Wright State University ME 315, Summer 2012

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering

THERMODYNAMICS I
MIDTERM TEST 1
OPEN BOOK, CLOSED NOTES
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Problem 1: (25 points) Consider a U-tube whose arms are open to the atmosphere.
Now equal volumes of water and ethyl alcohol (ρ = 49.3 lbm/ft 3) are poured into the
U-tube. A person blows from the alcohol side of the U-tube until the contact surface
of the two fluids moves to the bottom of the U-tube, and thus the liquid level in the
two arms are the same. If the fluid height in each arm is 30 in., determine the gage
pressure the person exerts on the alcohol. (Answer: 0.2274 psig)

Problem 2: (25 points) Determine the specific volume of neon at 792 kPa and
−226.4ºC using the Nelson-Obert generalized compressibility chart. (Answer:
0.02212 m3/kg)

Problem 3: (25 points) A sealed volume of 2.0 cm3 contains saturated H2O. The
container is heated from an initial pressure of 0.10 MPa until the vessel contains a
single phase. Determine the final state (phase and pressure) of the H2O if the vessel
contains a mass of 0.10 g. Use interpolation to find the pressure. Show the process on
a P-v diagram.

Problem 4: (25 points) In a rigid tank 1.0 m3 of O2 is heated from an initial pressure
of 0.25 MPa and temperature of 50°C to a final temperature of 325°C. Determine the
mass of the gas and its final pressure. (Answers: 2.979 kg, 0.4628 MPa)