ASSIGNMENT 3 BMM3513_1617/II

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UMP
FACULTY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
BMM3513 HEAT TRANSFER
Assignment 3 (CO3)
MATRIC
NAME
NO.

Part A (Forced Convection)

Question 1

a) A silicon chip is cooled by passing nanocoolant through microchannels etched in the back of the
chip, as shown in Figure Q1. The channels are covered with a silicon cap. Consider a 11 mm
and 11 mm square chip in which N = 50 rectangular microchannels, each of width W = 40 m
and height H = 160 m have been etched. Nanocoolant enters the microchannels at a
temperature Ti = 290 K, and a total flow rate of 0.005 kg/s. The chip and cap are maintained at a
uniform temperature of 340 K. Assuming that the flow in the channels is fully developed and all
the heat generated by the circuits on the top surface of the chip is transferred to the nanocoolant,
determine the rate of heat transfer through the rectangular microchannel. Assume nanocoolant as
water properties at 25 oC.
(12 Marks)

Figure Q1

b) A desktop computer is to be cooled by a fan. The electronic components of the computer

consume 100 W of power under full-load conditions. The computer is to operate in environments
at temperatures up to 55C and at elevations up to 3000 m where the atmospheric pressure is
70.12 kPa. The exit temperature of air is not to exceed 65C to meet the reliability requirements.
Also, the average velocity of air is not to exceed 110 m/min at the exit of the computer case,
where the fan is installed to keep the noise level down. Calculate the required flow rate and the
diameter of the casing of the fan that needs to be installed. (8 Marks)
ASSIGNMENT 3 BMM3513_1617/II

Question 2

A 15 cm X 20 cm printed circuit board (PCB) has electronic components on one side of the board, as
shown in Figure Q2. The board is placed in a room at 20C. The heat loss from the back surface of
the board is negligible. The circuit board front surface is maintained at a temperature of 45oC.
Different surface orientation is proposed in order to cool the PCB by natural convection. Take the
emissivity of the front surface of the board to be 0.8 and assume the surrounding temperature to be at
the same temperature as the air in the room. Kindly suggest the best orientation of the board which is
able to induce strong natural convection currents and thus effective heat transfer. Please consider
three orientations of the board in the analysis by vertical, horizontal with hot surface facing up,
and/or horizontal with hot surface facing down.

Figure Q2
ASSIGNMENT 3 BMM3513_1617/II

Question 3

a) The components of an electronic system dissipating 90 W are located in a 1 m long horizontal

duct whose cross section is 16 cm by 16 cm, as shown in Figure Q3. The components in the
duct are cooled by forced air, which enters at 32C at a rate of 1.65 m3/min. Assuming 85
percent of the heat generated inside is transferred to air flowing through the duct and the
remaining 15 percent is lost through the outer surfaces of the duct. Consider the bulk mean
temperature for air to be 35C, determine

i. the exit temperature of air, and (4 Marks)

ii. the highest component surface temperature in the duct (8 Marks)

Air duct

16 cm 16 cm
90 W

Air L=1m
32C
0.65 m3/min
Figure Q3

b) A desktop computer is to be cooled by a fan. The electronic components of the computer

consume 100 W of power under full-load conditions. The computer is to operate in environments
at temperatures up to 55C and at elevations up to 3000 m where the atmospheric pressure is
70.12 kPa and air constant, R is 0.287 kJ/kg.K. The exit temperature of air is not to exceed 65C
to meet the reliability requirements. Also, the average velocity of air is not to exceed 110 m/min
at the exit of the computer case, where the fan is installed to keep the noise level down. Calculate
the required flow rate and the diameter of the casing of the fan that needs to be installed.
(8 Marks)
ASSIGNMENT 3 BMM3513_1617/II

Question 4

a) During a cold winter day, wind at 55 km/h is blowing parallel to a 4-m-high and 10-m-long
wall of a house. If the air outside is at 5 C and the surface temperature of the wall is 12 C,
determine the rate of heat loss from that wall by convection.

(10 Marks)

b) A 0.4-W cylindrical electronic component shown in Figure Q4b with diameter 0.3 cm and length
1.8 cm is mounted on a circuit board is cooled by air flowing across it at a velocity of 150 m/min
and temperature is 40 C. Take the pressure of air 1 atm and the film temperature to be 50 oC,
determine the surface temperature of the component.
(10 Marks)

Figure Q4b
ASSIGNMENT 3 BMM3513_1617/II

Question 5

Cold air at 5 C enters a l2-cm-diameter 20-m-long isothermal pipe at a velocity of 2.5 m/s and
leaves at 19 C as shown in Figure Q5. Take the pressure of air 1 atm,

i. estimate the rate of heat transfer to the air, and (5 Marks)

ii. calculate the surface temperature of the pipe. (15 Marks)

Figure Q5
ASSIGNMENT 3 BMM3513_1617/II

Question 6

Consider a 4 m diameter spherical tank that is initially filled with liquid nitrogen at 1 atm and -196
C as shown in Figure Q6. The tank is exposed to 20 C ambient air and 40 km/h winds. The
temperature of the thin shelled spherical tank is observed to be almost the same as the temperature of
the nitrogen inside. By neglecting any radiation heat exchange, determine the rate of heat transfer to
the liquid nitrogen in the tank as a result of heat transfer from the ambient air if the tank is;

a) Without insulation
(10 Marks)

b) Insulated with 5 cm thick fiberglass insulation with k = 0.035 W/mC

(10 Marks)

Figure Q6
ASSIGNMENT 3 BMM3513_1617/II

Part B (Natural Convection)

Question 1

A simple solar collector in Figure Q1 is built by placing a 5 cm diameter clear plastic tube around a
garden hose whose outer diameter is 1.6 cm. The hose is painted black to maximize solar absorption,
and some plastic rings are used to keep the spacing between the hose and the clear plastic cover
constant. During a clear day, the temperature of the hose is measured to be 65 C, while the ambient
air temperature is 26 C. Determine the clear plastic tube temperature and the rate of heat loss from
the water in the hose per meter of its length by natural convection.

Figure Q1