ME-THER

THERMODYNAMICS
 Learning Plan – Module 3

Week 11 ( Nov 11 W ) – MIDTERM EXAM

Week 12 – 16 ( 15 hrs)
(Week 12 – 13 Nov 18, 25)
• 6 - Gas Cycles – Nov 18
• 7 - Internal Combustion Engine – Nov 25 (Group 1 – 3)
(Week 14 – 15 Dec 2, 9)
• 8 – Gas Compressors – Dec 2 (Group 4 – 6)
• 9 – The Brayton Cycle – Dec 9 (Group 7 – 8)

Week 16 ( Dec 16 W ) – FINAL WRITTEN REPORTS OF 7, 8, 9

- Email report in PDF in short bond paper
cover page – title, group names, date
- Oral , individual report per member, group report
 6 - Gas Cycles

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Thermodynamic Cycle

 This cycle occurs when the working fluid of

a system experiences a number of processes
that eventually return the fluid to its initial
state.

 Video: Thermal Power Plant

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Thermodynamic Heat Engines
 Elements:

1. Working substance – matter that receives and rejects heat

and does work

2. Source of heat – called as hot body, a heat reservoir or just

source

3. Heat sink – called as a receiver, a cold body or just sink

4. Engine – wherein the working substance may do work or have work

done on it

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Gas Power Cycles
 Ideal Cycles, Internal Combustion

◦ Otto cycle, spark ignition

◦ Diesel cycle, compression ignition
◦ Brayton cycles
◦ Combined cycle

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Ideal Cycles Assumptions
◦ Air in the working fluid, circulated in a closed loop, is an ideal
gas.
◦ Exhaust and air intake are substituted with heat transfer from
the system to the surroundings.
◦ Combustion is replaced by heat transfer from an external
source to the system.
◦ All processes are internally reversible.
◦ Gas specific heat is constant.
◦ Cycle does not involve any friction.
◦ Pipes connecting components have no heat loss.
◦ Neglecting changes in kinetic and potential energy
Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Carnot Cycle
◦ The fundamental thermodynamic cycle proposed by French
Engineer Sadi Carnot in 1824, is an attempt to explain the
working of the steam engine.

◦ Carnot cycle is one of the best-known reversible cycles.

◦ Video: Carnot Engine

◦ Video: Carnot Cycle Diagram

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Carnot Cycle

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Carnot Cycle
In a Carnot cycle, the system executing the cycle undergoes a series
of four internally reversible processes: two isentropic processes
 (reversible adiabatic) alternated with two isothermal processes:

 isentropic compression – The gas is compressed adiabatically from

state 1 to state 2, where the temperature is TH. The surroundings
do work on the gas, increasing its internal energy and compressing
it. On the other hand the entropy remains unchanged.

 Isothermal  expansion – The system is placed in contact with the

reservoir at TH. The gas expands isothermally while receiving
energy QH from the hot reservoir by heat transfer. The temperature
of the gas does not change during the process. The gas does work
on the surroundings. The total entropy change is given by: ∆S =
S1 – S4 = QH/TH

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Carnot Cycle
 In a Carnot cycle, the system executing the cycle undergoes a series
of four internally reversible processes: two isentropic processes
 (reversible adiabatic) alternated with two isothermal processes:

 isentropic expansion – The gas expands adiabatically from state 3 to

state 4, where the temperature is TC. The gas does work on the
surroundings and loses an amount of internal energy equal to the
work that leaves the system. Again the entropy remains unchanged.

 isothermal compression – The system is placed in contact with the

reservoir at TC. The gas compresses isothermally to its initial state
while it discharges energy QC to the cold reservoir by heat transfer.
In this process the surroundings do work on the gas. The total
entropy change is given by: ∆S = S3 – S2 = QC/TC

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Carnot Cycle

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Carnot Principle
◦ The Carnot principle states that the reversible heat
engines have the highest efficiencies when
compared to irreversible heat engines working
between the same two reservoirs.

◦ And the efficiencies of all reversible heat engines

are the same if they work between the same two
reservoirs.

