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Question Details:
For bacteriological testing of water supplies and in medical clinics,
samples must routinely be incubated for 24 h at 37°C. A standard
constant temperature bath with electric heating and thermostatic
control is not suitable in developing nations without continuously
operating electric power lines. Peace Corps volunteer and MIT engineer
Amy Smith invented a low cost, low maintenance incubator to fill the
need. The device consists of a foam-insulated box containing several
packets of a waxy material that melts at 37°C, interspersed among
tubes, dishes, or bottles containing the test samples and growth medium
(food for bacteria). Outside the box, the waxy material is first melted
by a stove or solar energy collector. Then it is put into the box to
keep the test samples warm as it solidifies. The heat of fusion of the
phase-change material is 205 kJ/kg. Model the insulation as a panel
with surface area 0.530 m2, thickness 9.40 cm, and conductivity 0.0120 W/m·°C. Assume the exterior temperature is 24.5°C for 12.0 h and 15.5°C for 12.0 h.
(a) What mass of the waxy material is required to conduct the bacteriological test?
This is what I tried doing:
P = kA(Th-Tc) / L = (0.0120 W/m C)(0.530 m2)(24.5 C - 15.5 C) / 0.0940 m = 0.609 W
P = Q / Δt = mL / Δt --> m = PΔt / L = (0.609W)(24 h * 3600 s/h) / (205 kJ/kg * 1000 J/kJ) = 0.257 kg
What am I doing wrong? Thanks in advance.
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