Question

As a process engineer, you are asked to design a heat exchanger made of Brass pipe of length 117 m to carry hot and cold fluids from one heat exchanger to the other. While designing it you have to make consideration for expansion or contraction of the pipe. If the diameter of the pipe is 4.5 cm and the maximum temperature differential that can be expected in the pipe is 21 °C. Calculate how much will be the linear expansion of the pipe after the temperature changes.

Answer 1

Thermal expansion coefficient of brass at 20^o C is = 1.9 x 10^-7oC^-1.

Maximum change in temperature is expected to be T = 21^o C.

Original length of the pipe is L = 117 m.

Hence, the linear expansion of the pipe after the temperature changes is :

L = LT = 117 m x 1.9 x 10^-7oC^-1 x 21^o C = 4.67 x 10^-4 m.