Faculty of Environment and Technology

Academic Year: 18/19

Examination Period: Summer

Module Leader: Rachel Szadziewska

Module Code: UFMFW8-30-2
Module Title: Heat Transfer, Power and the Environment
Work Item Code:

Duration: 2 Hours

Standard materials required for this examination:

Examination Answer Booklet YES

Multiple Choice Answer Sheet NO
Type of paper e.g. G3, G14 NO
Graph Paper
Number of sheets per student 0

Additional materials required for this examination:

Details of additional material supplied by UWE:

Steam Tables (Thermodynamic and Transport Properties of Fluids by G. F.

C. Rogers and Y. R. Mayhew )

To be collected with Answer Booklet (please delete as appropriate) YES

Details of approved material supplied by Student:

Students are permitted ONE SIDE of A4 of their own HANDWRITTEN

notes.

To be collected with Answer Booklet (please delete as appropriate) YES

University approved Calculator

Candidates permitted to keep Examination Question Paper

Candidates are NOT permitted to turn the page

over until the exam starts
UFMFMC-30-2 Page 1 of 7
 _____________
Instructions to Candidates:
 Candidates must ALL questions in Section A
 Candidates must answer THREE questions from Section B
 State any assumptions that you make
 Clearly show all formulae, values and method used to derive your answer
 Final correct numerical answers must include the correct units for full
marks
_______ ______

SECTION A
a) You are watching a lightning storm. If you measure the time between
the lightning and the sound of the thunder as 4 seconds. The outside
temperature is 6 °C. Determine how far away from you the lightning
struck.
[5 marks]

b) Internal Rate of Return and Return on Investment are two metrics

used to assess the financial viability of a project.
i. Define, in words, each metric
ii. Explain why the Internal Rate of Return is considered the better
metric.
[5 marks]

c) Briefly discuss a method of capturing carbon dioxide from a

combustion process. State one advantage of the method discussed
[5 marks]

d) An inventor claims to have designed a prototype Stirling engine that

will generate a net work of 65 kJ when supplied with 90 kJ of heat and
operating between a temperature source and sink with temperatures
950 K and 300 K respectively.

Write to the inventor stating if you believe his claim, backing your
statement up with evidence
[5 marks]

e) An idealised Stirling engine consists of the following four

thermodynamic processes:
i. Isothermal compression
ii. Isochoric heat addition
iii. Isothermal expansion
iv. Isochoric heat removal

Draw a T-s plot of the cycle and label each process.

[5 marks]

UFMFMC-30-2 Page 2 of 7
 SECTION B
Question B1 [25 marks]

A university is considering investing in a CHP plant. The typical energy usage

of the university is 70 kWh/m2/yr of gas and 55 kWh/m2/yr of electricity.

The CHP plant is required to generate 80% of the heating demand. The
current boiler has an efficiency of 90%. The manufactures of the CHP plant
claim a thermal efficiency of 45% and an electrical efficiency of 40%.

The current carbon emission factors of gas and electricity are 0.183
kgCO2/kWh and 0.4 kgCO2/kWh respectively.

a) Determine the predicted carbon dioxide savings per unit area per annum.
[10 marks]

b) Determine the amount of electricity generated by the CHP plant and

comment on the suitability of the CHP plant selected.
[3 marks]

c) The CHP plant can be converted to run on biomass that has a dry
combustible matter with an equivalent chemical formula of C8H12O5.
i. Write a balanced equation of the stoichiometric complete
combustion of the biomass with air.
ii. Determine the gravimetric air-to-fuel ratio for stoichiometric
complete combustion of the biomass in air.
[8 marks]

d) Problems are reported about the boiler, which normally runs with 10%
excess air. An emissions analysis of the flue exhaust gases reveal higher
than normal carbon monoxide emissions and unburnt-hydrocarbons.

Suggest to the maintenance engineer what you think the problem with the
boiler is (in the context of combustion efficiency). Explain the rationale
behind your suggestion.
[4 marks]

UFMFMC-30-2 Page 3 of 7
Question B2 [25 marks]

A 150 MW steam power plant operates on a Rankine cycle, the condenser and
boiler pressure are 30 kPa and 9 MPa. The moisture content of the steam at
the exit of the turbine must not exceed 15 %.

a) Determine the thermal efficiency of the power plant

[15 marks]

b) If a new turbine is installed which has a maximum moisture content at the

exit of 10% and the rest of the plant remains the same. Determine the
change in thermal efficiency
[5 marks]

c) Discuss:
i. Another way that the thermal efficiency can be increased
ii. A disadvantage of the method chosen
[5 marks]

UFMFMC-30-2 Page 4 of 7
Question B3 [25 Marks]

AQMA’s were implemented in 1997 as part of the UK government’s National

Air Quality Strategy.

a) State what an AQMA is and what is the purpose of a AQMA

[4 marks]

Congestion charges are being implemented in cities in Europe to reduce

emissions. The Toyota Prius parallel hybrid vehicle is exempt from the
charges.

b) With the arid of a sketch, describe how a parallel hybrid vehicle works.
[4 marks]

The Toyota Prius has an internal combustion engine that operates on the
Atkinson cycle. The Atkinson cycle consist of the following thermodynamics
processes:
 Isentropic compression (1-2)
 Isochoric heat addition (2-3)
 Isentropic expansion (3-4)
 Isobaric heat rejection (4-1)

A P-V plot of the Atkinson cycle is shown below:

If the compression ratio is 9.5 and the expansion ratio is 13, the temperature
and pressure before compression are 300 K and 100 kPa respectively.
c) Determine:
i. The peak temperature in the cycle
[6 marks]
ii. The thermal efficiency of the engine
[6 marks]

d) Determine the thermal efficiency for an engine operating on an Otto cycle

with the same initial conditions and compression ratio
[5 marks]

UFMFMC-30-2 Page 5 of 7
Question B4 [25 Marks]

A high performance aircraft is flying at altitude of 10,000 m and a speed of

Mach 1.2, the outside temperature and pressure is -42 °C and 0.28 bar
respectively.

a) The aircrafts engine operates on a Brayton Cycle, draw a block diagram of

the cycle and explain the assumptions made in order to analyse the cycle.
[5 marks]

b) Determine the surface temperature of the aircraft, assuming that it can be

approximated to the stagnation temperature.
[5 marks]

c) The manufacturers have developed a new coating that has a maximum

operating temperature of 150 °C. Determine the new theoretical top air
speed of the aircraft at the same altitude in km/hr.
[5 marks]

d) Show that the dynamic pressure can be related to the Mach number with
the following expression:
ρu 2 γP M 2
=
2 2
[5 marks]

e) A model of the aircraft is being tested in a wind tunnel. The wind tunnel is
operating at Mach 3 and the total pressure is 700 kPa. If the model has a
cross sectional area equivalent to a 3 cm sphere and a drag coefficient of
0.7.

Determine the drag force on the model, given that the drag force is defined
as:
1
F d= C D ρA u 2
2
[5 marks]

UFMFMC-30-2 Page 6 of 7
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL

END OF QUESTION PAPER

UFMFMC-30-2 Page 7 of 7