THE OPEN UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKA

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY HONOURS IN ENGINEERING
DMX3401 – FLUID MECHANICS AND THERMODYNAMICS
ACADEMIC YEAR 2019/2020
ASSIGNMENT # 02

INSTRUCTIONS

(1) This assignment is based on the course materials Books 2.

(2) Answer all questions
(3) Write your registration number clearly on your answer script.
(4) Submit your assignment as stipulated in the specimen format for the tutor marked assignment.
(5) Send your answer scripts under registered cover to the address given below or put it into the
assignment box available in front of the Mechanical Engineering Research Lab, Science and
Technology Building.
THE COURSE COORDINATOR – DMX 3401
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
THE OPEN UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKA
P.O.BOX 21, NAWALA, NUGEGODA.
(6) Last date of submission is 21st February 2020(Friday) and late submissions will not be
accepted under any circumstances.

Q1. (a) Show from the first principles that, for a perfect gas with constant specific heat capacities
expanding polytropically (i.e. according to the law pvn = constant) in a non-flow process,
the change of entropy can be expressed with usual notation, by the following equation.

𝑛 − 𝛾 𝑅 𝑝2
𝑠2 − 𝑠1 = 𝑙𝑛
𝛾−1𝑛 𝑝1
(10 marks)

(b) Gaseous methane is compressed polytropically by a piston from 250C and 0.80 bar to a
pressure of 5.0 bar. Assuming an index of compression of 1.2, calculate the change of
entropy and work done, per unit mass of the gas. The relative molecular mass of methane
is 16 and 𝛾 = 1.30.
(10 marks)

Q2. (a) State the first law of Thermodynamics.

(05 marks)

(b) The internal energy of a certain substance is given by the following equation;
u=3.56pv+84
where u is given in kJ/kg, p is in kPa and v is in m3/kg.
 A system composed of 3 kg of this substance expands from an initial pressure of 500 kPa
and a volume of 0.22 m3 to a final pressure 100 kPa in a process in which pressure and
volume are related by pv1.2 = constant.

(i) If the expansion is quasi-static, find heat transferred (Q), internal energy
change(ΔU), and workdone (W) for the process.
(05 marks)
(ii) In another process the same system expands according to the same pressure-
volume relationship as in part (i), but the heat transfer in this case is 30 kJ. Find
the work transfer for this process.
(05 marks)
(iii) Explain the difference in work transfer in parts (i) and (ii).
(05 marks)
Q3. (a) Sketch the P(pressure)-V(volume) and T(Temperature)-S(entropy) diagrams of an air
standard diesel cycle and explain the processes.
(05 marks)
(b) In an air standard Diesel cycle, the compression ratio is 16, and at the beginning of
isentropic compression, the temperature is 150C and the pressure is 0.1MPa. Heat is
added until the temperature at the end of the constant pressure process is 14800C.
Calculate the following.

(i) Cut off ratio,

(03 marks)
(ii) Heat supplied per kg of air,
(04 marks)
(iii) Cycle efficiency, and
(04 marks)
(iii) Mean effective pressure of the cycle.
(04 marks)

Q4. (a) Write the steady flow energy equation for open system flow process.
(05 marks)

(b) Air at a temperature of 150C passes through a heat exchanger at a velocity of 30 m/s
where its temperature is raised to 8000C. It then enters a turbine with the same velocity
of 30 m/s and expands until the temperature falls to 6500C. On leaving the turbine, the
air is taken at a velocity of 60 m/s to a nozzle where it expands until the temperature falls
to 5000C. If the air flow rate is 2 kg/s, calculate the following.

(i) Rate of heat transfer to the air in the heat exchanger,

(ii) Power output from the turbine assuming no heat loss, and

(iii) Velocity at exit from the nozzle, assuming no heat loss.

(15 marks)

Take the enthalpy of air as h =cpt, where cp is the specific heat equal to 1.005kJ/kg K and t is the
temperature.
Q5. Steam at 20 bar, 3600C is expanded in a steam turbine to 0.08 bar. It then enters a condenser,
where it is condensed to saturated liquid water. A pump feeds back the water into the boiler.

(a) Assuming ideal processes, find per kg of steam the network and the cycle efficiency.
(10 marks)
(b) If the turbine and the pump have 80% efficiency, find the percentage reduction in the
network and cycle efficiency.
(10 marks)

Q6. A furnace wall consists of 125 mm wide refractory brick and 125 mm wide insulating firebrick
separated by an air gap. The outside wall is covered with a 12 mm thickness of plaster. The inner
surface of the wall is at 11000C and the room temperature is 250C. The heat transfer coefficient
from the outside wall surface to the air in the room is 17 W/m2K, and the resistant to heat flow
of the air gap is 0.16K/W. The thermal conductivities of refractory brick, insulating firebrick, and
the plaster are 1.6, 0.3, and 0.14 W/mK respectively. Calculate:
(i) the rate of heat loss per unit area of wall surface;
(08 marks)
(ii) the temperature at each interface throughout the wall;
(06 marks)
(iii) the temperature at the outside surface of the wall.
(06 marks)