MME502

Unit Description and General Aims

This unit will serve as an advanced course in thermodynamics with a focus on heat transfer. The prerequisites for this unit are the undergraduate knowledge in thermodynamics and fluid mechanics, specifically Thermal Fluids Engineering or their equivalents. This unit covers problems of heat transfer in great depth and complexity and incorporates many topics; analysis is given greater emphasis than the use of correlations. Furthermore topics on thermodynamics and heat transfer, heat exchanger design, heat conduction problems, convective heat transfer, forced convection and radiative heat transfer are discussed.

This unit is a core subject directed at students having a strong interest in Mechanical Engineering and the application of Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer in solving both theoretical and practical industrial problems..

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this Unit, students are expected to be able to:

1. Determine a strong physical and conceptual understanding of heat transfer processes
   • Bloom’s Level 5
2. Evaluate the application of energy systems and other technologies
   • Bloom’s Level 5
3. Formulate practical industrial problems so as to apply heat transfer principles to heat exchangers and fins
   • Bloom’s Level 6
4. Judge, critique, report and reflect on current heat transfer problems
   • Bloom’s Level 5
5. Evaluate the concepts of Heat Transfer and formulating problems based on boundary conditions
   • Bloom’s Level 5

Student assessment

Prescribed and Recommended readings

Required Textbook

• L. Bergman, A. S. Lavine, F.P. Incropera, D. P. Dewitt, Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer, 8^th Edition, John Wiley & Sons 2011 – https://www.wiley.com/en-au/Fundamentals+of+Heat+and+Mass+Transfer%2C+8th+Edition-p-ES81119320425

Reference Materials

• Mills, A. F. Basic Heat and Mass Transfer. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999. ISBN: 9780130962478.
• Baehr, H. D., and K. Stephan. Heat and Mass Transfer. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag, 1998. ISBN: 9783540636953.
• Howell, J. R. Radiation Configuration Factors. 2nd ed.
• Cengel, Y. A. Heat Transfer: A Practical Approach. 2nd ed. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill, 2002. ISBN: 9780072458930.

Unit Content

One topic is delivered per contact week, with the exception of part-time 24-week units, where one topic is delivered every two weeks.

Topic 1

Introduction to Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer

1. What and How
2. Physical Origin and Rate Equations: Conduction, Convection and Radiation
3. Relationship to Thermodynamics
4. Units and Dimensions
5. Analysis of Heat Transfer Problems: Methodology
6. Relevance of Heat Transfer
7. Summary

Topic 2

Heat Transfer from Extended Surfaces (Part 1)

1. Introduction
2. A General Conduction Analysis
3. Fins of Uniform Cross-Sectional Area

Topic 3 

Heat Transfer from Extended Surfaces (Part 2)

1. Fin Performance
2. Fins of Non-uniform Cross-Sectional Area
3. Overall Surface Efficiency

Topic 4

Convection

1. Concepts of boundary layer theory
2. Local and average heat transfer coefficient
3. Physical significance of Nusselt number, Reynolds number, Prandtl number

Topic 5

Heat Exchangers (Part 1)

1. Heat Exchanger Types
2. The Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient
3. Heat Exchanger Analysis: Use of the Log Mean Temperature Difference

Topic 6 

Heat Exchangers (Part 2)

1. Heat Exchanger Analysis: The Effectiveness - NTU Method
2. Heat Exchanger Design and Performance Calculations
3. Additional Considerations
4. Summary

Topic 7

Boiling and Condensation (Part 1)

1. Dimensionless Parameters in Boiling and Condensation
2. Boiling Modes
3. Pool Boiling
4. Pool Boiling Correlations

Topic 8

Boiling and Condensation (Part 2)

1. Forced Convection Boiling
2. Condensation: Physical Mechanisms
3. Laminar Film Condensation on a Vertical Plate
4. Turbulent Film Condensation

Topic 9 

Boiling and Condensation (Part 3)

1. Film Condensation on Radial Systems
2. Condensation in Horizontal Tubes
3. Dropwise Condensation
4. Summary

Topic 10

Radiation: Processes and Properties

1. Fundamental Concepts
2. Radiation Heat Fluxes
3. Radiation Intensity
4. Blackbody Radiation
5. Emission from Real Surfaces
6. Absorption, Reflection, and Transmission by Real Surfaces
7. Kirchhoff’s Law
8. The Gray Surface
9. Environmental Radiation
10. Summary

Topic 11

Radiation: Exchange between Surfaces

1. The View Factor
2. Blackbody Radiation Exchange
3. Radiation Exchange Between Opaque, Diffuse, Gray Surfaces in an Enclosure
4. Multimode Heat Transfer
5. Implications of the Simplifying Assumptions
6. Radiation Exchange with Participating Media
7. Summary

Topic 12

Unit Review

In the final week, students will have an opportunity to review the contents covered so far.  Opportunity will be provided for a review of student work and to clarify any outstanding issues.  Instructors/facilitators may choose to cover a specialized topic if applicable to that cohort.

Engineers Australia

The Australian Engineering Stage 1 Competency Standards for the Professional Engineer, approved as of 2013. This table is referenced in the mapping of graduate attributes to learning outcomes and via the learning outcomes to student assessment.

Software/Hardware Used

Software

• Software: Interactive Heat Transfer software
• Version: 4.0
• Instructions:  Download link http://bcs.wiley.com/he-bcs/Books?action=resource&bcsId=6563&itemId=0470501979&resourceId=25674
• Additional resources or files: N/A

Hardware

• PC/Laptop

Unit Changes Based on Student Feedback