Professional Documents
Culture Documents
www.curriculum-press.co.uk
Number 130
A simple starting point for Thermal Physics is the fact that heat
naturally flows from a warmer object to a cooler object.
Heat Flow
Q (Heat Flow)
Useful Work
Higher Temperature
Lower Temperature
High Temperature
Energy Reservoir
Q1
Heat Engine
Q2
Low Temperature
Energy Reservoir
Higher Temperature
Lower Temperature
W
100 %
Q1
Energy transfer
(Heat Flow)
Eff =
5000 - 2000
100 = 60 %
5000
Physics Factsheet
2
Pressure
3
4
B
Eff max = 1
Volume
where TC and TH are the temperatures of the low and high temperature
reservoirs.
Heat pump
A heat pump is often referred to as a reverse heat engine. Its
usual purpose is to transfer heat energy from a cold reservoir to a
hot reservoir. (Normally heat would flow in the opposite direction.)
Waste
heat
Low temp
reservoir
Heat
engine
Working
fluid
Power
station
Petrol
engine
air plus
combustion
gases
Steam
engine
water/steam burning
coal/oil
burning
petrol
exhaust
gases
atmosphere
Q1
Heat Pump
Low Temperature
Energy Reservoir
Q2
Efficiency calculations
Answer:
TC
100%
TH
225 + 273
= 1.43
75 + 273
Physics Factsheet
Coefficient of Performance
Example 5:
(a) A heat pump is used to warm a house in winter. The required
inside temperature is 20oC. the outside temperature is 10oC.
Find the COP.
(b) How does the COP change if the outside temperature drops
to 10oC?
Answer:
(a) COP =
283
= 28.3
10
(b) COP =
263
= 8.8
30
Air Source
Inside house
Outside house
Cooler
air in
Warmer
air in
Warmer
air out
Cooler
air out
circulating
liquid/gas
Electric pump to
circulate liquid/gas
Practice Questions
5. The table shows some approximate comparative figures for gas
and electric heating systems and a ground source heat pump
system (driven by electricity) for a small, new house. The values
include the hot water system as well as domestic heating.
1. Determine
(a) the input energy for the simple energy cycle shown below
(b) the useful work done
(c) the waste energy emitted
(d) the efficiency
Gas costs about 3p per kWh. Electricity costs about 12p per
kWh.
Pressure/Nm-2
6.6 105
Value
System
2.4 105
0.10
0.30
Volume/m3
2. For a diesel engine, state the working fluid, the high and low
temperature reservoirs, and the form of the waste heat.
Gas heating
Capital cost
Annual consumption
3500
12000kWh / yr
Electric heating
Capital cost
Annual consumption
3500
9000kWh / yr
6000
5000kWh / yr
Answers
1. (a) E = 6.6105 0.20 = 1.32105J
(b) W = 4.2105 0.2 = 8.4104J
(c) E = (13.2 - 8.4)104 = 4.8104J
(d) Eff = 64%
2. Virtually the same as for the petrol engine.
3. Air or water temperature e.g. 10oC or 20oC.
4. My gas boiler has a maximum output of 18kW. A ground source heating system would require 180m of trenches.
5. (a) Gas: 360
Acknowledgements:
This Physics Factsheet was researched and written by Paul Freeman
The Curriculum Press,Bank House, 105 King Street,Wellington, Shropshire, TF1 1NU
Physics Factsheets may be copied free of charge by teaching staff or students, provided that their school is a registered subscriber.
No part of these Factsheets may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any other form or by any other means, without the prior permission of the publisher.
ISSN 1351-5136