University of Bath

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

ME12003
THERMOFLUIDS

Tuesday 23rd January 2024

09.15 – 12.15 (3 Hours)

Answer all 6 (SIX) questions

Calculators may be used

There are 3 pages of useful formulae and constants at the back of the paper.
These may be used without proof/explanation unless otherwise stated.

You should write out your answers in full (on paper or a tablet) and then input
your numerical answers into the Moodle Quiz.
The quiz will close at 12.15, and you will be given a numerical result.
Bring your worked answers to the tutorial in Week 1 for peer marking.
There are 3 pages of useful formulae and constants at the back of the paper.
Unless otherwise stated, pressures quoted are absolute pressures.
Assume air has the following thermodynamic properties: cp = 1005.2 J/kg K,
cv = 718 J/kg K

Question 1
a) Define the following processes, and sketch a p-V diagram for each: Isochoric,
Isentropic and Isothermal
[4 marks]
b) A thermally insulated rigid container is divided into two equally sized
compartments. Each compartment contains air which behaves as an ideal
gas. One compartment is at 2 bar and 27ºC, the other is at 5 bar and 127ºC.
The partition between the compartments is then ruptured. Calculate the final
temperature and pressure of the air in the container.
[10 marks]
c) A closed system, consisting of a cylinder and frictionless piston, contains 1 kg
of a perfect gas having a molecular weight of 26 g/mol. The piston is loaded
so that the pressure in the system is constant at 200 kPa. The system
undergoes a process such that the volume changes from 0.5 m 3 to 1.0 m3.

(i) Find the heat transferred in this process assuming that

Cp = 1.08 kJ/kgK
[4 marks]
(ii) Sketch a pressure- volume graph of the process
[2 marks]

Question 2
a) Air flows through a duct with a velocity of 400 m/s. The static pressure and
stagnation temperature were measured to be 2.0 bar and 400 K respectively.
Calculate the stagnation pressure.
[4 marks]

b) The air in part a) then flows through a diffuser and the air velocity is reduced
to 90 m/s. Assuming the diffusion process to be isentropic, calculate the static
air pressure at diffuser discharge
[4 marks]
 c) Steam flows steadily at a rate of 4.5 tonnes/hour through a horizontally
mounted turbine operating under the following conditions:
Entering Exiting
Velocity (km/hr) 108 360
Pressure (bar) 40 0.8
Specific Volume (m3/kg) 0.0865 2.087
Specific internal energy (kJ/kg) 3099 2665
Pipe diameter (m) 0.074
If the heat lost through the turbine casing to the surroundings is 17 kJ/kg of
steam supplied,
(i) Calculate the power produced by the turbine
[10 marks]
(ii) Determine the diameter of the outlet pipe
[2 marks]

Question 3
A mass of 0.05 kg of air is trapped inside a cylinder with a movable piston and is
subjected to a 3 - process cycle. The air starts with a volume of 0.08 m3 and
pressure of 100 kPa and then has its pressure raised to 600 kPa via an isochoric
process. The air is then expanded isothermally until the pressure is 100 kPa. Finally
the air is returned to its initial state via an isobaric process.
a) Sketch a p-V diagram for the cycle.
[3 marks]

b) Calculate the temperature at the start and finish of each of the processes, and
the volume at the end of the isothermal process.
[6 marks]
c) For each process calculate the amount of work that is done and indicate
whether it is an input or output of work.
[5 marks]

d) For each process calculate the amount of heat that is transferred and indicate
whether it is an input or output of heat.
[4 marks]

e) Calculate the cycle efficiency.

[2 marks]
Question 4
A gate is propped at 30 degrees to the vertical as shown in Figure Q4. The mass of
the gate is 9000 kg and it is 1 m long and has width 2 m (into the page). The water
(ρ = 1000 kg/m3) is initially filled to the top of the gate, and water is allowed to collect
so that the water depth increases.
a) Explain, using sketches of the pressure distribution on the gate, how the
magnitude and line of action of the force due to the water will change as the
water depth increases.
[5 marks]
b) Find an expression for the magnitude and the line of action of the force on the
gate due to hydrostatic pressure as a function of the water depth, d.

