Question

Air is contained in a vertical piston-cylinder assembly fitted with an electrical resistor. The
atmosphere exerts a pressure of 16.7lbf/ on the top of the piston, which has a mass of 150 lb
and a face area of 2 . Electric current passes through the resistor, and the volume of the air
slowly increases by 1.8 while its pressure remains constant. The mass of the air is 0.6 lb, and its
specific internal energy increases by 20 Btu/lb. The air and piston are at rest initially and finally. The
piston-cylinder material is a ceramic composite and thus a good insulator. Friction between the
piston and cylinder wall can be ignored, and the local acceleration of gravity is g = 32.0 ft/ .
Determine the heat transfer from the resistor to the air, in Btu, for a system consisting of

a) The air alone and (7)

b) The air and the piston (8)

[Modified from: Michael J. Mortan,Howard N. Shapiro, Daisie D. Boettner, Margaret B. Bailey,

Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics, seventh edition, pages 63-65, example 2.3]

Solution

a) Energy balance equation for a closed system:

( learner should specify sign convention for work, in this context a minus sign signifies
energy transfer by work from the surroundings to the system.)
= Q-W

Q=W + (1)
W=∫ dV=p( ) (1)
For this system work is done at the bottom of the piston. To determine pressure use a force
balance: upward force exerted by the air on the bottom of the piston=weight of piston +
downward force of the atmosphere acting on the top of the piston.
p = .g+ (1)
p= +
( )
= + 16.7lbf/ (1/2)
( )

= 17.2lbf/ (1/2)

Thus the work is

W= p( )

= (17.2lbf/ ) ( 1.8 )(144 /1 )(1Btu/778ft.lbf)

= 5.73 Btu (1)

With ∆ = (∆ )

= 5.73 Btu + (0.6lb)(20Btu/lb)= 17.73 Btu (2)

[7]

b) energy balance equation of the overall changes in the system:

+ = Q-W

Q=W+ (1)

For this system work is done at the top of the piston

W= p( )

= (16.7lbf/ ) ( 1.8 )(144 /1 )(1Btu/778ft.lbf) (1/2)

= 5.56 Btu (1/2)

The change in height needed to calculate potential energy is:

h= (1)

= (1/2)

=0.9 (1/2)

(1)

=(150lb)(32.0ft/ )(0.9ft)(1lbf/32.2lb. ft/ )(1Btu/778ft.lbf) (1/2)

=0.17Btu (1/2)

Finally:

Q=W+

= 5.56 Btu+0.17Btu+(0.6lb)(20Btu/lb) (1)

= 17.73Btu (1)