Problem 5.4.6

Tank contents are being cooled by water circulating through a cooling coil installed inside the tank.  What would be the temperature of the tank fluid after 5 hours, if the following data applies? 

 

Water:  Mass flow rate, w, is 10,000 pounds per hour.

Inlet temperature, t1, 85 degrees Fahrenheit

Specific heat, Lower case c, is 1.0 BTU per pound per degree Fahrenheit

 

Fluid: Mass, M, is 50,000 pounds

Initial temperature, T1, 250 degrees Fahrenheit

Specific heat, C, is 0.5 BTU per pound per degree Fahrenheit

 

Cooling coil data:

Heat-transfer coefficient, U, 145 BTUs per pound per square foot per degree Fahrenheit

Heat-transfer surface, A, 100 square feet.

 

Solution: 

 

It is a very specific case where tank contents are being cooled by a coil-in-tank using non-isothermal medium.  Temperature of the fluid at any time, theta, is given in terms of y, where y is given as (w times lower case c over (M times uppercase C) times (K2 minus 1) over K2 times theta.

 

K2 is given as e to the power UA over (w lower case c).  Plugging in the values of U, A, w, and lower case c, K2 is found to be 4.263.

For theta equal to 5 hours, y is found to be 1.531.

 

Temperature of the tank contents after time, theta, is equal to lower case t1 plus (T1- lower case t1) times exp (minus y).  This yields T2 as 121 degrees Fahrenheit.