INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KHARAGPUR

NPTEL Online Certification Course on

Concepts of Thermodynamics (NOC21-ME73)

Assignment-4
1. Hot coffee in a well insulated thermos flask is shaken vigorously. Considering it as a system,
which among the following statements is FALSE?

(a) Work is done on the system.

(b) Heat is added to the system.
(c) Internal energy of the system increases.
(d) Temperature of the system rises.

Correct answer: (b)

Solution:
Work is done on the system through shaking and since the thermos flask is insulated from
its surroundings, heat cannot be transferred to the system. From the energy equation, the
work done on the system is converted to its internal energy and hence the temperature of
the coffee increases.
Common data for Questions 2 and 3:
A 5-m-high open cylinder, with a cross-sectional area of 0.2 m2 , contains water at 20◦ C above
and air below a thin massless insulated floating piston, as shown in the figure below. Assume
standard g, P0 . The initial temperature of air is 300 K and the initial volume of air is 0.2
m3 . Now heat is added to the air below the piston so that it expands, pushing the piston
up, causing the water on top to spill over the edge. This process continues until the piston
reaches the top of the cylinder.
2. Find the work done by the air to completely spill out the entire water from the cylinder.

(a) 96.72 kJ
(b) 193.45 kJ
(c) 48.36 kJ
(d) 290.17 kJ

Correct answer: (a)

Solution:
From the FBD of the piston, the pressure of air below the piston, P can be expressed in
terms of its volume, V as
mwater g
P = P0 +
Acyl
 
Vwater g Vwater
= P0 + ∵ mwater =
vf, 20◦ C Acyl vf, 20◦ C
(Vcyl − V ) g
= P0 +
vf, 20◦ C Acyl

P0 = 101.325 kPa; Vcyl = 0.2 × 5 = 1 m3 ; g = 9.81 m/s2 ; vf, 20◦ C = 0.001002 m3 /kg

State 1:
The initial volume of air, V1 = 0.2 m3 . Therefore the initial pressure of air is

(Vcyl − V1 ) g
P 1 = P0 +
vf, 20◦ C Acyl
(1 − 0.2) × 9.81
= 101.325 +
0.001002 × 0.2 × 1000
= 140.486 kPa

Mass of air,
PV 140.486 × 0.2
m= = = 0.326 kg
RT 0.287 × 300
State 2:
The final volume of air, V2 = Vcyl = 1 m3 . Therefore the final pressure of air is P2 = P0 =
101.325 kPa.

(Vcyl −V ) g
As P = P0 + v ◦ Acyl , the pressure of air is linearly related to its volume in this pro-
f, 20 C
cess as shown in the P − V diagram.
 Work done by the air is given by the area under the above curve.
Z
1W 2 = P dV = 21 (P1 + P2 )(V2 − V1 )

= 21 (140.486 + 101.325)(1 − 0.2) = 96.72 kJ

3. Find the total heat transfer to the air when all the water has been pushed out.

(a) 290.99 kJ
(b) 181.99 kJ
(c) 45.85 kJ
(d) 96.72 kJ

Correct answer: (b)

Solution:
State 2: V2 = Vcyl = 1 m3 , P2 = P0 = 101.325 kPa

As the mass of air in the cylinder is fixed,

P1 V1 P2 V2
=
T1 T2
P2 V 2 101.325 × 1
=⇒ T2 = T1 × = 300 × = 1081.87 K
P1 V 1 140.486 × 0.2
Assuming constant specific heat, we have

1 Q2 = m Cv (T2 − T1 ) + 1 W 2
= 0.326 × 0.717 × (1081.87 − 300) + 96.72
= 181.99 kJ
 Common data for Questions 4 and 5:
A water-filled reactor with a volume of 1 m3 is at 10 MPa and 300◦ C and is placed inside
a containment room, as shown in the figure below. The room is well insulated and initially
evacuated. Due to failure, the reactor ruptures and the water fills the containment room.

4. Find the minimum volume of the room so that the final pressure does not exceed 200 kPa.

(a) 129.2 m3
(b) 174.8 m3
(c) 258.4 m3
(d) 369.6 m3

Correct answer: (c)

Solution:
The room is evacuated (1 W 2 = 0) and insulated (1 Q2 = 0). So from the energy equation we
get

= m(u2 − u1 ) + 1 W 2
1 Q2
=⇒ 0 = m(u2 − u1 ) + 0

=⇒ u2 = u1
State 1: P1 = 10 MPa and T1 = 300◦ C
From compressed liquid water tables,

v1 = 0.001397 m3 /kg and u1 = 1328.34 kJ/kg

Vreactor 1
Therefore mass of water, m = = = 715.82 kg
v1 0.001397
State 2: P2 = 200 kPa and u2 = u1 = 1328.34 kJ/kg
From saturated water tables (pressure entry), ug, 200 kPa = 2529.49 kJ/kg.
Since u2 < ug, 200 kPa , state 2 is a two phase mixture of saturated liquid and vapour.

u2 − uf 1328.34 − 504.47
∴ x2 = = = 0.40685
uf g 2025.02

v2 = vf + x2 × vf g = 0.001061 + 0.40685 × 088467 = 0.36099 m3 /kg

∴ V2 = m v2 = 715.82 × 0.36099 = 258.4 m3
5. What is the volume of water that remained as liquid after rupture of the reactor?