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Carnot Principle
The efficiency of a reversible heat engine is:

◦ Independent on the:
Working fluid used and its properties,
Way the cycle operates,
Type of the heat engine

◦ A function of the reservoirs' temperature only.

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Carnot Principle
 In general, the thermal efficiency, ηth, of any heat engine is
defined as the ratio of the net work it does, W, to the heat
input at the high temperature, QH.

 Since energy is conserved according to the first law of

thermodynamics and energy cannot be converted to work
completely, the heat input, QH, must equal the work done, W,
plus the heat that must be dissipated as waste heat ,QC ,into
the environment. Therefore we can rewrite the formula for
thermal efficiency as:

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Carnot Principle
 Since QC = ∆S.TC and QH = ∆S.TH, the formula for this maximum
efficiency is:

where:
 η
Carnot is the efficiency of Carnot cycle, i.e. , it is the ratio =
W/QH of the work done by the engine to the heat energy
entering the system from the hot reservoir.
 T  is the absolute temperature (K) of the cold reservoir,
C
 T  is the absolute temperature (K) of the hot reservoir.
H

 Video: Why is Carnot Cycle the most efficient?

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Mean Effective Pressure (pm or mep)
 It is the average constant pressure that, acting
through one stroke, will do on the piston the net
work of a single cycle.

pm = W/VD
where:
VD = displacement volume, the volume swept by the
piston in one stroke.

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Ratio of Expansion and Compression

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Carnot Cycle

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Gas Cycle (Problem 1) p86
A Carnot power cycle operates on 2 lb of air between the limits
of 70 degF and 500 degF.The pressure at the beginning of
isothermal expansion is 400 psia and at the end of isothermal
expansion is 185 psig. R = 53.34 lb.ft/lb.R, k = 1.4. Determine:

a. The volume at the end isothermal compression

b. ΔS during an isothermal process
c. QA
d. QR
e. W
f. e
g. The ratio of expansion during isothermal heating and the
overall ratio of expansion
h. The mean effective pressure

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Gas Cycle (Problem 1)

@P1, V1 = mRT1/p1 = 2(53.34)(960)/400(144) = 1.778 ft3

@P2, V2 = mRT2/p2 = 2(53.34)(960)/199.7(144) = 3.561 ft3
@P3, p3 = p2 (T3/T2)k/k – 1 = (199.7)(530/960) k/k – 1 =

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Gas Cycle (Problem 2) p88
A Carnot engine operating between775 K
and 305 K produces 54 kJ of work.
Determine:

a. QA
b. ΔS during heat rejection
c. e

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Gas Cycle (Problem 3) p88
Ten cu. ft of helium at 20 psia and 80 degF
are compressed isentropically 1-2to 80
psia. The helium is then expanded
polytropically 2-3 with n=1.35 to the initial
temperature. An isothermal 3-1 returns the
helium to the initial state. Find T2, V2, p3, QA,
QR, W, ΔS3-1 and pm .

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Gas Cycle (Assignment)
Review Problems Item No. 4 and 5, p92

o Short Bond Paper

o Box and round off your final answers up to
two (2) decimal places.

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Gas Cycle (Problem 4)
Two and one-half pounds of air actuate a cycle
composed of the following processes: polytropic
compression 1-2, with n=1.5; constant pressure 2-
3; constant volume 3-1. The known data are: p1 =
20 psia, t1 = 100 degF, QR= -1682 BTU.
Determine:
a. T2 and T3
b. W using PV plane
c. QA
d. e
e. pm

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 Gas Cycle (Problem 5)
A three-process cycle of an ideal gas, for which cp =
1.064 and cv = 0.804 kJ/kg.K, is initiated by an
isentropic compression 1-2 from 103.4 kPa, 27 degC
to 608.1 kPa. A constant volume process 2-3 and a
polytropic 3-1 with n=1.2 complete the cycle.
Circulation is a steady rate of 0.905 kg/s, compute:
a. QA
b. W
c. e
d. pm

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 7 – Internal Combustion
Engines

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 8 – Gas Compressors

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering
 9 – The Brayton Cycle

Thermodynamics
OCM General Engineering