ENGG1500, S2 2023

Common mistakes identified during marking of the problem sets (Weeks 1-6)

1. Not writing units

2. Writing ke=0 or pe=0 rather than ∆ ke=0 and ∆ pe=0 or change in ke and pe are
negligible
 Everything has some kinetic and potential energy, often we just neglect the changes
of these values across the system.
 For kinetic energy this means we are saying that the velocity of the fluid at the inlet
is equivalent to its velocity at the outlet.
 For potential energy we are saying that there is no change in vertical position from
the inlet to outlet.
3. Missing diagrams or sketching wrong diagrams
4. Missing assumptions.
 All assumptions must be listed. General rule of thumb is that if you cross something
out from the equation there must be an assumption that relates to this.
5. Making assumptions that you don’t use.
 E.g., making an ideal gas assumption and subsequently pulling values from the
superheated vapour tables.
6. Not including a full energy balance and/or generally missing steps of working.
7. Writing the same assumption twice in different variations.
dE
 E.g., writing steady state and then as separate assumptions writing =0 and
dt
dm
=0 – this is the definition of steady state.
dt
 E.g., writing adiabatic and then as a separate assumption writing Q̇=0 – again this is
the definition of adiabatic.
8. Not converting units and not understanding the units that quantities are given in.
 Tables give all values in kJ.
 KE, PE are in J (m2/s2) .
9. Not referencing tables – this is particularly useful for a marker to be able to see where you
went wrong.
10. Knowing which variable you are referencing in an equation.
 v can be specific volume or velocity – these are not interchangeable.
11. Making an ideal gas assumption when it is not necessary (preferably, you should use the
tables) or even incorrect – like when it is a liquid (or a solid).
12. Confusing the concepts of steady state and quasi-static process.