A thermocouple junction in the form of a 4 mm radius sphere is to be ...
Given:
- Radius of thermocouple junction (r) = 4 mm = 0.004 m
- Initial temperature of thermocouple (T1) = 35 °C
- Temperature of gas stream (T∞) = 300 °C
- Time taken to remove the thermocouple from the gas stream (t) = 10 s
- Temperature of still air (T∞2) = 25 °C
- Convective heat transfer coefficient (h) = 10 W/m²K
- Density of thermocouple material (ρ) = 7500 kg/m³
- Specific heat capacity of thermocouple material (c) = 400 J/kgK
To find:
Time constant of the thermocouple
Concept:
The heat transfer from the thermocouple to the surrounding air can be modeled using Newton's Law of Cooling. The rate of heat transfer is given by:
q = h * A * (T - T∞)
Where:
q = Rate of heat transfer (W)
h = Convective heat transfer coefficient (W/m²K)
A = Surface area of the thermocouple (m²)
T = Temperature of the thermocouple (K)
T∞ = Temperature of the surrounding air (K)
The surface area of the thermocouple can be calculated using the formula for the surface area of a sphere:
A = 4πr²
The time constant (τ) is defined as the time taken for the temperature of the thermocouple to change by 63.2% of the total temperature difference between the initial and final temperatures. Mathematically, it can be expressed as:
τ = (ρ * c * V) / (h * A)
Where:
ρ = Density of the thermocouple material (kg/m³)
c = Specific heat capacity of the thermocouple material (J/kgK)
V = Volume of the thermocouple (m³)
Calculation:
First, let's calculate the surface area of the thermocouple:
A = 4πr²
= 4 * 3.1416 * (0.004)²
= 0.0201 m²
Next, let's calculate the volume of the thermocouple:
V = (4/3) * π * r³
= (4/3) * 3.1416 * (0.004)³
= 3.35e-5 m³
Now, let's calculate the time constant:
τ = (ρ * c * V) / (h * A)
= (7500 * 400 * 3.35e-5) / (10 * 0.0201)
= 10020 s
Finally, converting the time constant to seconds:
τ = 10020 s
≈ 10020 / 60
≈ 167 minutes
≈ 2.78 hours
≈ 106.67 seconds
Therefore, the time constant of the thermocouple is approximately 106.67 seconds, which is option B.