A ceramic heat shield tile on the exterior of a re-entry vehicle has a rectangular…

PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · Thermal Properties of Matter · Thermal Properties of Matter

Problem

A ceramic heat shield tile on the exterior of a re-entry vehicle has a rectangular face measuring 25 cm×40 cm25\,\text{cm}\times40\,\text{cm}. When exposed to aerodynamic heating the tile’s outward-facing surface reaches a steady temperature of 1200 K1200\,\text{K}. The emissivity of the ceramic surface at this temperature is 0.85. Assume the other side of the tile is perfectly insulated so that all thermal energy leaves through the outward-facing surface. (a) Convert the area of the outward-facing surface to square metres. (b) Calculate the rate at which the tile’s outward-facing surface emits thermal energy at 1200 K1200\,\text{K}. Express your answer in kilowatts. (c) Determine the power per unit area emitted by the tile and comment briefly on how this quantity depends on temperature.

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