Worked example

1kg of a perfect gas is compressed from 1.1 bar, 27oC according to law pv1.3  cons tan t until
the pressure is 6.6 bar. Calculate the heat flow to or from the cylinder walls
i. When the gas is ethane(molar mass 30kg/kmol) which has cp=2.10KJ/kgK
ii. When the gas is argon (molecular mass 40kg/kmol) which has cp = 0.520KJ/kgK
SOLUTION
From the equation
 n 1   n 1 
   
T1  p  n   p  n 
  1  or T2  T1  2 
T2  p 2   p1 
 1.331 
 
 6.6   1.33 
T2  300   300x6 0.231  300x1.512  453.6 K
 1.1 
Ro 8.314
But R    0.277KJ / kgK
M 30
Also c p  cv  R

cV  2.10  0.277  1.823KJ / kgK

cp 2.10
    1.152
cv 1.823

RT1  T2  0.277300  453.6

W   141.8kJ / kg
n 1 1.3  1
  n  1.152  1.3 
Q   W    x  141.8  138.1kJ / kg
  1   1.152  1 
Heat supplied = 138.1 KJ/kg
(b) Using the same method for Argon
Ro 8.314
R   0.208KJ / kgK
M 40
c p  cv  R

c p  0.520  0.208  0.312KJ / kgK

0.520
   1.667
0.312

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 Work done is given by;
RT1  T2  0.208300  453.6
W   106.5kJ / kg
n 1 1.3  1
  n  1.667  1.3 
Q   W    x  106.5  58.6kJ / kg
  1   1.667  1 

Heat rejected = 58.6KJ/kg

TUTORIAL 6

1. 1 kg of steam at 20 bar, dryness fraction 0.9 is heated reversibly at constant pressure to a

temperature of 300oC. Calculate the heat supplied, the change of entropy, and show the
process on a T-s diagram, indicating the area which represents the heat flow.
[415 kJ/kg; 0.8173 kJ/kg K]
2. 0.05 kg of steam at 10 bar, dryness fraction 0.84, is heated reversibly in a rigid vessel until
the pressure is 20 bar. Calculate the change of entropy and the heat supplied. Show the area
which represents heat flow on a T-s diagram.
[0.0704 kJ/kg K; 36.85 kJ]
3. A rigid cylinder containing 0.006 m3 of nitrogen (molar mass 28 kg/kmol) at 1.04 bar, 15oC,
is heated reversibly until the temperature is 90oC. Calculate the change of entropy and the
heat supplied. Sketch the process on a T-s diagram. Take the isentropic index, , for nitrogen
as 1.4 and assume that nitrogen is a perfect gas. [0.00125 kJ/K; 0.404 kJ]
4. 1 kg of steam undergoes a reversible isothermal process from 20 bar and 250oC to a pressure
of 30 bar. Calculate the heat flow, stating whether it is supplied or rejected, and sketch the
process on a T-s diagram.
[- 135 kJ/kg]
5. 1 kg of air is allowed to expand reversibly in a cylinder behind a piston in such a way that the
temperature remains constant at 260oC while the volume is doubled. The piston is then moved
in, and heat is rejected by the air reversibly at constant pressure until the volume is the same
as it was initially. Calculate the net heat flow and the overall change of entropy. Sketch the
process on a T-s diagram.
[-161.9 kJ/kg; -0.497 kJ/kg K]
6. Steam at 5 bar, 25oC, expands isentropically to a pressure of 0.7 bar. Calculate the final
condition of the steam.
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 [0.967]
7. 0.06 m3 of ethane (molar mass 30 kg/kmol), at 6.9 bar and 260oC, is allowed to expand
isentropically in a cylinder behind a piston to a pressure of 1.05 bar and a temperature of
107oC. It is then compressed to 6.9 bar according to a law pv1.4 = constant. Assuming ethane
to be a perfect gas, calculate:
(a), R, cp, cv, for ethane;
(b)the work done during the expansion;
(c) the final temperature after the compression;
(d)the heat flow to or from the cylinder walls during the compression;
(e) the change of entropy during the compression.
Sketch both processes on a p-v and a T-s diagram.
[1.219, 0.277 kJ/kg K, 1.542 kJ/kg K, 1.265 kJ/kg K; 54.2 kJ; 377.7oC; 43.4 kJ; 0.0862
kJ/K]
9. 1 kg of air at 1.02 bar, 20oC, undergoes a process in which the pressure is raised to 6.12 bar,
and the volume becomes 0.25 m3. Calculate the change of entropy and mark the initial and final
states on a T-s diagram. [0.083 kJ/kg K]
9. Steam at 15 bar is throttled to 1 bar and a temperature of 150oC. Calculate the initial
dryness fraction and the change of specific entropy. Sketch the process on a T-s diagram. [0.992;
1.202 kJ/kg K]
10 A turbine is supplied with steam at 40 bar, 400oC, which expands through the turbine in
steady flow to an exit pressure of 0.2 bar, and a dryness fraction of 0.93. The inlet velocity is
negligible, but the steam leaves at high velocity through a duct of 0.14 m2 cross-sectional area. If
the mass flow is 3 kg/s, and the mechanical efficiency is 90%, calculate the power output of the
turbine. Show that the process is irreversible and calculate the change of specific entropy. Heat
losses from the turbine are negligible.
[2048 W; 0.643 kJ/kg K]

5.0 SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS

According to the First Law of Thermodynamics, when a system undergoes a complete cycle then
the net heat supplied is equal to the net work done. This is based on the conservation of energy
principle, which follows from observation of natural events. The Second Law of

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