
visible and ultraviolet radiation.
A2 Which of the following statements is incorrect?
(a) A temperature gradient must exist for heat exchange
(b) Heat flow is always from a higher temperature to a lower temperature
(c) A material medium is always necessary for heat transmission
(d) The process of heat transfer is thermodynamically an irreversible process.

A4 The Grashof number physically represents a ratio of
(a) buoyancy forces to viscous forces. (b) conduction to convection heat transfer.
(c) viscous forces to inertial forces (d) inertial forces to viscous forces.

A6 correlates the relative thickness of the hydrodynamic and thermal boundary
layers.
(a) Mach number (b) Nusselt number
(c) Prandtl number (d) Grashoff number

A8 A skier gets burnt more easily because the snow reflects almost all of the visible and
ultraviolet radiation.


2009 Exam Part A Questions
Question1: [12 marks] Flow in a pipe with and without heat transfer (the schematic of the
problem is shown in the following figure) has been simulated using FlowLab software.
Based on your observation and analysis,

2007 Exam Part B Question
Answer the following questions referring to the above diagram:
a) Sketch the velocity profiles at section A and B for a laminar flow and turbulent flow;
b) Explain the difference between laminar and turbulent flow velocity profiles at section
B;
c) Sketch the velocity and thermal boundary layer for a laminar flow with Prandtl
number equal to 1.5.
d) Discuss where the highest heat transfer coefficient occurs.
a) Laminar flow and turbulent flow
b) Both laminar and turbulent pipe flow produce velocity profiles that are symmetric about
the axis of the pipe with a maximum velocity at the centre of the pipe.
Laminar pipe flow yields a parabolic velocity profile. Turbulent pipe flow yields a velocity
profile that is much flatter across the core of the flow.
c) Pr = 1.5 means momentum diffusion > thermal diffusion

d) Highest heat transfer occurs at the inlet where the boundary layer is thinnest, thus giving
the sharpest temperature gradients. The Nu profile for internal pipe flow is show below.
RMIT University 6
Solar heated water pipes on roofs can be assumed to have a constant heat flux
from the suns energy. On a particular day, cold water at 25
o
C is passing through a
pipe that has a constant heat flux and a reference surface temperature at the inlet of
30
o
C. Using the axis labels shown in the diagram below re-sketch (in your answer
booklet) the approximate temperature profile for a location near the inlet and one
at the outlet.
2009 Exam Part B Question
constant heat flux
RMIT University 7
outlet profile is more
parabolic, bulk temp
must be greater than inlet
temp but less than wall
temp. Exact temp. are not
necessary.

near inlet more blunt, with
bulk temp at 25-28
o
C and
wall temp approx. 30-33
o
C.

The following is a velocity vector plot
of a square box, showing the flow
induced by natural convection
simulated in FLUENT. The top and
bottom surfaces are deemed adiabatic
walls (no heat transfer). In the initial
boundary conditions setup only the
wall temperatures for the left and right
walls were defined.
1. Which wall temperature has the higher temperature? Why?
2. What causes the induced air flow and what is this force called?
3. Sketch the vertical velocity profile (y-axis velocity component) along Line A.
4. Sketch the temperature profiles at Line A, and Line B.
5. Does Line A or Line B exhibit greater heat transfer? Why?
2007 Exam Part B Question
2007 Part B Question
1. Which wall temperature has the higher temperature? Why?
Right wall has higher temperature. The fluid heats up and rises as its
density decreases.

2. What causes the induced air flow and what is this force called?
Buoyancy force.

3. Sketch the vertical velocity profile (y-axis velocity component).





2007 Part B Question
4. Sketch the temperature profiles at Line A, and Line B.








5. Does Line A or Line B exhibit greater heat transfer? Why?
Line A exhibits greater heat transfer because it experiences a higher flow velocity.
Two hot cylinder rods are cooled separately under two different conditions. In Case A the
rod is cooled through an external fan blowing cool air from below while in Case B the
rod is cooled by natural convection with the surrounding cool air.
1. What are the three flow features that occur at the three locations labelled by the
dashed regions 1, 2, and 3 in the diagram in terms of flow pressure and velocity.
2. Discuss and describe what the causes are for the flow features at location 1, 2, and 3.
3. Why is the flow feature at Region 2 found at a lower location for the external flow
(Case A) than it is for the natural convection (Case B).
4. Sketch the approximate boundary layer profile for Case B: Natural convection.
2007 Exam Part B Question
gravity
Case A: External Flow
Region 2
Region
1
HOT
Region
3
HOT
Region 2
Region
1
Region
3
Case B: Natural Convection
1. What are the three flow features that occur at the three locations labelled by the
dashed regions 1, 2, and 3 in the diagram in terms of flow pressure and velocity.
Wake, acceleration, stagnation

2. Discuss and describe what the causes are for the flow features at location 1, 2, and
3.
Wake: flow separation causes recirculating region in wake
Acceleration: Pressure decreases as flow moves through a smaller cross-
sectional area and velocity increases to conserve mass conservation
Stagnation: Pressure is zero as the fluid impinges on the boundary.