[7 marks]

c) Find the minimum value of d for which the gate will open.
[4 marks]

Figure Q4
Question 5
The pressure in the Earth’s atmosphere varies with altitude. At sea level, the
atmospheric pressure is 𝑝𝑆𝐿 and the temperature is 𝑇𝑆𝐿 . Air can be treated as an
ideal gas.
a) Assuming that the temperature and gravitational acceleration, g, are both
constant, derive an expression for the variation of pressure with altitude, 𝑧, in
terms of the quantities given (𝑔, 𝑝𝑆𝐿 and 𝑇𝑆𝐿 ).
[5 marks]
b) According to the Law of Gravitational Attraction, the gravitational acceleration
varies with altitude as:
𝑟 2
𝑔 = 𝑔𝑆𝐿 [ ]
𝑟+𝑧
where 𝑟 is the radius of the Earth and 𝑔𝑆𝐿 is the gravitational acceleration at
the Earth’s surface. Derive an expression for the variation of pressure with
altitude, 𝑧, in terms of 𝑔𝑆𝐿 , 𝑅, 𝑝𝑆𝐿 and 𝑇𝑆𝐿 . Again, the temperature can be
assumed to be constant.
[7 marks]

c) Using the standard values for temperature, pressure and gravitational

acceleration at sea level, and assuming the radius of the Earth to be 6370 km,
calculate the pressure at an altitude of 20,000 m for:
i. Case (a) (constant temperature and gravitational acceleration)
[2 marks]
ii. Case (b) (constant temperature but variable gravitational acceleration)
[2 marks]
Question 6
A cylindrical model is placed in a wind tunnel as shown in Figure Q6. The working
section has a rectangular cross-section of 2.0 m high (y-direction) x 1.0 m wide (into
the page), and the air is drawn in from a large laboratory. There is no loss in the
inlet. The flow is uniform at the working section inlet (position 1) and exit (position 3).
a) At position 2, just downstream of the cylinder, the velocity profile is measured
to be:
𝑢2 = 8 − 4 cos 2𝜋𝑦 |𝑦| ≤ 0.5
𝑢2 = 12 |𝑦| > 0.5
where y is the vertical distance from the centreline of the tunnel.
Find the volumetric flow rate, 𝑄, through the wind tunnel.
[6 marks]
b) Find the speed, 𝑈1 , at the working section inlet.
[2 marks]

Figure Q6
 ME12076/ME12003 – Equations for Thermodynamics
Units for Thermodynamics:

Temperature: absolute temperature in Kelvin (K)

Pressure: absolute pressure in Pa ( = N/m2). 1 bar = 105 Pa

Volume: m3

𝑄 + 𝑊 = 𝑈2 − 𝑈1 Non Flow Energy Equation (NFEE)

𝑊 = −∫ 𝑝𝑑𝑣 Work done in a reversible process

𝑝2 𝑉2 −𝑝1 𝑉1 𝑇2 −𝑇1
𝑊= = 𝑚𝑅 Work done in a polytropic process (where pvn = constant)
𝑛−1 𝑛−1

𝑊 = −𝑝(𝑉2 − 𝑉1 ) = −𝑚𝑅[𝑇2 − 𝑇1 ] Work done in a reversible constant pressure

process

𝑉2 𝑉2 𝑝1
𝑊 = −𝑝1 𝑉1 ln = −𝑚𝑅𝑇ln = −𝑚𝑅𝑇ln Work done in a reversible constant
𝑉1 𝑉1 𝑝2
temperature process

𝑐 −𝑐 2 2
𝑊̇ + 𝑄̇ = 𝑚̇(ℎ2 − ℎ1 ) + 𝑚̇ ( 2 1 ) + ṁg(𝑧2 − 𝑧1 ) The Steady Flow Energy Equation
2
(SFEE)

