February, 2005

Introduction to EES (Engineering Equation Solver)

Introduction
EES is a powerful tool for solving engineering problems and is relatively easy to learn. It
is particularly useful in solving thermodynamic and heat transfer problems since it offers
several builtin libraries comprising of thermodynamic and thermophysical properties,
hence there is no need to loo! these values up in tables. "oreover, algebraic mista!es are
not a concern and the use of EES is time efficient in solving complicated engineering
problems. #ne ma$or advantage to EES is that it can solve a system of simultaneous
e%uations, which is not easy to do using E&cel. 'his includes a system with a
transcendental e%uation (i.e. one in which the dependent variable cannot be isolated).
'his introduction is to help you get started with EES. If additional help is re%uired, you
can refer to the Help Window within the software or the PDF manual available on line.
'o aide in your introduction of the software an e&ample problem from your te&tboo!
("oran and Shapiro) is solved using EES. 'he solution of the problem and description of
specific functions in EES are based on the *+ version of EES, however there is little
difference in the "ac version. 'here are additional e&ample problems listed under the
E&amples menu in EES. ,hen you are wor!ing on your homewor! sets, it may be useful
to search for similar problems in this menu.
Availability
EES is available on all I' lab computers. - free version is also available to all "E
students and other ma$ors ta!ing "E courses and can be downloaded directly from the
following website.
http.//www.menet.umn.edu/dist/
,hen visiting this site, clic! on the 0ees1 folder. - user name and password will be
re%uired to download the software. 'his information has been distributed in class and
cannot be placed on the course website. If you have misplaced or did not receive this
information please contact your course instructor or teaching assistant. 'he EES.2F' file
is also available on the server in case you need a new copy. -ll students who are new to
EES must download the EES.2F' file and copy it into the same directory/folder as the
other EES program. Free additions to EES are available if you visit the F+hart Software
website at http.//www.fchart.com.
Windows Installation
'o install EES for ,indows 95, 98, NT, 2000 or XP, you must run the file Setup3ees.e&e.
Either doubleclic! on the file or from the ,indows 4un +ommand using 5rowse until
you get to the directory where you stored the new EES setup program and run Setup3ees.
'he file will install EES into the directory +.6EES72 or the directory you choose using
the 5rowse command. If you install into a directory other than your e&isting EES
directory, you must copy the file EES.2F' into your new EES directory.
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February, 2005
'he latest EES manual is also on the menet server as a *2F file. 'he new version of EES
has a direct lin! to the manual, hence it is convenient to place the EES manual (EES
manual.pdf) in the EES directory.
Installing on a Mac
2ownload the EES3**+.sea file into your EES folder, double clic! on the file and then
clic! the E&tract button. 'he folder that EES is installed into must contain the file
EES.2F' for EES to run. 'he manual (EES "anual.sea.bin) is on the menet server. 'he
e&panded manual must be placed in the same folder as the other EES files.
Getting Started
5egin by opening the EES program. 9pon doing so, an empty Equations Window will
appear. If you see update information in Equations Window or the Equations Window
does not appear, obtain a new Equations Window by selecting New under the File menu.
'he Equations Window is the window in which you write and edit e%uations. 'here are
additional windows available under Windows such as Formatted Equations Window and
Solution Window. 'he Formatted Equations Window is advantageous since it displays the
formatted e%uations form the Equations Window. ,hen entering complicated e%uations,
this window can be useful to double chec! if any errors have been made. 'he Solution
Window appears automatically upon solution of the e%uations within the Equations
Window when the system of e%uations is solved via the al!ulate command. "oreover,
the Solution window also indicates if any potential unit problems e&ist in the solution.
'he "ptions menu consists of several commands that allow you to chec! your variables
(#aria$le %n&o), obtain commands for various builtin functions (Fun!tion %n&o) and
constants (onstants), declare a unit system ('nit S(stem), and to set personal
preferences (Pre&eren!es). 'he al!ulate menu involves the solution of the e%uations
