MEL341

Gas Dynamics & Propulsion

Laboratory Assignment 1
Due 2:00PM on the next laboratory session

1 Specific heats
[5 Marks] Find the expression for cp cv for a gas which obeys the Dieterici equation
of state

a 
p(v b) = RT exp
.
(1)
RT v
Also, check if cp cv = R when a, b 0.

2 Oscillating piston
[10 Marks] (a) A perfect gas is filled in an upright, thermally-insulated cylinder with
a massless piston. The cross-sectional area of the cylinder is A. Initially the pressure
of gas inside the cylinder is equal to the outside pressure p1 . The temperature and
specific volume of gas at equilibrium state are T1 and v1 respectively. Next, a weight
W is placed on the massless piston. After some oscillations, the piston reaches a new
equilibrium state at p2 , v2 , T2 .
1. [2 Marks] Show that the process can be assumed to be isentropic of the weight
W is small ( = W/(p1 A)  1).
2. [3 Marks] Find the frequency of oscillations about the equilibrium state p2 , v2 , T2
assuming the process is isentropic and displacements are small. You can assume
the length of cylinder in second equilibrium state to be l.
3. [5 Marks] What would be the oscillation frequency if the cylinder was in contact
with a thermal reservoir kept at temperature T0 . Solve the resulting ordinary
differential equation for motion of piston and weight using MATLAB without assuming small displacements. Compare numerical results with analytical results;
analytical results are for small displacements. Include your MATLAB code with
the report.

3 Black body radiation

[15 Marks] Consider a cavity of volume V from which all material is evacuated. The
walls of cavity are maintained at temperature T . The electromagnetic radiation which
fills the cavity can be considered a thermodynamic system with an energy
E = V T 4
where is a constant.
1. Find the pressure exerted by the radiation on the walls of cavity.
2. Show that the entropy is given by S = 4E/(3T ).

(2)