Politecnico di Torino – Dipartimento Energia

010FVLI(010FVLN) Thermal Machines BSc in Automotive engineering

Thermal Machines exercises

Applications of the first law thermodynamics

1) A diabatic nozzle receives steam (pin = 20 bar, Tin = 400°C) with an inlet velocity cin = 100 m/s.
The steam is expanded up to pout = 3 bar, Tout = 250°C. Knowing that during the expansion a heat
Q=42 kJ/kg is supplied, compute the fluid velocity at the nozzle outlet.
(hin = 3252 kJ/kg, hout = 2972 kJ/kg)
[cout = 809 m/s]

2) An adiabatic nozzle receives air at Tin = 700°C, pin = 6 bar, with an inlet velocity of 100 m/s and
discharges the air at a pressure pout = 1 bar. Supposing an adiabatic-reversible evolution, evaluate
the speed at the nozzle outlet.
(cp = 1130 J/kgK, R = 287 J/kgK)
[cout = 902 m/s]

3) An adiabatic turbomachine receives steam at 500°C and 100 bar and discharges the steam at
250°C and 10 bar. The inlet velocity is 50 m/s, while the outlet velocity is 150 m/s. Compute the
internal work Li and show if the machine is a motor or an operating machine.
(h1 = 3378 kJ/kg, h2 = 2946 kJ/kg)
[motor machine, Li=422 kJ/kg]

4) At the inlet of a turbine, the inlet conditions are p0 = 30 bar, t0 = 450°C, with an inlet velocity
c0=100 m/s. The outlet conditions are p2 = 10 bar, t2 = 330°C, with an outlet velocity c2 = 140 m/s.
Evaluate the internal work Li and the efficiency ηθi (assume that the isentropic work corresponds
to c2 = 0). Consider steam as fluid.
(h0 = 3348 kJ/kg, h2 = 3120 kJ/kg, h2is = 3032 kJ/kg)
[Li=223.2 kJ/kg, ηθi=0.695]

5) A hydraulic turbine exploits a difference of level Δz=1000m. The variations of pressure and speed
between the collecting basins are negligible. Compute Li, knowing that ηy=0.88
[Li=8.633 kJ/kg]

6) A pump delivers water, from a well whose depth is 20 m, to the surface. By considering that the
outlet velocity is c2=0.5 m/s and ηy=0.85, evaluate Li
[Li=231 J/kg]

7) A compressor sucks air from the environment (p1=1 bar, t1=27°C) and compresses it up to 3 bar.
Suppose that the kinetic energy variations between inlet and outlet are negligible. Calculate the
internal work necessary for the compression and the polytropic efficiency in the following cases:
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Politecnico di Torino – Dipartimento Energia
010FVLI(010FVLN) Thermal Machines BSc in Automotive engineering

Qe=0, Lw=0; [Li=112 J/kg; ηy=1]

Qe=0, m=1.5; [Li=133 J/kg; ηy=0.857]
Lw=0; m=1.3; [Li=107 J/kg; ηy=1]
Lw=0; t1=t2 (isothermal compression) [Li=94.6 J/kg; ηy=1]
Lw=29.4 J/kg, t1=t2 (isothermal compression) [Li=124 J/kg; ηy=0.763]

Nozzles and diffusers

1) A convergent-divergent nozzle expands air isentropically. At the outlet section, the measured
conditions are: cout=700 m/s, Maout=2.5, pout=0.5 bar, Aout=100 cm2. The throat section is Ath=38
cm2. Calculate the mass flow-rate and the values of pressure and temperature upstream of the
nozzle.
[𝑚=6.25 kg/s, pin0 =8.535 bar, Tin0=439 K]

2) An adiabatic convergent-divergent nozzle expands air from the upstream environment, where the
air can be considered at rest, to the downstream environment, in which there is a pressure of 0.5
bar (equal to the pressure in the outlet section). In the throat section (Ath=100 cm2) there is a
pressure of 3 bar and a temperature of 500K. Finally, a temperature of 350K is measured in the
outlet section. The expansion is irreversible in the diverging part, however it is nearly isentropic
in the converging portion. Determine the air mass flow-rate across the nozzle, the outlet air
velocity, the area of the outlet section and the conditions (pressure and temperature) in the
upstream environment.
[𝑚=9.37 kg/s, pin0=5.68 bar, Tin0=600 K, cout=708.7 m/s, Aout=266 cm2]