entered in the Equations Window. 9nder this menu you can chec! the number of
variables and number of e%uations involved in the solution using the )e!*+Format
command. -lso, the set of e%uations in the Equations Window can be solved using the
Sol,e command. 'he Plots menu involves the generation, modification, and type
selection of plots. Similarly, the Ta$les menu deals with generation and modification of
tables by use of Parametri! Ta$les and -oo*up Ta$les. 'he Plots and Ta$les menus will
be described in further detail in the solution of the e&ample problem.
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February, 2005
Example Problem:
Example 3.! "undamental# o$ %&ermodynamic#! '
t&
Edition! (oran and S&apiro
'o solve this problem in EES, type the following comments and e%uations in the
Equations Window. See ,eb+' for postings of the e&ample EES file.
" Example 3.4, Moran and Shapiro, Fundamentals of Thermodynamics"
"Water contained in a piston-cylinder assemly under!oes t"o processes.
The initial state is #$ ar, 4$$ %.
&rocess #-'( %onstant pressure coolin! to saturated )apor
&rocess '-3( %onstant )olume coolin! to #*$ %
+a, S-etch the processes on T-) and &-) dia!rams
+, .etermine the "or- +-/0-!, for the o)erall process
+c, .etermine the heat transfer +-/0-!, for the o)erall process"
"1ssumptions
The "ater is a closed system.
2e!lect chan!es in potential and -inetic ener!y.
2e!lect friction et"een piston and "all"
"3i)en("
&4# 5 #$ 6ar7 "units may e specified usin! 6 7 ...."
T4# 5 4$$ 6%7
x4' 5 #.$ "state ' !i)en as saturated )apor, thus 8uality, x 5 #.$"
T43 5 #*$ "..... or specify units in 9ptions 5: ;ariale <nfo"
&4' 5 &4# "constant pressure process"
)4' 5 )43 "constant )olume process"
&4# 5 &4# = #$$6-&a0ar7 "unit con)ersion, no" &4# is in -&a"
"3o)ernin! e8uations"
"%onser)ation of ener!y( First >a" for a closed system"
84#' - "4#' 5 u4' - u4# "e8uations "ritten in specific form +per -!,"
84'3 - "4'3 5 u43 - u4'
"4#' 5 &4#=+)4' - )4#, "constant pressure process"
"4'3 5 $. "constant )olume process"
"4net 5 "4#' ? "4'3
84net 5 84#' ? 84'3
"1nalysis"
@usin! %alculate 5: %hec-0Format, ao)e "e ha)e #3 e8As and #B un-no"ns.
We need * more e8uations, listed elo", to sol)e for all )arialesC
u4# 5 intener!y+W1TED,T5T4#,&5&4#, "9ptions5:Function <nfo5: Fluid properties"
)4# 5 )olume+W1TED,T5T4#, &5&4',
u4' 5 intener!y+W1TED,x5x4',&5&4', @29TE( in or on the )apor dome, T and & are not
independent properties, thus, alone, these t"o properties
do not fix the state of the systemC
)4' 5 )olume+W1TED,x5x4',&5&4',
u43 5 intener!y+W1TED,;5)43,T5T43,
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February, 2005
:ote that comments are included in brac!ets ;< and %uotation mar!s =>.-lso, EES is case
insensitive and ignores spaces.
%&ermodynamic propertie#
:o need to loo! up values in the tables in the bac! of your te&tboo!? EES has a large
database of thermodynamic properties for many substances. 4ecall that the state of a
system (and all corresponding properties) can be determined if two independent
properties are !nown.
@o to "ptions ./ Fun!tion %n&o and select Fluid Properties.
+hoose a substance (water, refrigerant, air), the property you desire to find (internal
energy, temperature, fugacity), and specify which two properties you would li!e to use to
specify the resulting property. :#'E. ,ithin the vapor dome, temperature and pressure
are not independent properties.
u8 A I:'E:E4@B(,ater,vAv8,*A*8)
&8 A C9-DI'B(Eenon,uAu8,'A'8)
In the first e&ample above, the specific internal energy of water can be found !nowing the
specific volume and temperature. In the second e&ample, the %uality of &enon is found
from the temperature and specific internal energy. 9nits correspond to those specified in
"ptions ./'nit S(stem0
Solve
,hen your problem is setup and you are ready to solve.
al!ulate ./ )e!*+&ormat. are there the same number of e%uations and un!nown
variablesF (for parametric table, there will be n12 e%1s and n un!nowns)
al!ulate ./ Sol,e. solution is produced in Solution window. :otice if unit error occurs.
Successful solution is when no unit errors are detected
Solution )indo*
*DE-SE highlight or bo& individual variables of interest (the answers) by rightclic!ing
on that variable in the Solution window (note, '2 and *7 do not appear until a later step,
discussed below).
Pb
1
= 10 [bar] P
1
= 1000 [kPa] P
2
= 1000 [kPa] P
3
= 475.7 [kPa] q
12
= -486.1 [kJ/kg]
q
23
= -1000 [kJ/kg] q
net
= -1486 [kJ/kg] T
1
= 400 [C] T
2
= 179.9 [C] T
3
= 150 [C]
u
1
= 2957 [kJ/kg] u
2
= 2583 [kJ/kg] u
3
= 1583 [kJ/kg]
1
= 0.3066 [!
3
/kg]
2
= 0.1945 [!
3
/kg]

