Question 6.13: Electrical conducting wires carrying current are electricall...

Electrical conducting wires carrying current are electrically insulated by a dielectric (i.e., electrical insulation) jacket (i.e., shell). Polymers (e.g., polyvinylchloride, called PVC) are dielectric and also have a relatively low conductivity.

Due to the electrical resistance of the wire R_{e}(ohm), the current flow J_{e}(A) results in the Joule heating \dot{S}_{ e,J} and this heat generation has to be removed. Figure (a) depicts the energy conversion and heat transfer. The heat flows by conduction through the wire (which, because of the high thermal conductivity, is assumed to have a uniform temperature). Then by conduction it flows through the dielectric material and by surface convection to the ambient fluid (here,air) and is finally convected away. The surface-convection surface area can be optimized for the maximum heat dissipation, i.e., for minimum wire temperature.

(a) Draw the thermal diagram for the heat flow.
(b) Write the energy equation for the control surface enclosing the wire. Write the expression for the surface heat flow rate Q\mid_{A}.
(c) Minimize R_{\sum } (the overall resistance) with respect to R_{2}, the other radius of the dielectric shield, and find the general relation for R_{2}, corresponding to the minimum R_{\sum } .
(d) Assume that k_{f} \left\langle Nu\right\rangle _{D,2}/D_{2} = h is constant, where D_{2} = 2R_{2}, i.e., h is independent of D_{2}. Then derive an explicit relation for this optimum R_{2} (this is called the critical radius).
(e) Use Table to determine the optimum R_{2}.

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(a) The thermal circuit diagram is shown in Figure (b).
(b) The integral-volume energy equation for the wire is Q\mid_{A}=\int_{A}{(q.s_{n})dA} =Q_{H-1}+Q_{H-2}= \dot{S}_{e,J} , i.e.,

Q\mid_{A,w}= \dot{S}_{e,J}                          energy equation for wire,

where, using Q_{w} = 0 , we have

  Q\mid_{A,w}= \frac{T_{w}-T_{f,\infty }}{R_{k,1-2}+\left\langle R_{ku}\right\rangle _{D,2}} =\frac{T_{w}-T_{f,\infty }}{R_{\sum}}                     surface heat transfer rate

where from Table

  R_{k,1-2}=\frac{ln(R_{2}/R_{1})}{2\pi Lk_{s}}     Table

and from \left\langle Q_{ku}\right\rangle _{L( or D)}=\frac{T_{s}-T_{f,\infty }}{\left\langle R_{ku}\right\rangle_{L(or D)} } =A_{ku}\frac{k_{f}}{L(or D)}\left\langle Nu\right\rangle _{L(or D)}(T_{s}-T_{f,\infty })    ,Re_{L(or D)}=\frac{u_{f,\infty }L(or D)}{v_{f}} and noting that A_{ku} = πD_{2}L = 2πR_{2}L, we have

\left\langle R_{ku}\right\rangle _{D,2}=\frac{D_{2}}{A_{ku}\left\langle Nu\right\rangle _{D,2}k}

 

=\frac{2R_{2}}{2\pi R_{2}L\left\langle Nu\right\rangle _{D,2}k_{f}} =\frac{1}{\pi L\left\langle Nu\right\rangle _{D,2}k_{f}}

with D_{2} = 2R_{2}.

(c) To minimize R_{\sum} , we differentiate R_{\sum} and set the resultant equal to zero, i.e.,

\frac{d}{dR_{2}} R_{\sum}=\frac{d}{dR_{2}} \left[\frac{ln(R_{2}/R_{1})}{2\pi Lk_{s}}+\frac{1}{\pi Lk_{f}\left\langle Nu\right\rangle _{D,2}} \right] =0

We then substitute the h, which is independent of R_{2}, and write Nu_{L}=\frac{q_{ku}L}{(T_{s}-T_{f,\infty })k_{f}}\equiv \frac{hL}{k_{f}}   or    h\equiv Nu_{L}\frac{k_{f}}{L} as the relation between \left\langle Nu\right\rangle _{D,2} and D_{2}, and finally perform differentiation.

(d) If we assume that

k_{f}\left\langle Nu\right\rangle _{D,2}=hD_{2}          assuming that h is independent of D_{2},

where h is the heat transfer coefficient, substituting for   \left\langle Nu\right\rangle _{D,2}   and differentiating we have,

\frac{d}{dR_{2}} \left[\frac{ln(R_{2}/R_{1})}{2\pi Lk_{s}} +\frac{1}{2\pi LhR_{2}} \right] =0 

The result is

\frac{1}{2\pi Lk_{s}R_{2}}-\frac{1}{2\pi LhR_{2}^{2}} =0 

Solving for R_{2}, we have

R_{2}=\frac{k_{s}}{h} =R_{c}           for h independent of D_{2} ,

where R_{c} is called the critical radius (i.e., corresponding to minimum R_{∑} ).
(e) We note that, in general, h depends on D_{2}. For example, in forced flow, from Table, we have for cylinders

  \frac{hD_{2}}{k_{f}} =\left\langle Nu\right\rangle _{D,2}=a_{1}Re_{D,2}^{a_{2}}Pr^{1/3},      a_{2}\lt 1

Note that from Table, for example for Re_{D,2} < 4 × 10^{3}, a_{2} is 0.466. Then h is proportional to D^{a_{2}−1}_{2} .

Now if we use the relation

h=\frac{k_{f}}{D_{2}}a_{1}Re_{D,2}^{a_{2}} Pr^{1/3}\equiv a_{R}D_{2}^{a_{2}-1},        a_{R}=k_{f}a_{1}\frac{u_{f,\infty }^{a_{2}}}{v_{f}^{a_{2}}} Pr^{1/3}

where a_{R} contains all the other constants (i.e., a_{1}, a_{2}, Pr, etc.), then we can write

k_{f}\left\langle Nu\right\rangle _{D,2}=a_{R}D_{2}^{1+(a_{2}-1)} =a_{R}D_{2}^{a_{2}}

By substituting for k_{f}\left\langle Nu\right\rangle _{D,2}, we have

  \frac{d}{dR_{2}} \left[\frac{lnR_{2}/R_{1}}{2\pi Lk_{s}}+\frac{1}{2^{a_{2}}\pi La_{R}R_{2}^{a_{2}}} \right]

After differentiation, we have

\frac{1}{2\pi Lk_{f}R_{2}} +\frac{-a_{2}}{2^{a_{2}}\pi La_{R}R_{2}^{a_{2+1}}} =0

or

\frac{1}{2k_{s}}-\frac{a_{2}}{2^{a_{2}}a_{R}R_{2}^{a_{2}-1}} =0

Solving for R_{2}, we have

R_{2}=R_{c}=\left(\frac{a_{2}k_{s}}{2^{a_{2}-1}a_{R}} \right) ^{1/a_{2}}=\left(\frac{a_{2}k_{s}v_{f}^{a_{2}}}{2^{a_{2}-1}k_{f}a_{1}u_{f,\infty }^{a_{2}}Pr^{1/3}} \right) ^{1/a_{2}}

For the case of a_{2} = 1 , which gives a_{R} = h , we obtain R_{2} = R_{c} = k_{s}/h , as before. For 0 < a_{2} < 1 , a different critical radius is found. Note that the unit of a_{R} depends on a_{2} .

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