The Perfect Gas

𝑝𝑉 = 𝑚𝑅𝑇 or 𝑝𝑉 = 𝑛𝑅0 𝑇 Equation of State for a perfect gas

Gas constant R = R0/ (Molecular mass of gas)

R0 = 8.314 kJ/kmol K = 8.314 J/mol K

𝐶𝑝 − 𝐶𝑣 = 𝑅

𝐶𝑝
𝛾=
𝐶𝑣

𝑈2 − 𝑈1 = 𝑚𝐶𝑣 [𝑇2 − 𝑇1 ]

𝐻2 − 𝐻1 = 𝑚𝐶𝑝 [𝑇2 − 𝑇1 ]

Enthalpy h = u + pv

𝑑𝑞 𝑑𝑞
Entropy 𝑑𝑠 = or ∆𝑠 = ∫
𝑇 𝑇
The Isentropic Relations

𝛾 𝛾
𝑝1 𝑣1 = 𝑝2 𝑣2
𝛾
𝑝2 𝑇2 (𝛾−1)
=[ ]
𝑝1 𝑇1

1
𝑣2 𝑇1 (𝛾−1)
=[ ]
𝑣1 𝑇2
1
𝜌2 𝑇2 (𝛾−1)
=[ ]
𝜌1 𝑇1

Change in Specific Entropy for a perfect gas

𝑇2 𝑣2
𝑠2 − 𝑠1 = 𝑐𝑣 ln + 𝑅ln
𝑇1 𝑣1

𝑇2 𝑝1
𝑠2 − 𝑠1 = 𝑐𝑝 ln + 𝑅ln
𝑇1 𝑝2

Heat Engines – cycle efficiencies

𝑇𝐿
𝜂𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑜𝑡 = 1 − Carnot Efficiency
𝑇𝐻

1
𝜂𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑜 = 1 − 𝛾−1 Otto Cycle Efficiency
𝑟𝑣

𝛼 𝛾 −1 1 𝛾−1
𝜂𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑙 = 1 − ( ) × (𝑟 ) Diesel Cycle Efficiency
𝛾(𝛼−1) 𝑣

𝑘𝛼 𝛾 −1
𝜂𝑑𝑢𝑎𝑙 = 1 − 𝛾−1 Dual cycle Efficiency
((𝑘−1)+𝛾𝑘(𝛼−1))𝑟𝑣

1
𝜂𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑡𝑜𝑛 = 1 − 𝛾−1 Brayton Cycle Efficiency
𝑟𝑝 ( 𝛾 )
 Equations for Fluid Mechanics
Useful constants
For fresh water, 𝜌 = 1000 kg/m3 For Mercury, 𝜌 = 13530 kg/m3
𝑔 = 9.81 m/s2 For air, 𝑅 = 287 J/kgK
At sea level: 𝑝 = 101 kPa, 𝑇 = 288 K,
𝜌air = 1.22 kg/m3 𝜇𝑎𝑖𝑟 = 17.9 x 10-6 kg/ms

du dp
𝜏 = 𝜇 dy = −𝜌𝑔
dz

dp 2 𝜌𝑉 2 𝑝
= 𝜌𝜔 𝑟 = = RT
dn 𝑟 𝜌

∑ 𝑚̇in = ∑ 𝑚̇out 𝑚̇ = ∫ 𝜌𝑢 d𝐴

1
(𝑝 + 𝜌𝑉 2 + 𝜌gz) = constant along a streamline
2

𝑝 𝑉2
𝑊̇p = 𝑄Δ𝐸p = 𝑚̇𝑔Δ𝐻p 𝐻= + +𝑧
𝜌𝑔 2𝑔

𝑀̇ = ∫ 𝜌𝑢2 d𝐴 𝐹 = 𝑀̇out − 𝑀̇in

𝐹x + ∑(𝑝𝐴)𝑥 = ∑(𝑚̇𝑣)x,out − ∑(𝑚̇𝑣)x,in

𝐹y + ∑(𝑝𝐴)𝑦 = ∑(𝑚̇𝑣)y,out − ∑(𝑚̇𝑣)y,in