INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KHARAGPUR

NPTEL Online Certification Course on

Concepts of Thermodynamics (NOC21-ME73)

Assignment-8
1. Which among the following statements is TRUE?

(a) The entropy of an isolated system always remains constant.

(b) The entropy of an isolated system may increase or decrease or remain constant depend-
ing on the process occurring within it.
(c) The entropy of an isolated system always decreases or in the limit of a reversible process,
remains constant.
(d) The entropy of an isolated system always increases or in the limit of reversible process,
remains constant.

Correct answer: (d)

Solution:
An isolated system has no mass, heat or work crossing the boundary of the system. No mass
transfer implies it is a control mass system and no heat transfer implies ∆Q = 0. Entropy
balance for an isolated system:
0
δQ
>

dS = 
+ δSgen
T
∵ δSgen ≥ 0 =⇒ dSisolated ≥ 0
Therefore, the entropy of an isolated system always increases or in the limit of a reversible
process, remains constant

2. Which among the following statements is TRUE?

(a) The entropy of a control mass during a process always remains constant.
(b) The entropy of a control mass during a process may increase or decrease or remain
constant depending on its interaction with the surroundings.
(c) The entropy of a control mass during a process always decreases or in the limit of
reversible process, remains constant.
(d) The entropy of a control mass during a process always increases or in the limit of
reversible process, remains constant.

Correct answer: (b)

 Solution:
For a control mass system, the change in entropy, heat transfer and entropy generation are
related as
δQ
dS = + δSgen
T
The heat transfer can be positive, negative or zero depending on its direction i.e. to the
system from the surrounding or vice versa.

> 0, heat addition to the system
δQ 
= 0, for an adiabatic process
T 
< 0, heat rejection form the system


But entropy generation is always positive (or zero in the limit of a reversible process).

Sgen ≥ 0

The sum of these two can be either positive, negative or zero depending on their relative
magnitudes. Therefore the entropy of a control mass during a process may increase or
decrease or remain constant depending on its interaction with the surroundings.

3. A closed system undergoes a process between two fixed states in a reversible manner in the
first case and in an irreversible manner in the second case. How do the values of the change
in entropy of the system (∆S) compare for these processes?

(a) (∆Srev ) = (∆Sirrev )

(b) (∆Srev ) < (∆Sirrev )
(c) (∆Srev ) > (∆Sirrev )
(d) Cannot be determined

Correct answer: (a)

Solution:
Since entropy is a property of the system, the change in entropy of the system depends only
on the initial and the final states. It does not depend on the process by which the system
has undergone this change of state. Therefore the change in entropy of the system will be
the same for a reversible and an irreversible process between two given states.
 Common data for Questions 4 and 5:
A rigid container with a volume of 200 L is divided into two equal volumes by a partition
as shown in the figure below. Both sides contain nitrogen; one side is at 2 MPa and 200◦ C,
while the other is at 200 kPa and 100◦ C. The partition ruptures, and the nitrogen comes to
a uniform state at 70◦ C. Assume the temperature of surroundings to be 20◦ C.

4. Work done in the process is

(a) 0 kJ
(b) 12.52 kJ
(c) 25.35 kJ
(d) 54.25 kJ

Correct answer: (a)

Solution:
As the container is rigid, its volume doesn’t change.

∴ 1W 2= 0
5. The net entropy change for the process is

(a) -0.2947 kJ/K

(b) 0.2947 kJ/K
(c) 1.2456 kJ/K
(d) -1.2456 kJ/K

Correct answer: (b)

Solution:

Control mass: Entire N2 (A + B )

State 1:
PA1 = 2000 kPa, VA1 = 100 L = 0.1 m3 , TA1 = 200◦ C = 473.15 K
PA1 VA1 2000 × 0.1
mA1 = = = 1.424 kg
RTA1 0.2968 × 473.15
PB1 = 200 kPa, VB1 = 100 L = 0.1 m3 , TB1 = 100 ◦ C = 373.15 K
PB1 VB1 200 × 0.1
mB1 = = = 0.1806 kg
R TB1 0.2968 × 373.15
Total mass of nitrogen in the container is m = mA1 + mB1 = 1.6046 kg

State 2: T2 = 70◦ C=343.15 K

m R T2 1.6046 × 0.2968 × 343.15
P2 = = = 817 kPa
V 0.2
   
T2 P2 T2 P2
∆Ssys = mA1 Cp ln − R ln + mB1 Cp ln − R ln
TA1 PA1 T P
  B1  B1 
343.15 817 343.15 817
= 1.424 × 1.042 ln − 0.2968 ln + 0.1806 × 1.042 ln − 0.2968 ln
473.15 2000 373.15 2000
= −0.1894 kJ/K

1st Law:

