University of Sunderland

Faculty of Applied Sciences

Department of Computing, Engineering and Technology

MEX306 – THERMODYNAMICS AND FLUID MECHANICS

EXAMINATION

Date: Time:

Instructions to Candidates:

Time allowed - 3 hours

There are 6 questions set. You must attempt 4 questions.

This is a closed book examination – this means you are not

permitted to use any text books or study aids in the
examination.

You are forbidden to use programmable calculators.

You must answer the required number of questions only.

Any additional answers will not be marked.

You should put a cross through any work you do not wish to
be marked.

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Moderated Sept 2012
Module Leader K. Burn
Question 1
Ethylene gas (C2H4) enters a steady flow combustion chamber with 78% theoretical
air. The fuel flow rate is 0.015 kg/min. The fuel enters the combustion chamber at a
temperature of 25C and the air enters at a temperature of 500K. Exhaust products
leave the combustion chamber at 1300K. Determine:
a) The stoichiometric and actual combustion equations. (6 marks)
b) The required flow rate of air. (4 marks)
c) The rate of heat loss from the combustion chamber. (10 marks)

Question 2
Propylene gas (C3H6) is burnt in a steady flow process with 115% theoretical air. Both
the fuel and the air enter the combustion chamber at 25C. Determine:
a) The stoichiometric and actual combustion equations. (6 marks)
b) The wet volumetric exhaust analysis (4 marks)
c) The adiabatic flame temperature. (10 marks)

Question 3
A single tube pass, single shell side pass shell and tube heat exchanger consists of a
number of 2 cm diameter tubes, contained in a shell of 1.2 m inside diameter and
arranged in a 60 triangular pitch layout. The bundle has 25% cut segmented baffles
spaced at 40 cm intervals. Oil of specific heat capacity 2300 J/kg K, thermal
conductivity 0.12 W/m K, and dynamic viscosity 0.00035 Ns/m2 flows at 25,000
kg/hour through the shell side. The tube side heat transfer coefficient is 800 W/m2
K.
a) Calculate the shell side equivalent diameter De and the mass velocity Gs. Hence
calculate the shell side Reynolds number Re. (10 marks)
b) Calculate the overall heat transfer coefficient for the heat exchanger.
(10 marks)
The following equations may be used without proof (the Sieder-Tate correction
factor has been neglected):

200  Re  5000 (j h )shell  0.491 Re 0 .49

5000  Re  10 6 (j h )shell  0.351 Re 0 .45
2
where (j h )shell  St  Pr 3

c p h h
Pr  ; St  
k Vc p G s c p
1 3 1 π 2
For a triangular pitch tube layout: De  4  [  P   P    d2 ]
2 2 2 4 πd
5
You may assume: P  d
4

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Moderated Sept 2012
Module Leader K. Burn
Question 4
Air enters a room at a pressure of 1.5 bar, a temperature of 20C, and a relative
humidity of 50%. On leaving the room the pressure has dropped to 1 bar, the
temperature has increased to 22C and the specific humidity has increased by 0.01
kg/kg. A quantity of air, 60% by mass, is then rejected, to be replaced by fresh air
at 30C and relative humidity 65%. The mixture then passes through an air
conditioning system, which consists of a cooler followed by a heater, followed by a
circulation fan. It may be assumed that the fan has no influence upon the system
other than to circulate the air and raise the air pressure, prior to entry to the room.
a) Sketch a simple block diagram of the system. (3 marks)
b) Calculate the enthalpy of the air prior to entry to the room. (3 marks)
c) Calculate the enthalpy of the air after the mixing process. (5 marks)
d) Calculate the rate of heat removed in the cooler. (4 marks)
e) Calculate the rate of moisture extraction in the cooler. (3 marks)
f) Calculate the rate of heat addition in the heater. (2 marks)

Question 5
A cooling tower is used to cool 28,800 kg/hour of water from 47C to 22C. Air at a
temperature of 18C and a relative humidity of 52% enters the base of the tower. At
exit the air is saturated at a temperature of 28C. Assuming the air pressure is
atmospheric throughout (1.01325 bar), calculate:
a) The enthalpy of the air at entry and exit to the tower. (6 marks)
b) The specific volume of air at entry to the tower. (3 marks)
c) The mass air flow rates required. (5 marks)
d) The volumetric air flow rates required. (3 marks)
e) The make-up water required to replace that which has evaporated.
(3 marks)

The characteristic gas constants for air and water vapour ( Ra and Rs respectively) are
as follows: Ra = 287 J/kg K; Rs = 462 J/kg K. The specific heat capacity of water is:
cpw = 4.19 kJ/kg K.

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Moderated Sept 2012
Module Leader K. Burn
Question 6
A 10 cm thick aluminium plate has a uniform temperature of 10C. It is immersed in a
stream of hot water at a constant temperature of 75C. The heat transfer
coefficient between the water and the aluminium is 500 W/m2 K, and the thermal
properties of the aluminium are as follows: density = 2700 kg/m3; specific heat
capacity = 910 J/kg K; thermal conductivity = 237 W/m K.

a) Calculate the Biot number and explain why this indicates that it is necessary to
use a transient solution to estimate the internal temperature of the aluminium.
(4 marks)
b) Carry out a transient analysis of the plate, using either the Schmidt-Binder or
Saulyev finite difference method in order to estimate the time it takes for
the centre line temperature to exceed 11C. (16 marks)

You are advised to split the plate into 1 cm thick elements in order to perform the
transient analysis. Also, the following equations may be used without proof, where the
symbols have their usual meanings:

Saulyev:
 1  Fo  t  Fo  t  Δt
θ nt  Δt   θ n   (θ n1  θ nt 1 )
 1  Fo   1  Fo 

 1  Fo  t  Fo  t
θ nt  Δt   θ n   (θ n1  θ nt 1Δt )
 1  Fo   1  Fo 

αΔt k
where F0  and 
Δx 2 c p

Schmidt-Binder:


θ nt  Δt  0.5  θ nt 1  θ nt 1  (F0 = 0.5)

Convective boundary conditions:

 B   1  hx
θ w   i θ f   θ1 Bi 
 1  Bi   1  Bi  k

End of Exam Paper

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Moderated Sept 2012
Module Leader K. Burn