Question: A 1.5-m-diameter, 4-m-long cylindrical propane tank is initially filled with liquid propane, whose density is 581 kg/m3. The tank is exposed to the ambient air at -5°C in calm weather. The outer surface of the tank is polished so that the radiation heat transfer is negligible. Now a crack develops at the top of the tank, and the pressure inside drops to 1 atm while the temperature drops to -42°C, which is the boiling temperature of propane at 1 atm. The heat of vaporization of propane at 1 atm is 425 kJ/kg. The propane is slowly vaporized as a result of the heat transfer from the ambient air into the tank, and the propane vapor escapes the tank at 242°C through the crack. Assuming the propane tank to be at about the same temperature as the propane inside at all times, determine how long it will take for the tank to empty if it is not insulated.