1 Q2 = U2 − U1 + 1 W 2
= mA1 Cv (T2 − TA1 ) + mB1 Cv (T2 − TB1 ) + 0
= 1.424 × 0.745 × (70 − 200) + 0.1806 × 0.745 × (70 − 100)
= −141.95 kJ

Q2 141.95
∆Ssurr = − 1 = = 0.4841 kJ/K
T0 293.15
∴ ∆Snet = ∆Ssys + ∆Ssurr = −0.1894 + 0.4841 = 0.2947 kJ/K
 Common data for Questions 6 to 8:
One kilogram of ammonia (NH3 ) is contained in a spring-loaded piston/cylinder as a satu-
rated liquid at -20◦ C, as shown in the figure below. Heat is added from a reservoir at 100◦ C
until a final condition of 800 kPa, 70◦ C is reached. Assume the process to be internally
reversible.

6. Work done by ammonia during the process is

(a) 48.457 kJ
(b) 185.254 kJ
(c) 21.345 kJ
(d) 97.768 kJ

Correct naswer: (d)

Solution:
As the pressure varies linearly with volume,
Z
1W 2 = P dV = 12 (P1 + P2 )(V2 − V1 ) = 12 (P1 + P2 )m(v2 − v1 )

State 1: Saturated liquid at -20◦ C

From saturated ammonia tables,

T (◦ C) P (kPa) vf (m3 /kg) uf (kJ/kg) sf (kJ/kg-K)

-20 190.08 0.001504 88.76 0.3657

P1 = 190.08 kPa
v1 = 0.001504 m3 /kg
State 2:
From superheated ammonia tables,

T (◦ C) P (kPa) v (m3 /kg) u (kJ/kg) s (kJ/kg-K)

70 800 0.199 1438.3 5.5513

v2 = 0.199 m3 /kg
1
∴ 1W 2 = × (190.08 + 800) × 1 × (0.1990 − 0.001504) = 97.768 kJ
2
7. Heat transfer during the process is

(a) 723.8 kJ
(b) 548.4 kJ
(c) 1447.3 kJ
(d) 128.5 kJ

Correct answer: (c)

Solution:
Control mass: NH3
1st Law:

1 Q2 = m(u2 − u1 ) + 1 W 2
= 1 × (1438.3 − 88.76) + 97.768
= 1447.3 kJ

8. Entropy generated during the process is

(a) 25.415 kJ/K

(b) 1.307 kJ/K
(c) 0.025 kJ/K
(d) 6.875 kJ/K

Correct answer: (b)

Solution:
∆Ssys = m (s2 − s1 ) = 1 × (5.5513 − 0.3657) = 5.1856 kJ/K
Q2 1447.3
∆Ssurr = − 1 =− = −3.8786 kJ/K
T0 373.15
∴ ∆Snet = ∆Ssys + ∆Ssurr = 5.1856 − 3.8786 = 1.307 kJ/K
 Common data for Question 9 and 10:
A rigid storage tank of volume 1.5 m3 contains 1 kg of argon at 30◦ C. Heat is then transferred
to the argon from a furnace operating at 1300◦ C until the specific entropy of the argon has
increased by 0.343 kJ/kg-K.

9. The total heat transfer during the process is

(a) 189.2 kJ
(b) 75.5 kJ
(c) 452.8 kJ
(d) 254.6 kJ

Correct answer: (a)

Solution:

Control mass: Argon

State 1: T1 = 30◦ C = 303.15 K, v1 = 1.5

1
= 1.5 m3 /kg

State 2: As the tank is rigid, v2 = v1 = 1.5 m3 /kg and s2 = s1 + 0.343 kJ/kg-K

s2 − s1 = 0.343 kJ/kg-K

T2 v2
=⇒ Cv ln + R ln = 0.343 kJ/kg-K
T1 v1
T2 1.5
=⇒ 0.312 × ln + R ln = 0.343
303.15 1.5
0.343
=⇒ T2 = 303.15 × e 0.312 = 910.13 K
As the container is rigid, 1 W 2 = 0
1st Law:

1 Q2 = U2 − U1 + 1 W 2
= m Cv (T2 − T1 ) + 0
= 1 × 0.312 × (910.13 − 303.15)
= 189.38 kJ
10. The net entropy generated in the process is

(a) 0.223 kJ/K

(b) 1.254 kJ/K
(c) 0.025 kJ/K
(d) 5.245 kJ/K

Correct answer: (a)

Solution:

∆Ssys = m (s2 − s1 ) = 1 × 0.343 = 0.343 kJ/K

Q2 189.38
∆Ssurr = − 1 =− = −0.1204 kJ/K
TH 1300 + 273.15
∴ ∆Snet = ∆Ssys + ∆Ssurr = 0.343 − 0.1204 = 0.2226 kJ/K