Thick fluids such as asphalt and waxes and the pipes in which they flow are often heated in order to reduce the viscosity of the fluids and thus to reduce the pumping costs. Consider the flow of such a fluid through a 100-m-long pipe of outer diameter 30 cm in calm ambient air at 0°C. The pipe is heated electrically, and a thermostat keeps the outer surface temperature of the pipe constant at 25°C. The emissivity of the outer surface of the pipe is 0.8, and the effective sky temperature is 230°C. Determine the power rating of the electric resistance heater, in kW, that needs to be used. Also, determine the cost of electricity associated with heating the pipe during a 10-h period under the above conditions if the price of electricity is $0.09/kWh.

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Tsky = -30°C 0°C 30 cm Ts = 25°C E = 0.8 Asphalt Resistance heater