Tutorial

Thermodynamics: Basic Concepts

1. System is defined as a quantity of matter or a region in space chosen for

study. There are two types of system: a closed system and
____________________
2. Closed system is defined as ____________________________________________. It
is also known as ________________________. The ___________is fixed and the
_____________ can cross the boundary of a closed system.
3. Three examples of fundamental dimension are: ___________, _________ and
___________.
4. Three examples of derived dimensions are: _____________, ___________and
__________.
5. Properties of a system can be classified as: ___________, ___________, and
____________ properties.
6. Any change that a system undergoes from one equilibrium state to
another is known as _________.
7. A quasi-equilibrium process is
___________________________________________________
8. An _______________ process is a process during which the temperature
remains constant.
9. A process during which the specific volume remains unchanged is known
as ____________.
10.An ________________process is a process during which the pressure remains
constant.
11.A cycle
12.Identify the different forms of energy that constitute the total energy of a
matter.
13.How does mechanical energy differ from thermal energy?
14.An adiabatic system is
_______________________________________________________.
15.Name the different mechanisms for transferring energy to or from a
control volume.
16.State the zeroth law of thermodynamics.
17.Name three modes of heat transfer.

Tutorial

Thermodynamics: Basic Concepts

Question 1:
An apple has a mass of 80g and has a volume of 100cm 3 kept in a
refrigerator at 8oC. Calculate the density of the apple. List three (3)
intensive and two (2) extensive properties of the apple.
Question 2
It is known that the gravitation force is reduced as we moved away (up)
from the surface of the earth. A research was conducted and it was found
that the gravitation is reduced according to the equation below.

g 9.807 3.32 10 6 z
Using the equation above, with z as the elevation (in meter), calculate how
many percent is the weight of an airplane reduced when cruising at 11000
m?
Question 3
The efficiency of a refrigerator increases by 3 percent for each oC rise in
the minimum temperature in the device. What is the increase in the
efficiency for each (a) K, (b) oF, (c)R rise in temperature?
Question 4
A river flowing steadily at a rate of 180 m 3/s is considered for hydroelectric
power generation. It is determined that a dam can be built to collect water
and release it from an elevation difference of 80m to generate power.
Determine how much power (in kW) that can be generated once the dam
is filled.
Question 5
A device produces 10 W of power. How much is this in a) lbfft/s and b) hp?
Question 6
A piston /cylinder device with a cross sectional area of 0.01 m 2, has a
piston mass of 100 kg, resting on the stops as shown in the figure. With an
outside atmospheric pressure of 1 bar, calculate the water pressure
required to lift the piston.

Thermodynamics: Basic Concepts

Tutorial

Figure 1
(for Question 6)

water
Question 7
A mixture of gas is contained in a storage tank, A. It is known that the
mixture has an average molecular weight of 33. The gas is now needed to
be transferred into smaller cylinders which later be transported to another
location. The valve attached to tank A is now opened such that the gas is
flowing at a rate of 75 kmol/hr into the cylinders.
a) Express this flow rate in kg/s.
b) If the specific volume of the gas is given as 0.5 cm 3/g, calculate the
volume of the gas mixture collected in the cylinders after 1.5 hour.
c) If the capacity of one cylinder is 0.3 gallon, how many cylinders is
needed after 1.5 hour?
Question 8
A food researcher is investigating the new technology known as Pulsed
Electric Field (PEF) to achieve pasteurization in fruit juice. PEF is a
technology which utilizes high voltage electric pulses to inactivate any
spoilage microorganism (bacteria/yeast) contained in the juice. In the
investigation the juice which initially at 4oC is passed through a treatment
chamber where it receives a number of electric pulses. During a PEF
treatment, the electrical energy is converted into heat and this can be
observed by the increase in the temperature of the juice.
i)
Determine the residence time (in seconds) of the juice in the
treatment chamber if the flow rate of the juice is set to 0.8 L/min
and the volume of the chamber is 0.025 cm 3.
ii)

Calculate the amount of energy in Joule (J) dissipated by the

electric pulses into the flowing juice if the voltage and the current
applied within the treatment chamber are 30 kV and 20 Amp
respectively.

iii)

Using the electrical parameters described above, predict the

temperature of the juice at the outlet of the treatment chamber if
the constant specific heat and density of the juice are 3.78 J/kgoC
and 1.0 g/ml respectively.

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