Heat Transfer A326 (2026): Practical Assignment (40 Marks)
Submission: 4 May 2026 at 16:00
Late submissions will be penalised at 5% per hour, or part thereof.
Submission Mode: Hard copies of the assignments must be submitted to C101, and electronic
copies must be uploaded to STEMLearn. The copies should be identical.
Please note that no electronic resubmissions are possible after the submission deadline.
Submission Requirements:
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The solution to the questions should be provided in a document that is no longer than 12
A4 pages. All pages that exceed the limit will not be marked.
A single PDF document no larger than 10 MB should be uploaded.
No marks are allocated to presentation, and students are welcome to submit neat
handwritten documents. Documents may also be typed.
The document should include relevant equations and calculations where appropriate
Units should be consistent throughout
Tables and graphs should be clearly labelled and captions provided
Answer the following questions about the practical data you collected and that which was shared
with you. The questions have been divided into sections:
1. Concept:
(8)
1.1 Briefly explain the boiling curve and describe the boiling regimes ( your answer should
include the physical mechanism in each regime and how heat transfer changes across
the regimes
1.2 Describe the process of rising and collapsing of bubbles observed during the practical
and how this affected heat transfer.
1.3 What happened at the liquid-solid interface and the liquid-vapour interface
1.4 Explain the role of the heating rod surface conditions.
2. Experimental Understanding:
(8)
2.1 Explain the purpose of the T1, T3, T4, T6 and condensate collection. Indicate which
temperature best estimates the bulk liquid temperature
2.2 Explain why the following things were necessary: the condenser, reaching of steady
state operation
2.3 Repeating the experiment with and without the stirring
2.4 Identify at least three main sources of experimental error and explain how these
affected the heat transfer rate and temperature measurements
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3. Data visualisation, analysis and interpretation
(18)
3.1 Plot the temperature profiles of your group’s experimental data for all the temperatures
measured. Discuss the trends you observe.
3.2 For your group’s data, compare the effect of stirring through the comparison of T1, T3 and
T4 as a function of time. Assume time = 0 is when the element temperature reaches 60
°C. Comment on the similarities and differences.
3.3 Compare the experiments at different power inputs through comparison of T1, T3 and T4
for the three different power inputs provided to you. Do this for both the stirring and nonstirring scenarios. Again, assume that time = 0 when the element temperature reaches 60
°C. Comment on the similarities and differences.
3.4 For your data, as well as the three different power input data sets shared with you from
the other groups. Identify the likely boiling regime occurring. Justify your answer using the
temperature differences, the estimated overall heat transfer coefficient and the heat flux.
Do this for both the stirring and non-stirring scenarios. Provide the required calculations
and explain the differences in the heat transfer coefficient and condensate rate
3.5 Provide physically realistic explanations for any anomalies or inconsistencies.
4. Key insights from the experiment and recommendations
(6)
4.1 Extent to which the aims and objectives were achieved
4.2 Boiling behaviour and the heat transfer rate
4.3 The difference between experimental heat transfer coefficients and the theoretical heat
transfer coefficient.
4.4 Practical improvements
4.5 How would results change if a different fluid was used and the pressure was reduced:
Note:
The temperature data provided needs to be divided by 10 to get the degree Celsius value.
The temperature T3 is the temperature INSIDE the element.
Checklist:
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Have you explained boiling clearly (not just defined it)?
Have you explained what each measurement represents?
Are all calculations correct, structured, and with units?
Have you interpreted your results (not just presented them)?
Have you addressed anomalies and suggested improvements?
Are your interpretations and conclusions concise and aligned with the objectives?
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