$7$:$15$ PM a process upset at a chemical plant resulted in the accidental release of a hazardous material to the atmosphere. The process was shut down, and an inspection revealed a faulty heater on a holding tank in the process. The tank holds a chemical intermediate which is normally maintained at $300F$ by the heater, and a mechanical agitator keeps the temperature uniform throughout the tank. It is known that if the temperature of the inter$-$mediate drops below $100F,$ the process will not operate properly. Hence, it is postulated that a failed heater is the cause of the accidental release. Plant records show that the heater was operating normally at the start of the second shift $(4$:$00$ PM$).$ The ambient temperature at the time of the accident was $50F,$ and the heat$-$transfer coefficient between the ambient air and the tank is estimated to have been $10Bt\frac{u}{f}{t}^{2}F$ : Properties of the chemical inter$-$mediate and tank dimensions are given below. Are the data consistent with the hypothesis that the failed heater caused the process upset?

$[4$ marks$]$

$\backslash$table$[[$Chemical Properties,Tank Dimensions$],[p=50lb\frac{m}{f}{t}^3,D=8ft$