3
= 0.1945 [!
3
/kg] "
12
= -112.1 [kJ/kg] "
23
= 0 [kJ/kg] "
net
= -112.1 [kJ/kg] #
2
= 1
+nit#
- calculation of numbers may be mathematically correct, but it is meaningless without
the specification of units. 9nits corresponding to every variable in the Equations Window
must be defined, either e&plicitly (by the user), or implicitly (automatically determined by
EES). 'here are several ways to do this.
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February, 2005
"ptions ./ 'nit S(stem. 'his unit system corresponds to variables in
thermodynamic property tables. E&ample, in 'nit S(stem choose SI! ma## ba#i#!
,elciu#! -Pa! and -.. :ow, use the EES property database to find the internal
energy of water.
u8 A I:'E:E4@B(,-'E4, p A p8, ' A '8)
-ccording to the chosen system of units, the input variables of pressure and
temperature must be in !*a and +, respectively, and the output internal energy is
provided in !H/!g.
"ptions ./ #aria$le %n&o, units of each variable may be defined here
9nits may also be defined e&plicitly within the Equations Window, using I J.
*8 A 80 IbarJ
+onversions may also be specified e&plicitly. For *b in bar and *! in !*a.
*! A *b K 800 I!*a/barJ
+nit error#
9pon solving, EES indicates if units are consistent or not. If unit errors are detected.
+hec! #aria$le %n&o. -re all units specified and correctF
+hec! EES functions. -re input variables in units as specified in 'nit S(stemF
E%uation format L are units consistentF For e&ample, if , A *8(v2 L v8), and * is
in bars, this will :#' result in units of !H for ,, and ,IDD cause a unit error.
P/v and ot&er intere#ting diagram#
+onstruct a *v diagram in EES showing each of the states found in our analysis. First,
create an -44-B (indicated by X3i45 for variable X at state i) of each of the variables
you desire to plotM P and ,, in this case. +ontinuing on with e&ample 7.G, construct the
necessary arrays by adding several lines to those already in the Equations Window0
$%e&'ne arra() &*r +'agra!),
P[1] = P-1
P[2] = P-2
P[3] = P-3
[1] = -1
[2] = -2
[3] = -3
T[1] = T-1
T[2] = T-2
T[3] = T-3
P-3 = .re))ure/01T234 5=-34T=T-36
T-2 = te!.erature/01T234u=u-24=-26
-gain select Sol,e0 Initially in this case (before adding the last two lines, above), we find
that *37 has not been specified. -dd any additional e%uations that are re%uired for
additional variables. ,hen enough information is provided, an array table appears when
Sol,e is selected. If any values are still missing from array table, add additional e%uations
to the Equations Window to define values.
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February, 2005
:e&t, construct a property plot by selecting Plots ./ Propert( Plots0 Select the substance
(water, in this e&ample) and type of diagram (*v). -d$ust graph parameters if necessary.
For clarity in this e&ample problem, it is recommended that you desele!t lines of constant
entropy, s. +lic! o* and a plot will appear.
Finally, place the states of your array on the *v diagram by selecting Plots ./ ",erla(
Plot to open a setup window0 9nder Ta$le, select Array# %able. +hoose the appropriate
variables for the Ea&is (vIiJ) and Ba&is (*IiJ). 5E S94E to activate S&o* array
indice#, to display the state labels on your diagram. Bou "9S' D-5ED your graphs?
-&is, units, states, significant temperatures and pressuresN..to name a few things. -d$ust
a&is to maintain a clear view of the plotted states. See Figure 8.
10
-3
10
-2
10
-1
10
0
10
1
10
1
10
2
10
3
10
4
10
5
v [m
3
/kg]
P

