MAE 105D, Fall 2009

Prof. A. Lavine
Midterm, Open Book and Notes
PROBLEM AVERAGES: 11.0/20, 11.6/20, 15.5/20 = total 38.1

1. Consider a slab of thickness 2L =6 cm. The thermal conductivity, density, and
specific heat are 10 W/m-K, 1000 kg/m
3
, and 2000 J /kg-K, respectively. At time
zero the slab temperature is 110 C and it is exposed to a convection environment
on both sides with heat transfer coefficient of 50 W/m
2
-K and temperature of 10
C. Dont forget that heat loss occurs through two sides.

Fill in the table below (or copy to your own paper), by using two different
transient methods (state what they are) to find, at a time of 3.2 s:

a) the surface temperature, and
b) the surface heat flux. (Note that once you have the surface temperature, it
is trivial to find the surface heat flux.)
Then:
c) For each method, use the appropriate criterion to determine if the method
is valid. Which method do you believe is more accurate?


T
s
q
s

Method 1
Method 2

2. Metal hydrides can be used to store hydrogen to be used
as a fuel. When heated, a reaction occurs that releases the
hydrogen atoms from the metal hydride, thereby
producing hydrogen gas. Consider a slab of metal hydride
of thickness 2L, in which a reaction is occurring that
produces hydrogen gas (species A) at a uniform, constant
volumetric generation rate
A
n (kg/m
3
-s). The gas diffuses
to the outer surfaces of the slab and out into the
environment. The binary mass diffusion coefficient for
hydrogen gas diffusing through the solid metal hydride is
D
AB
, a constant. This process maintains a density of
hydrogen gas just inside the surface of the slab of
As
.
Under steady-state* conditions, and assuming the
concentration of hydrogen gas to be small, derive an
expression for the maximum density of hydrogen gas in the slab, using only
symbols provided in the problem statement.

*Extra information not needed to solve problem: The conditions arent truly
steady because the amount of hydrogen contained in solid form in the metal
hydride is decreasing with time. But the density of hydrogen gas can reach a
steady-state.

3. Consider a conical fin of length L on a base with temperature T
b
. The radius of
the fin varies linearly with distance along the fin, x:

R = R
b
(1 x/L)

The fin is exposed to convection and radiation to large surroundings. Derive the
differential equation for the temperature of the fin. Introduce any needed
symbols. You do not need to solve, nor do you need to state the boundary
conditions.
x
2L
A
n

As
R
b

L