(a) 0.55 m3
(b) 0.65 m3
(c) 0.15 m3
(d) 0.45 m3

Correct answer: (d)

Solution:

Vf,2 = m (1 − x2 ) vf = 715.82 × (1 − 0.40685) × 0.001061 = 0.45 m3

Common data for Questions 6 to 8:

Air in a rigid tank is at 100 kPa, 300 K with a volume of 1 m3 . The tank is heated to 500 K,
state 2. Now one side of the tank acts as a piston, letting the air expand slowly at constant
temperature to state 3 with a volume of 3 m3 .

6. The pressure of air at states 2 and 3 respectively are

(a) 55.56 kPa, 166.67 kPa

(b) 166.67 kPa, 166.67 kPa
(c) 166.67 kPa, 55.56 kPa
(d) 55.56 kPa, 55.56 kPa

Correct answer: (c)

Solution:
State 1: P1 = 100 kPa, T1 = 300 K, V1 = 1 m3
State 2: T2 = 500 K, V2 = V1 = 1 m3
P1 P2
=
T1 T2
100 × 500
=⇒ P2 = = 166.67 kPa
300
State 3: T2 = T3 = 500 K, V3 = 3 m3

P2 V2 = P3 V3
166.67 × 1
=⇒ P3 = = 55.56 kPa
3
P1 V 1 100 × 1
m= = = 1.161 kg
R T1 0.287 × 300
7. The total work done by the air is

(a) 93.154 kJ
(b) 183.106 kJ
(c) 254.784 kJ
(d) 349.601 kJ

Correct answer: (b)

Solution:
Process 1 → 2: Constant volume heating =⇒ dV = 0 =⇒ 1 W 2 = 0
Process 2 → 3: Isothermal expansion
For an ideal gas, P V = constant for an isothermal process.
Z 3  
V3
∴ 2W 3 = P dV = P2 V2 ln = 166.67 × 1 × ln 3 = 183.106 kJ
2 V2

Total work done by the air, 1 W 3 = 1 W 2 + 2 W 3 = 183.106 kJ

8. The total heat transfer during the process is

(a) 349.6 kJ
(b) 124.6 kJ
(c) 254.6 kJ
(d) 542.6 kJ

Correct answer: (a)

Solution:
From energy equation,

1 Q3 = m(u3 − u1 ) + 1 W 3
= mCv (T3 − T1 ) + 1 W 3
= 1.161 × 0.717 × (500 − 300) + 183.106
= 349.6 kJ
 Common data for Questions 9 and 10:
Tank A having a volume of 1 m3 , contains oxygen at 300 K, 300 kPa. Another tank B
contains 5 kg oxygen at 400 K, 400 kPa. The two tanks are connected by a pipe and valve
which is opened allowing the whole system to come to a single equilibrium state with the
ambient at 30◦ C.

9. The final pressure of the oxygen is

(a) 56.23 kPa

(b) 30.03 kPa
(c) 103.25 kPa
(d) 303.18 kPa

Correct answer: (d)

Solution:
System: Tank A + Tank B
State 1:
Tank A: P1A = 300 kPa, T1A = 300 K, VA = 0.1 m3
P1A VA 300 × 1
∴ m1A = = = 3.85 kg
R T1A 0.2598 × 300
Tank B: P2A = 400 kPa, T2A = 400 K, m2B = 5 kg
m1B R T1B 5 × 0.2598 × 400
∴ VB = = = 1.299 m3
P1B 400
State 2: T2 = 30◦ C
V2 = VA + VB = 1 + 1.299 = 2.299 m3
m2 = m1A + m1B = 3.85 + 5 = 8.85 kg
m2 R T2 8.85 × 0.2598 × 303.15
P2 = = = 303.18 kPa
V2 2.299
10. The amount of heat transferred is

(a) -52.55 kJ
(b) -122.55 kJ
(c) -312.55 kJ
(d) 0 kJ
Correct answer: (c)

Solution:
As the tanks are rigid, no no moving boundary work is done by the system during this
process of mixing =⇒ 1 W 2 = 0.
From the energy equation,

1 Q2 = m2 u2 − (m1A u1A + m1B u1B )

= (m1A + m1B )u2 − (m1A u1A + m1B u1B )
= m1A (u2 − u1A ) + m1B (u2 − u1B )
= m1A Cv (T2 − T1A ) + m1B Cv (T2 − T1B )
= 3.85 × 0.662 × (303.15 − 300) + 5 × 0.662 × (303.15 − 400)
= −312.545 kJ

Heat transferred, 1 Q2 = - 312.545 kJ