[
k
P
a
]
5007C
4007C
1807C
1507C
Water
1 2
3


10
-3
10
-2
10
-1
10
0
10
1
100
200
300
400
500
v [m
3
/kg]
T

[

C
]
1000 kPa
475 kPa
Water
1
2
3

"igure 0. P/v and %/v diagram#. Proce## 0/1 i# con#tant pre##ure! and 1/3 maintain# con#tant volume.
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February, 2005

2i#cu##ion
'he water initially is in the superheated region. -s heat is transferred from the cylinder,
the steam (losing energy) is !ept at constant pressure by the piston and thus compresses.
,or! is input to the system at this time (negative), but more energy is lost through heat
(negative value) than is added to the system via wor!.
'he system reaches the point of saturation, on the edge of the vapor dome. -ny slight
disturbance would cause a drop of condensation to occur on the piston wall. -s heat
continues to leave the system and the temperature decreases, condensation indeed does
occur. 'he volume is held constant during this time (*rocess 27). -s heat is lost, more
water moves from the vapor phase to the li%uid phase. 'he pressure decreases during this
time because fewer and fewer molecules e&ist in the gas form to cause pressure against
the walls. 'he process stops at '7, and the amounts of li%uid and vapor present can be
determined by calculating the %uality at that location.
%able#
For further intriguing investigation of the pistoncylinder assembly, consider how the
initial temperature is related to the re%uired compression wor! and heat transfer.
"aintaining the same initial pressure, and final state, we will vary the initial temperature
and evaluate the compression wor! and heat loss. In EES, calculating and plotting the
results over a range of initial temperatures is made simple by creating a Parametri!
Ta$le. - Parametri! Ta$le allows you to vary one variable in a system of e%uations to
study the effect on other specified variables.
'o build a Parametri! Ta$le, first comment out parameter that is to be varied, ('
8
) with
brac!ets or %uotes in the Equations Window.
;'38 A G00<
0ater
/8tea!6
1
Q
W
Constant pressure
compression cooling
0ater
/8at.
a..6
2
Q
)aturate+ "ater
a.*r
Constant volume
cooling
(condensation occurs
0ater
/9'qu'+-5a.*r6
3
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February, 2005
+lic! the New Parametri! Ta$le command under the Ta$les menu. - popup window
will appear where you can select the variables to be included in the table. +hoose T62,
w6net, and q6net. Select add and clic! "7. 'he number of cells can also be ad$usted in
this window but for this problem !eep the number of cells at the default value of 20. -
Parametri! Ta$le then appears listing all cells and selected variables. In the table, clic!
the blac! downarrow in the T62 cell (or rightclic! on the T62 cell and select 8lter
#alues). Enter the minimum and ma&imum values for T62 (labeled &irst and last)0 In this
e&ample the temperature is varied from 200 to O00 Q+. Dastly, clic! the green sidearrow
in the upper lefthand corner of the table. 'his will generate the solution for each
variable.
Plot#
-fter generating a table, the results can be displayed graphically by creating a plot in
EES. 'o plot the results determined above, select New Plot Window under the Plots
menu. 'hen choose X19 Plot. In the popup window, select Parametri! Ta$le under the
%able setting. Select T62 for the X1a:is and w6net5 and q6net for the 91a:is. 'he style
and loo! of the plot can also be chosen here, however, this can be done after plot
generation as well. Bou can generate the plot by clic!ing "7 See Figure 2.
'he a&is, labels, and other loo!s of the plot can be modified by rightclic!ing on these
items. +omments and lines can be added to the plot using the small icon menu in the plot
window or by selecting 8dd Te:t or 8dd -ine under the Plot menu. -lso, you can copy
and paste plots using the Edit menu.
200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600
-2000
-1600
-1200
-800
-400
0
T
1
[C]
!
n
e
t
"


#
n
e
t
4

k
J
/
k
g
q
net
q
net
"
net
"
net

"igure 1. Initial #team temperature e$$ect on net &eat and *or- tran#$er.
2i#cu##ion
5oth wor! and heat transfer are negative %uantities here, thus wor! is input (done #: the
system) and heat is output (lost F4#" the system). -s the temperature gap increases
between the initial and final states, the heat loss increases as well. 'he wor! input also
increases, but to a lesser magnitude than the heat transfer change.
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February, 2005
S-TE F9:??
%&i# document *a# prepared by
304 "ichael H. Sebert, 2epartment of "echanical Engineering, 9niversity of "innesota.
314 Sarah H. ,arthesen, 2epartment of "echanical Engineering, 9niversity of "innesota.
U