3. Why is the flow feature at Region 2 found at a lower location for the external flow
(Case A) than it is for the natural convection (Case B).
In the forced flow, flow separation occurs as a result of fluid acceleration
over the cylinder from the bottom to the top. For the natural convection the
currents moving from the bottom begin slow and accelerate later as the
fluid temperature is hotter near the top, relative to the freestream
temperature.

4. Sketch the approximate boundary layer profile for
Case B: Natural convection.
C2 (25 marks)
A horizontal skylight made of a single layer of glass on the roof of a house is considered. It is 1-m-
wide and 2.5-m-long and is kept at 20
o
C. The glazing of the skylight is made of a single layer of 0.5-
cm-thick glass ( = 0.9). The air temperature outside is -10
o
C and the effective sky temperature is -
30
o
C. You can assume radiation heat transfer inside the house to be negligible and the skylight
surface temperature on the inside and outside surfaces to be -4
o
C.
Determine:
i) The heat transfer rate, between the outer surface of the skylight and the outside
environment.
ii) The heat transfer resistance between the inner surface of the skylight and the indoor
environment (i.e. inside the house).
2010 Exam Part C Question
738 . 0 Pr
/s m 10 278 . 1
C W/m. 0231 . 0
2 5
=
=
=

u
k
The properties of air outside
The properties of air inside
7342 . 0 Pr
/s m 10 409 . 1
C W/m. 02424 . 0
2 5
=
=
=

u
k
1. Find the Ra number
m 357 . 0
m) 2.5 + m 2(1
m) m)(2.5 1 (
= = =
p
A
L
s
c
7
2 2 5
3 -1 2
2
3
2 1
10 553 . 4 ) 738 . 0 (
) /s m 10 278 . 1 (
) m 357 . 0 )( K ) 10 ( 4 )[ K 003759 . 0 )( m/s 81 . 9 (
Pr
) (
=

=

u
|
c
L T T g
Ra
56 . 53 ) 10 553 . 4 ( 15 . 0 15 . 0
3 / 1 7 3 / 1
= = = Ra Nu
C . W/m 465 . 3 ) 56 . 53 (
m 357 . 0
C W/m. 0231 . 0
2
=

= = Nu
L
k
h
c
o
Air outside
2. Select the corresponding Nu-correlation from formula sheet
3. Solve for h
Using the assumed value of glass temperature, the radiation heat transfer coefficient
is determined to be
.K W/m 433 . 3
K ] ) 273 30 ( ) 273 4 )][( 273 30 ( ) 273 4 )[( .K W/m 10 67 . 5 ( 9 . 0
) )( (
2
3 2 2 4 2 8
2 2
=
+ + + + + + =
+ + =

sky s sky s rad

T T T T h co
h-combined becomes
2
,
W/m 898 . 6 433 . 3 465 . 3 = + = + =
rad o combined o
h h h
1. Find the Ra number
m 357 . 0
m) 2.5 + m 2(1
m) m)(2.5 1 (
= = =
p
A
L
s
c
Air inside
2. Select the corresponding Nu-correlation from formula sheet
3. Solve for h
Using the thermal resistance network, the rate of heat loss through the skylight is
determined to be
8
2 2 5
3 -1 2
2
3
2 1
10 412 . 1 ) 7342 . 0 (
) /s m 10 409 . 1 (
) m 357 . 0 )( K ) 4 ( 20 )[ K 003559 . 0 )( m/s 81 . 9 (
Pr
) (
=

=

u
|
c
L T T g
Ra
43 . 29 ) 10 412 . 1 ( 27 . 0 27 . 0
4 / 1 8 4 / 1
= = = Ra Nu
C . W/m 998 . 1 ) 43 . 29 (
m 357 . 0
C W/m. 02424 . 0
2
=

= = Nu
L
k
h
c
i
W 115
C . W/m 898 . 6
1
C W/m. 78 . 0
m 005 . 0
C . W/m 998 . 1
1
C )] 10 ( 20 )[ m 5 . 2 (
1 1
) (
2 2
2
glass
, , ,
, ,
=

=
+ +

=
+ +

=

h k
t
h
T T A
R R R
T T
Q
glass i
out room s
o combined glas cond i conv
o i s
skylight