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Heat Capacity

Greg_40
Greg_40 Member Posts: 43
in THE MAIN WALL
How does one determine the heat capacity of a substance to calculate the Btu's needed to cause a heat rise? For example, I know that concrete is 29.4 Btu/CF/°FdeltaT.

What if I want to heat up a substance, for example honey? Honey is heated to a series of temps for different processing, but overheating is to be avoided at all costs. If a tank has a capacity for example: 146 gallons @ 11.75 #/gallon, specific gravity of 1.46 & is presently at 68°F. It needs to be brought up to say 100°F and maintained there for processing. The tank will have either no insulation or perhaps an R-2 blanket. Maybe even Foil/bubble wrapping with a small air space as an alternate.

How do I calculate the Btu's necessary to cause the temp rise?

Comments

  • Brad White
    Brad White Member Posts: 2,399
    Specific Heat

    All materials have a specific heat, the ability to rise and fall in temperature with the application of a certain quantity of heat. Metric reads in kilocalories per gram and Imperial reads in BTU's per pound, usually.

    Look for specific heat.
    "If you do not know the answer, say, "I do not know the answer", and you will be correct!"



    -Ernie White, my Dad
  • scrook_2
    scrook_2 Member Posts: 610
    specific heat

    of liquid honey is 0.54 to 0.60 BTU/lb °F, (depending on water content -- more water would be higher) granular is 0.73 BTU/lb °F, per the National Honey Board http://www.honey.com

    Pure water would be 1.0 BTU/lb °F, most other substances are lower.

    Actually they give it as cal/g °C but since 1 cal/g °C = 1 BTU/lb °F no conversion is needed.
  • jp_2
    jp_2 Member Posts: 1,935
    uneven heating

    I'd be worried about uneven heating, can't burn the honey.
  • Greg_40
    Greg_40 Member Posts: 43
    Thanks all!

    I can calculate it now. Never thought to look to a national honey think tank site for info, that would have been too easy.

    As for uneven heating, not a problem. A storage tank is wrapped with a heating cable with enough spirals to make the temp pretty even. Also, I'm going to experiment with a few loops of PEX wrapped around the storage tank and connected to a Knight. This processing plant will be heated with a Knight, indirect water heater for the processing hot water needs and there should be enough boiler left over for other needs such as storage tank heating.
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