Assignment 1
Due Date: 10/06/25
Question 1
An electric current of 34000 A flows along a flat steel plate 1.25 cm thick and 10 cm wide.
The temperature of one surface of the plate is 80°C and that of the other is 95°C.
(a) Find the temperature distribution across the plate [8]
(b) The value and position of the maximum temperature [7]
(c) Calculate the total amount of heat generated from each surface of the plate. [5]
It may be assumed that no heat flows across short sides of the plate and the ohmic heating is
generated uniformly across the section.
The resistivity of the steel is ρ = 12 x 10-6 Ωcm and its thermal conductivity is k = 54 W/m. K
Question 2
Steady-state heat transfer occurs in a conical section. The cone has a circular cross section.
The small end has a radius of 0.1m and the large end a radius of 0.2m. The length of the
conical section is 1m. The thermal conductivity is constant and equal to k. The temperature of
the smaller end is T1 and that of the larger end is T 2, which is lower than T1. The sides of the
cone are insulated, so that there is no heat transfer out of the sides of the conical section.
If the heat transfer can be considered to be one-dimensional and radius of cone varies as;
r 2 −r 1
r= x2 −x1 1
+r
(a) Derive the simplified equation for the overall rate of heat transfer (the total rate over the
cross section) in the conical section. [5]
(b) Derive the equation for the heat flux (rate of heat transfer per unit area] in the conical
section. [5]
(c) Derive the equation for the temperature distribution as a function of x. [4]
(d) What is the temperature variation (as a function of x)? [2]
(e) What is the overall rate of heat transfer (as a function of x)? [2]
(f) What is the heat flux variation (as a function of x)? [2]
