TUTORIAL 1 (CHAPTER 1)

INTRODUCTION AND BASIC CONCEPTS

1. A container having two compartments contains steam as shown in figure 1. The specific
volume of steam in compartment B is 5 m3/kg. The membrane breaks and the resulting
specific volume is 8 m3/kg. Find the original specific volume of steam in compartment A.
(Ans: 10 m3/kg)

Compartment Compartment
A 15 m3 B 5 m3

Figure 1

2. A cylinder with a total volume at 1 m3 has a movable piston as shown in figure 2. When
the piston is one fourth of the length, both sides have same specific volume of 4 m3/kg.
Determine the specific volumes of both sides when the piston is at middle of the cylinder.
(Ans: 8 m3/kg; 2.67 m3/kg)

A B

x
L
Figure 2

3. A large chamber is separated into compartments 1, and 2 as shown in figure 3, which are
kept at different pressures. Gauge A reads 300 kPa and B reads 120 kPa. If the local
barometer reads 720 mm Hg, determine the absolute pressure existing in the compartments
and reading of gauge C. Take ρ = 13600 kg/m3 and g = 9.81 m/s2. (Ans: Pabs1 = 396.06
kPa, Pabs2 = 276.06 kPa, PgC = 180 kPa)

2 C
1 B

Figure 3

4. The pressure gauges 1, 2 and 3 are installed on the system as shown in figure 4. If the
readings of the gauges be P1 = 1 bar, P2 = 2 bar and P3 = 3 bar (vacuum), what will be the
value of P? (Take Patm = 1.01 bar). (Ans: 1.01 bar)
 Figure 4

5. A vessel of cylindrical shape is 50 cm in diameter and 75 cm high. It contains 4 kg of a gas.

The pressure measured with manometer indicates 620 mm of Hg above atmosphere when
barometer reads 760 mm of Hg. Determine i) The absolute pressure of the gas in the vessel
in bar and ii) specific volume and density of the gas. (Ans: 1.841 bar, 0.0368 m3/kg, 27.16
kg/m3)

6. A basic barometer can be used as an altitude measuring device in airplanes. The ground
control reports a barometric reading of 750 mm of Hg while the pilot’s reading is 690 mm
of Hg. Estimate the altitude of the plane from the ground level if the average specific weight
of air is 11.97 N/m3. (Ans: 668.75 m)

7. The pressure of gas in a pipeline is measured with a mercury manometer having one limb
open to the atmosphere as shown in figure 5. If the difference in the height of mercury in
the two limbs is 562 mm, calculate the gas pressure. The barometer reads 761 mm Hg, the
acceleration due to gravity is 9.81 m/s2, the density of mercury is 13640 kg/m3. (Ans:
177.03 kPa)

Figure 5

8. A turbine is supplied with steam at a gauge pressure of 1.4 MPa. After expansion in the
turbine the steam flows into a condenser, which is maintained at a vacuum of 710 mm Hg.
The barometric pressure is 772 mm Hg. Express the inlet and exhaust steam pressure in
kPa. Density of mercury can be taken as 13600 kg/m3. (1503 kPa, 8.27 kPa)
9. Convert the following readings of pressure into kPa.
a. 40 cm Hg vacuum
b. 90 cm Hg guage
c. 1.2 m of water guage

(Ans: 53.37 kPa vacuum, 120.07 kPa, 11.77 kPa)

10. A vacuum gauge mounted on a condenser reads 0.66 m Hg. What is absolute pressure in the
condenser in kPa when atmospheric pressure is 101.3 kPa? (Ans: 13.24 kPa)

11. A U-tube mercury manometer with one arm open to atmosphere is used to measure the
pressure of steam flowing through a pipe as shown in figure 6. The level of mercury in the
open-ended arm stands 95 mm higher than that in the arm connected to steam pipe. Some
of the steam condenses in the arm in connection with the steam pipe. If the height of this
column is 32 mm, make calculations for the absolute pressure of steam in kPa. Take
atmospheric pressure equal to 760 mm of Hg. (Ans: 113.7 kPa)

Figure 6

12. A mercury (Hg) manometer is used to measure the pressure in a vessel as shown in figure
7. The mercury has density of 13,590 kg/m3 and the height difference between the two
columns is measure to be 24 cm. Determine the absolute pressure inside the vessel. Assume
atmospheric pressure is 750 mm Hg. (Ans: 131.96 kPa).

Figure 7
13. A new absolute scale is proposed. On this scale ice point of water is 150oS and the steam
point is 300oS. Determine the temperatures in degree centigrade that correspond to 100oS
and 400oS, respectively. (Ans: -33.33oC, 166.67oC)

14. A new temperature scale in degrees N is desired with freezing point at 100oN and the
boiling point at 400oN. Establish a correlation between degrees Celsius and degrees N.
What would be the absolute zero temperature at degrees N? (Ans: N = 3C + 100, -719oN)

15. The temperature t on a thermometric scale is defined in terms of a property P by the relation
t = a ln (P) + b, where a and b are constants. The temperatures of the ice point and steam
point are assigned the numbers 32 and 212 respectively. Experiment gives values of P of
1.86 and 6.81 at the ice point and steam point respectively. Evaluate the temperature
corresponding to a reading of P = 2.5 on the thermometer. (Ans: 73 degress)