FUNDAMENTALS OF THERMAL-FLUID SCIENCES

Homework 1

Name: S32415024W – TULAGAN KENNETH SANCHEZ (康治郎） Score: of 100

1C. (5 pts) A can of soft drink at room temperature is put into the refrigerator so that it
will cool. Would you model the can of soft drink as a closed system or as an open system?
Explain.

Answer: Yes, a can of soft drink at room temperature that is put into the refrigerator can be
modeled as a closed system.

At the initial set-up, the can of soft drink is in equilibrium temperature with the room
temperature but when we put it inside the refrigerator there will now be a heat exchange
between the can of soft drink and the environment inside the refrigerator. Since the can of
soft drinks is not open, the mass of the can of soft drinks is constant therefore there is also
no mass transfer. As discussed previously, a closed system has a constant mass
throughout the process but still transfers energy (loss of heat) to the refrigerator
environment.

2C. (5 pts) What is a quasi--equilibrium process? What is its importance in engineering?

Answer: Quasi-equilibrium process means that the system remains infinitesimally close to
an equilibrium state at all times. In the real world, equilibrium is hard to attain since there
are so many external factors affecting the system throughout the process hence, we always
assume that the system is in equilibrium or what we called quasi-equilibrium state for us to
get the values of temperature, pressure and volume throughout the process to attain the
near thermodynamics equilibrium.

3C. (5 pts) Explain why some people experience nose bleeding and some others
experience shortness of breath at high elevations.

Answer: This is the reaction of our body to adjust to the change in elevation which resulted
in a change in pressure in our surroundings. The change in pressure due to elevation
changes faster than our body reaction to it and this causes the rupture of our blood vessel
in our nose. Using formula, Pressure inside our body (nose) > atmospheric pressure at
high altitudes.

4C. (5 pts) What is mechanical energy? How does it differ from thermal energy? What
are the forms of mechanical energy in a fluid stream?

Answer: Mechanical energy refers to the energy possessed by an object due to its motion or
position while Thermal Energy refers to the energy possessed by a particle within a
substance at a microscopic level. The forms of mechanical energy in fluid streams are
Potential Energy due to the elevation of stream and Kinetic Energy due to the flow of the
stream.

6C. (5 pts) On a hot summer day, a student turns his fan on when he leaves his room in
the morning. When he returns in the evening, will the room be warmer or cooler than the
neighboring rooms? Why? Assume all the doors and windows are kept closed.

Answer: The room will be warmer than the neighboring room.

7C. (5 pts) What is the difference between the critical point and the triple point?

Answer: The critical point focuses on the behavior of substance near the transition between
liquid and gases phase while the triple point the solid, liquid and gases phase coexist in
equilibrium.

8C. (5 pts) In what kind of pot will a given volume of water boil at a higher temperature: a
tall and narrow one or a short and wide one? Explain.

Answer: Given the formula Q = [hc.A.(Ts-Tf)], let’s assume that the coefficient of convective
heat transfer (hc) and the temperatures of surface and fluid are all constant, we can see the
relationship between the heat transfer per unit time (Q) with the area of heat transfer (A).
Where Q is directly proportional to A, which means when the area of heat transfer is larger,
the rate of heat transfer per unit time will becomes faster. Going back to the question, a
short and wide one has larger area of heat transfer than the tall and narrow one.

9C. (5 pts) An ideal gas at a given state expands to a fixed final volume first at constant
pressure and then at constant temperature. For which case is the work done greater?

Answer:
10. (5 pts) Complete this table for H2O:

T, °C P, kPa v, m3/kg Phase description

50 12.352 (Table A-4) 7.72 Saturated Mixture
143.61 (Table A-5) 400 0.46242 (Table A-5) Saturated Vapor
Superheated
250 500 0.47443 (Table A-6)
Water

11. (10 pts) The water in a tank is pressurized by air, and the pressure is measured by a
multifluid manometer as shown in Fig. 1. Determine the gage pressure of air in the tank if
h1 = 0.2 m, h2 = 0.3 m, and h3 = 0.4 m. Take the densities of water, oil, and mercury to be
1000 kg/ m3, 850 kg/ m3, and 13,600 kg/m3, respectively.
12. (10 pts) Determine the power required for a 1150-kg car to climb a 100-m-long uphill
road with a slope of 30° (from horizontal) in 12 s (a) at a constant velocity, (b) from rest to a
final velocity of 30 m/s, and (c) from 35 m/s to a final velocity of 5 m/s. Disregard friction,
air drag, and rolling resistance. Answers: (a) 47.0 kW, (b) 90.1 kW, (c) 210.5 kW
13. (10 pts) Water is being heated in a closed pan on top of a range while being stirred by
a paddle wheel (Fig. 4). During the process, 30 kJ of heat is transferred to the water, and 5
kJ of heat is lost to the surrounding air. The paddle-wheel work amounts to 500 N · m.
Determine the final energy of the system if its initial energy is 10 kJ. Answer: 35.5 kJ

14. (10 pts) A 4-m 3 5-m 3 7-m room is heated by the radiator of a steam-heating system.
The steam radiator transfers heat at a rate of 10,000 kJ/h, and a 100-W fan is used to
distribute the warm air in the room. The rate of heat loss from the room is estimated to be
about 5000 kJ/h. If the initial temperature of the room air is 10°C, determine how long it will
take for the air temperature to rise to 20°C. Assume constant specific heats at room
temperature.

Answer: 831 s
15. (20 pts) A piston–cylinder device, with a set of stops on the top, initially contains 3 kg
of air at 200 kPa and 27°C. Heat is now transferred to the air, and the piston rises until it
hits the stops, at which point the volume is twice the initial volume. More heat is
transferred until the pressure inside the cylinder also doubles. Determine the work done
and the amount of heat transfer for this process. Also, show the process on a P-v diagram.

Answer: Wb=258 kJ, Qin=2416 kJ