3) A diabatic and irreversible DeLaval nozzle receives 20 kg/s of air at 100 bar and 773 K, with a
velocity of 175 m/s. The conditions of the air at the outlet section of the nozzle are 20 bar and
553 K. Knowing that during the expansion the air delivers a heat power of 418.6 kW to the wall,
compute the outlet section area of the nozzle.
(R=287 J/kgK, cp=1004.5 J/kgK)
[Aout=24.19 cm2]

4) An adiabatic reversible nozzle is fed by 10 kg/s of methane with initial conditions pin=6 bar,
tin=400°C, cin=120 m/s. Knowing that the nozzle discharges in an ambient at a pressure pout=2.5
bar, design the sections of the nozzle and evaluate the fluid velocity at the nozzle outlet.
(R=519.6 J/kgK, cp=3894 J/kgK)
[Ain=485 cm , Ath=151 cm , Aout=161.7 cm2, cout=769.7 m/s]
2 2

5) Determine the minimum pressure pin for which both the nozzles (simply convergent), reported in
the figure, are critical. In addition, for these conditions, compute the mass flow-rate and the outlet
temperature Tout of the second nozzle (consider steady-state flow). The evolution in the nozzles
is adiabatic and reversible and the kinetic energies upstream of the nozzles are negligible.
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Politecnico di Torino – Dipartimento Energia
010FVLI(010FVLN) Thermal Machines BSc in Automotive engineering

[pin =3.78 bar, 𝑚=0.176 kg/s, Tout=250 K]

6) In a DeLaval nozzle air (k=1.4, cp=1004.5J/kgK) enters at the conditions: pin=100 bar, tin=400°C,
cin=200 m/s. The nozzle has a circular cross-section and has a throat diameter Dth=2 cm. Knowing
that (Aout/Ath)=1.4 and (pout/pin0)=0.9, evaluate:
a) If the nozzle is critical or not;
b) The nozzle mass flow-rate;
c) The mass flow-rate in the nozzle, if it is throttled so that to get p10=70 bar and pout is regulated
so that con keep (pout/pin0)=0.9;
d) The nozzle mass flow-rate if it is fed by methane (R=519.6 J/kgK, cp=3894 J/kgK) starting
from the same stagnation condition p10 and t10 and (pout/pin0)=0.88.

7) Evaluate the mass flow-rate and the velocity of the jet of a rocket with cooled nozzle for which
the conditions in the combustion chamber are of 17.65 bar and 3500K. The external pressure
(corresponding to design conditions) is 0.49 bar. The expansion is polytropic, with an exponent
m=1.19. The gas has R=332.4 J/kgK and cp=1990 J/kgK. The specific heat exchanged is 125.57
kJ/kg. The outlet section is Aout=20 cm2.
[𝑚=0.33 kg/s, cout=2412 m/s]

8) A convergent-divergent nozzle expands air isentropically (k=1.4, cp=1007.04 J/kgK). In the

throat section (Ath=100 cm2), one has cth=400 m/s with pth=1 bar. At the outlet, the design pressure
is 0.1 bar. Evaluate the mass flow-rate, the velocity of the air and the area of the outlet section.
[𝑚=3.5 kg/s, cout=738.6 m/s, Aout=279 cm2]

9) A converging-diverging nozzle featuring Aout = 120 cm2 expands air from pin = 8 bar, Tin = 1000
K, cin  0, down to pout = 1 bar, being the pressure ratio the same as the design one.
The flow evolution through the nozzle is irreversible and can be described by a polytropic process
with index m = 1.46. Besides, an amount of heat of 69.6 kJ/kg is exchanged (directed towards the
surroundings).
Determine:
- The mass-flow rate expanded by the nozzle;
- The amount of friction losses, Lw.

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Politecnico di Torino – Dipartimento Energia
010FVLI(010FVLN) Thermal Machines BSc in Automotive engineering

(R=287 J/kgK, cp=1004.5 J/kgK)

[𝑚=7.32 kg/s, Lw=24.6 kJ/kg]

Velocity triangles of operating machines

1) A centrifugal hydraulic pump, rotating at n=1500 rpm, sucks water from a pipe at c=4 m/s and
delivers it to a pipe at 4 m/s. The geometric parameters d=0.5 m and l=100 mm (height of the
blade at the outlet of the impeller). Knowing the angle β’’=145° and that, in design conditions,
α’’=20°, while the work of the fluid-dynamic losses is Lw=15% Li, compute the absorbed power
in these conditions and the variation of the head 𝐻 𝑧 between the suction pipe and the
impeller outlet, supposing that half of the losses occur in the impeller and half in the diffuser. It
is supposed that ηm=0.96.
[Pabs=1481 kW, ΔH=57.96 m]

