College of Engineering and Computer Science

Mechanical Engineering Department

Mechanical Engineering 483
Alternative Energy Engineering II
Spring 2010 Number: 17724
Instructor: Larry Caretto

February 8 Homework Solutions

1. The ultimate analysis of a coal with a heating value of 12,000 Btu/lb m is 69.76%C, .4.65%H,
Nitrogen 1.24%, Sulfur 3.50%, Oxygen 8.14%, and Ash 12.71%, determine the air fuel ratio
for 25% excess air (λ = 1.25) combustion. Assuming that all the sulfur in the coal reacts to
SO2, determine the emission rate of SO2 in pounds per million Btu of heat input. What are
the CO2 emissions per Btu of heat input for this coal?
We can use the formulas from the combustion notes and lecture to compute the subscripts in the
computational fuel formula, CxHySzOwNv and the resulting product species information.
x = wt%C/12.0107 = 69.76/12.0107 = 5.808, y = wt%H/1.00794 = 4.65/1.00794 = 4.613
z = wt%S/32.065 = 3.50/32.066 = 0.109, w = wt%O/16.0004 = 8.14/16.0004 = 0.509
v = wt%N/14.0067 = 1.25/14.0067 = 0.089
The stoichiometric oxygen requirement for CxHySzOwNv is A = x + y/4 + z – w/2 moles O2 = 5.808
+ 4.613/4 + 0.109 – 0.509/2 = 6.816. We can now compute the air fuel ratio on a mass basis.
We have assumed 100 mass units of fuel in computing the fuel molecule and the corresponding
mass of air is given as 138.28A on slide 13 of the February 1 lecture presentation. With the
value of A just found and the given value of 1.25 for , we find
Air 138.28A 138.281.25 6.816
   11 .78
Fuel 100 100
Each pound of coal contains 0.035 pounds of sulfur. If all the sulfur reacts to SO 2, the mass of
SO2 formed will be 0035 MSO2/MS = 0.035(64)/(32) = 0.07 lb SO2/lb fuel. Since each pound of fuel
has 12000 Btu = 0.012 MMBtu, the SO2 production per MMBtu is found as follows:
0.035 lbS 2 lbSO2 lb fuel 5.83 lb SO2
ESO2  
lb fuel lbS 0.012 MMBtu MMBtu
Similarly, each pound of coal contains 0.6976 pounds of carbon. If all the carbon reacts to CO 2,
the mass of CO2 formed will be 0.6976 MCO2/MC = 0.6976(44)/(12) = 2.558 lb SO2/lb fuel. Since
each pound of fuel has 12000 Btu = 0.012 MMBtu, the CO 2 production per MMBtu is found as
follows:
0.6976 lbC 44 lbCO2 lb fuel 213 lb CO2
ECO2  
lb fuel 12 lbC 0.012 MMBtu MMBtu
2. When the coal of problem one is burned in a power plant, the measured NOx
concentration is 10 ppm in the dry exhaust. Assuming that the oxygen content of the
exhaust is the same as that computed for complete combustion (at the 25% excess air
specified in problem one), determine the emission rate of NOx in pounds per million Btu.
In order to compute the emission rate per unit heat input we have to find the partial mass density
of the species in question, NOx, the F-factor and the mole percent of O 2 in the dry exhaust. With
these three items, we can use in the equation below, which is from slide 16 of the February 1
lecture (with a slight modification to spell out the subscripts).

Jacaranda Hall (Engineering) 3333 Mail Code Phone: 818.677.6448

Email: lcaretto@csun.edu 8348 Fax: 818.677.7062
 20.9
E species ,dry   species ,dry Fd
20.9  %O2,d

The first term is the partial density of NOx in the dry exhaust gases. To find this we start with the
molar density given by the ideal gas equation, using a standard pressure of 14.696 psia and a
standard temperature of 68oF = 527.67 R.
n

P

14.696 psia  
0.0025956 lbmole
V RT 10.73 psia  ft 3
ft 3
 527.67 R 
lbmole  R
Of these total moles, 10 ppm will be NOx; this is equivalent to a mole fraction of 10x10 -6 of NOx
which has a molecular weight of 46, so the partial mass density of NOx in the dry exhaust gas will
be

n 46 lb NOx 10 x106 lbmol NOx 0.0025956 lbmole 1.194x106 lb

 NOx  y NOx M NOx  
V lbmol NOx lbmol ft 3 ft 3
The second term is the F-factor. We can use the F-factor for bituminous coal from the notes page
of slide 16 on the February 1 lecture: 9780 dscf/MMBtu or alternatively we could compute the F-
factor from the ultimate analysis using the K factors from the notes page of slide 17 from the
February 1 lecture. The latter approach gives the following result.
K  K C %C  K H % H  K O %O  K S % S  K N % N 
Fd  
Qc

106 Btu  1.53 scf 3.64 scf  0.46 scf 0.57 scf 0.14 scf 
 69.76%  4.65%  8.14%  3.50%  1.24% 
MMBtu  lbm  % lbm  % lbm  % lbm  % lbm  % 
12000 Btu
lbm
This gives a value of Fd = 9635 dscf/MMBtu; use of the standard factor would result in only a
1.5% error.
The emission rate formula requires the dry exhaust oxygen mole percentage. This can be found
from the information on slide 14 of the February 1 lecture. The total dry moles in the exhaust is
found from the equation, D = x + z + ( – 1)A + 3.77A + v/2 = 5.808 + 0.109 + (1.25 – 1)( 6.816)
+ 3.77(6.816) + 0.089/2 = 33.32. The moles of O 2 in the exhaust are computed as (-1)A = (1.25
– 1)(6.816) = 1.704 so the dry mole fraction of oxygen is 1.704/33.32 = 5.114%.
We now have all the information we need to compute the NOx emission rate per unit heat input.

