By Jayde Kowallis and Jordan Rhoads

Introduction

• A copper pipe wrapped with heated tape is needed to direct blow-by gasses from the engine crank case to a centrifuge pump.

Our Tube

Objective: To find the length needed (L) to heat gas from 25°C to 130°C and from 190°F to 230°F.

Problem Setup: assumptions

Assumptions:•Heat tape creates a constant heat flux (qs”)

•Tube is perfectly insulated with a fiberglass coating. (no heat is lost)

Problem Setup Conservation of energy (with perfect insulation)

Using and

you get

Solving for L:

Solution and Procedure

Results

Conclusion and Recommendations

Using this analysis and given assumptions, heating a fluid, flowing at these velocities, using a typical heat tape is a plausible solution for this application. For the majority of constant flow conditions, a recommended length of minimum 0.545 m is needed to eliminate condensation.

Appendix

Sources:

•Dr. Soloviev’s assistance in setting up the problem

•Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer (7th edition)