2) An axial turbo-compressor is made of 10 stages fluid-dynamically similar -with the same

characteristic Φ, Ψ- working with the same average speed u=250 m/s. The first stage has a work
coefficient Ψ=0.75, axial component of the inlet velocity ca’=150 m/s. It sucks air at 1 bar and
15°C. The length of the inlet side of the blade of the first stage results correspondingly to l’=250
mm. The polytropic efficiency is ηy=0.82. Compute the pressure ratio of the first stage, that of
the tenth stage and the length of the outlet side of the blade of the last stage.
[βI=1.25, βX=1.14, l10,I=89. 8 mm]

3) A single-stage centrifugal compressor with radial blades (β’’=90°) sucks air at 100 kPa and 15°C,
in design conditions. The compressor delivers the air to a tank at 300 kPa. It works with ηy=0.8,
𝑚=4 kg/s, ω=2500 rad/s, ηm=0.95. Compute, at the same angular speed and the same conditions
at suction, the power absorbed of the compressor in the working mode at free delivery (p2=p1),
knowing that in those conditions the delivered mass flow-rate is 𝑚’=6.5 kg/s.
[Pabs=933.33 kW]

4) A stage of an axial compressor compresses air, which is sucked at 40°C. The known quantities
of the velocity triangles of the stage, constituted by an impeller and a diffuser, are:
- The inlet velocity of the impeller c1=150 m/s, α1=54°,
- Deflection of the stator blades δ=14°,
- Stator and rotor blades similar and symmetrical with respect to the axis.
The outlet speed of the stage is equal in direction and absolute value to the one at the inlet of the
impeller. In addition, the axial component of the speed is constant in the stage.
Sketch the velocity triangles and compute Li. Considering negligible the compressibility of the
air, compute the pressure ratio of the stage, supposing that ηy=0.9.
[c’=w’’=150 m/s, w’=c’’=188.7 m/s, Li=13.142 kJ/kg, β=1.132]

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Politecnico di Torino – Dipartimento Energia
010FVLI(010FVLN) Thermal Machines BSc in Automotive engineering

[Pi=57.8 MW, p1-p2=19 bar]

Turbo-compressors

1) A turbo-compressor presents the characteristic reported in the figure and works in normal
conditions in the point A, for which the known quantities are 𝑚=15 kg/s, TA=288 K, pA=102 kPa.
Compute which will be the delivered minimum mass flow-rate, supposing the delivery ambient
pressure, the rotational speed, the conditions of the air at suction constant, through a throttle valve
at suction.
In addition, compute the temperature of the air at the delivery in normal conditions and in
conditions of minimum mass flow-rate.

[𝑚min=8.6 kg/s, T2=464.3 K, T2’=506.2 K]

2) A centrifugal air compressor with radial blades is made of an adiabatic diffuser with 30 plane
blades installed between parallel walls, with a restrictive coefficient ξ=0.95 (constant). The
known quantities are: the external radius of the impeller r’’=100 mm, the peripheral speed of the
impeller u’’=300 m/s, pressure and temperature at the outlet of the impeller p’’=2 bar, T’’=388
K, the flow coefficient Φ=0.4, the external radius of the diffuser re=200 mm.

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Politecnico di Torino – Dipartimento Energia
010FVLI(010FVLN) Thermal Machines BSc in Automotive engineering

Compute the speed and the physical conditions of the air at the outlet of the diffuser in the
hypothesis that the thermodynamic evolution in the diffuser can be approximated with a
polytropic evolution, with exponent m=1.5.
[c’’=323.11 m/s, α’’=21.8°, ce=53 m/s, αe=62.34°, Te=438.565 K, pe=2.828 bar]

3) A centrifugal compressor sucks a mass flow-rate of 𝑚1=3 kg/s of air from the environment
(T1=300 K, p1=1 bar) and compresses it until 3 bar, rotating at the speed n1=6000 rpm. Whenever
the temperature decreases of 30 °C and the suction pressure reduces to 0.5 bar, how n and 𝑚
should vary so that the compressor always works in the same point of its characteristic?
[𝑚’=1.581 kg/s, n’=5692 rpm]

Turbines

1) An action (impulse) single-stage gas turbine is fed with gas at 35 bar and 1600 K (c0=0) and has
the following features: average diameter of the blade d=1m, length of the blades of the stator at
the outlet side l1=40 mm, degree of partial admission ε=0.6, outlet angle of the blades of the stator
α1=20°, inlet angle of the blades of the impeller β1=35°, outlet angle of the blades of the impeller
β2=145°, loss coefficients of the blades ϕ=0.96 and ψ=0.88, restrictive coefficient of the blades
ξ=0.95, rotational speed of the impeller n=6000 rpm.
Knowing that the turbine works in design conditions, determine the internal power of the stage,
the discharge pressure, and the isentropic efficiency.
(cp=1200 J/kgK, R=290 J/kgK)
[Pi=10.7 MW, p1 = p2 =19.1 bar,  = 0.764]

