45B Homework #4 (Due 2/13/2014)

1. A clever chemical engineer has devised the thermally operated elevator. The
elevator compartment is made to rise by electrically heating the air contained in
the piston-and-cylinder drive mechanism, and the elevator is lowered by opening a
valve at the side of the cylinder, allowing the air in the cylinder to slowly escape.
Once the elevator compartment is back to the lower level, a small pump forces out
the air remaining in the cylinder and replaces it with air at 20 and a pressure
just sufficient to support the elevator compartment. The cycle can then be repeated.
There is no heat transfer between the piston, cylinder, and the gas; the weight of
the piston, elevator, and the elevator contents is 4000 kg; the piston has a surface
area of 2.5 m
2
; and the volume contained in the cylinder when the elevator is at its
lowest level is 25 m
3
. There is no friction between the piston and the cylinder, and
the air in the cylinder is assumed to be ideal gas with a constant-pressure heat
capacity of 30 J/molK.
a. What is the pressure in the cylinder throughout the process?
b. How much heat must be added to the air during the process of raising
the elevator of 3 m, and what is the final temperature of the gas?
(Answer: (a) P = 0.117 MPa; (b) Q = 3169.9 kJ, T = 108.05)

2. A 0.01 m
3
cylinder containing nitrogen gas initially at a pressure of 200 bar and
250 K is connected to another cylinder of 0.005 m
3
in volume, which is initially
evacuated. A valve between the two cylinders is opened until the pressures in the
cylinders equalize. Find the final temperature in each cylinder if there is no heat
flow into or out of the cylinder. Please assume that there is sufficient heat transfer
occurs between the gas in the two cylinders that both final temperatures and both
final pressures are the same. The gas is ideal with a constant-pressure heat
capacity of 30 J/(mol K).
(Answer: T=250K)

3. An adiabatic turbine expands steam form 500
o
C and 3.5 MPa to 200
o
C and 0.3
MPa. If the turbine generates 750 kW, what is the flow rate of steam through the
turbine?
(Answer: 1.218kg/s)

4. Please use the Lever Rule to solve the following problem: The specific enthalpy
for pure A is 300 kJ/(kg K) and for pure B is 500 kJ/(kg K). What is the specific
enthalpy for a twophase mixture contains 40wt% phase A and 60wt% phase B?