20.9 1.194 x106 lbm 9635 dscf 20.9

E NOx ,dry   NOx ,dry Fd 
20.9  %O2,dry dscf MMBtu 20.9  5.114

ENOx,dry = 0.015 lbm/MMBtu

Jacaranda Hall (Engineering) 3333 Mail Code Phone: 818.677.6448

Email: lcaretto@csun.edu 8348 Fax: 818.677.7062
 February 8 homework solutions Page 3
ME 483, L. S. Caretto, Spring 2010

3. Problem 6 of chapter 5 in the

text. If the heat input were
provided by a natural gas with 2 3 T3 = 1200oC =
a (lower) heating value of Combustor 1473.15 K
20,000 Btu.lbm, what air/fuel
ratio is required?
GIVEN: Gas turbine cycle with Compressor
Turbine
data as shown. P2/P1 = 20
t = 90%
c = 85%
FIND: (a) compressor work, (b)
turbine work, (c) net work, (d)
turbine exit temp-temperature 1 T1 = 20oC = 4
and (e) the thermal efficiency 293.15 K
of the cycle.

APPROACH: this solution uses the equations in Hodge, which are slightly different in form from
those in a typical engineering thermodynamics class.

The equations in Hodge use the equations for an ideal gas with constant heat capacity. Hodge
accounts for the temperature of the heat capacity by using different values of heat capacity
different components in the system. The Hodge equations assume that each component in the
gas turbine cycle is steady flow with negligible kinetic and potential energy changes. The turbine
and the compressor each have one inlet and one outlet so that the general first law for these
components is q = wu + hout – hin. We assume all devices are adiabatic. In the combustor, all the
chemical energy of the fuel is converted to thermal energy in the exhaust stream, with no external
heat loss.

We can use equation (5-14) in Hodge to find the outlet temperature of the compressor.

  k 1

 1  P2  k
 
 1 
1.4 1

T2  T1 1    1   303.15 K 1   20 1.4
 1   760.0 K
  P1   0.85
 c
     
  

Similarly, equation (5-20) in Hodge gives the outlet temperature of the turbine. Here we use
Hodge’s value of k = 1.334 for the turbine. Since we are not given data on the combustor
pressure loss we will assume an ideal cycle in which P3/ P4 = P2/P1.

  k 1
   1.334 1

 P  k
   1  
T4  T3 1   t  4  1.334
  1   1473.15 K 1  0.88   1  T4 = 773.6 K
 P3    20  
   
      

The specific work for the compressor and turbine are found, respectively, from equations (5-12)
and (5-18) in Hodge, again using the values for mean heat capacity.

1.004 kJ
wc  c p ,compressor  T1  T2    293.15 K  760.0 K    468kg
.7 kJ
kg  K

1.148 kJ
wt  c p ,turbine  T3  T4   1473.15 K  853.2 K   803.1 kJ
kg  K kg

If we neglect the difference in mass flow rates between the compressor and turbine, the new work
is simply the algebraic sum of the two work terms.
February 8 homework solutions Page 4
ME 483, L. S. Caretto, Spring 2010

803.1 kJ  468.7 kJ 334.4 kJ

wnet  wt  wc   
kg kg kg

The combustor heat addition can be inferred from equations (5-23) or (5-24) in Hodge, who uses
a value of 1.076 kJ/kgK for the combustor.

1.076 kJ
q  c p ,combustor  T3  T2   1473.15 K  529.6 K   767.4 kJ
kg  K kg

The thermal efficiency is simply the ratio of the net work to the combustor heat input.

334.4 kJ
wnet kg
   = 43.6%
qcombustor 767.4 kJ
kg

The fuel air ratio can be found from equation (5-22) in Hodge for an adiabatic combustor (the
value found above for the combustor heat addition).

767.4 kJ
m
 fuel qcombustor kg  K m
 fuel
   0.01650
m air Hv 20000 Btu 1. 055056 kJ 0.45359 lbm m air
lbm Btu kg

Although it was not required we can find the net thermal efficiency accounting for the fuel flow in
the turbine.

The thermal efficiency is the net power output divided by the heat input from the fuel. The
calculation below uses the intermediate result from the previous equation that H v = 46.52 MJ/kg.


W net

 m air  m fuel  wt  m air wc  1  m air  1w  m air w 
 c
m fuel H v m fuel H v H v  m
 fuel  t m
 fuel 
 = 45.3%
kg MJ  1  482.0 kJ 1   277.4 kJ 
   1   
46.52 MJ 1000 kJ  0.01699  kg 0.01699  kg 