2) A single-stage mixed centrifugal gas turbine presents the following design and operating
conditions:
- stator inlet p00=15 bar, t00=450°C;
- radial inlet of the impeller p1=9 bar, d1=400 mm, l1=20 mm, β1=90°;
- axial outlet of the impeller c2=350 m/s, α2=90°, d2=200 mm.
The turbine works in design conditions and the loss coefficients are ϕ=0.92 and ψ=0.9.
Determine the internal power of the turbine, knowing that it rotates at a velocity n=19100 rpm,
and the total-to-total efficiency in the hypothesis that the 80% of the kinetic energy of the exhaust
is recovered.
(R=287 J/kgK, cp=1004.5 J/kgK, ξ=0.97)
[Pi=1594 kW, ηΘ=0.789]

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Politecnico di Torino – Dipartimento Energia
010FVLI(010FVLN) Thermal Machines BSc in Automotive engineering

2000
3) The figure shows the geometry of the
rotor of a centripetal hydraulic turbine
(radial inlet, axial outlet).
The following operating parameters are
known:
- Angular speed: n = 590 rpm; 137
3
- Volumetric flow rate: Q = 15,15 m /s;
- Fluid-dynamic angles: 1 = 90°, 458

2 = 90°; 840
5)
- ξ1= ξ2 = 0.95.
Draw the velocity triangles and evaluate the internal power produced by the turbine.
Moreover, evaluate the pressure drop (p1-p2) in the rotor, by neglecting the change in gravitational
potential energy and by considering Lw,1-2 = 76.9 J/kg.
[Pi = 57.83 MW, p = 19 bar]

Gas turbine plants

1) An open-cycle turbo-gas plant with uniform intercooled compression presents, in standard

environmental conditions, the following features:
- Pressure ratio βc=13,
- End-of-combustion temperature T3=1350 K,
- Efficiencies ηπb=0.97, ηyt= ηyc=0.86, ηb=0.96, ηo=0.97.
Assuming for simplicity
- cp=cpm=1050 J/kgK,
- cp’=cpm’=1180 J/kgK,
- R=287.2 J/kgK, R’=288.8 J/kgK,
- (1+α)/α≈1
- considering negligible all the pressure drops in the heat exchangers
Determine the efficiency of the cycle.
In addition, determine the efficiency increase, when the cycle becomes regenerative, with an
effectiveness Rs=0.70.
[ηg=0.303, ηg’=0.415]

2) A simple open-cycle turbo-gas plant features the following working conditions:

- p1= bar, T1=300K,
- βc=8,
- T3=1000 K,
- ηπb=1, ηyc=0.85, ηt=0.88, ηb=0.93, ηo=0.97,
- Hi=42700 kJ/kg.

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Politecnico di Torino – Dipartimento Energia
010FVLI(010FVLN) Thermal Machines BSc in Automotive engineering

Compute the mass flow-rate necessary for a shaft power of 10 MW and the global efficiency of
the plant. If the pressure at the suction of the compressor is reduced by throttling at the value
p1’=0.7 bar, keeping T3 unchanged, compute the new power and the new global efficiency,
supposing to keep unchanged the several efficiencies and the pressure ratio.
[𝑚a=108.4 kg/s, ηg=0.213, Pu’=3.108 MW, ηg’=0.095]

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Politecnico di Torino – Dipartimento Energia
010FVLI(010FVLN) Thermal Machines BSc in Automotive engineering

3) A double-shaft turbo-gas plant with uniform intercooled compression presents the following
features in standard environment conditions: m
 f
- cp=1012.6 J/kgK, R=287.2 J/kgK, m
a
1 2 3
- cp’=1214.8 J/kgK, R’=287.8 J/kgK,
- T3=1373 K, p3=12 bar,
- Efficiencies: ηπb= ηπs=0.98, ηmt= ηmc=0.99,
ηyt=0.85, ηyc=0.88, ηb=0.95
- lower heating value Hi=42 MJ/kg 4’
- the power of the plant is 200 MW
G
Determine the air mass flow-rate of air and the plant
efficiency in the given working conditions.
4 m  g m
 a m
 f

[HINT: consider that the user is connected only to one turbine…]