National Institute of Technology, Arunachal Pradesh

ME 401 Applied Thermodynamics

Tutorial Sheet 1

1. A rigid tank contains 50 kg of saturated liquid water at 900C. Determine the pressure in the
tank and volume of the tank.

[70.183 kPa, 0.0518 m3]

2. A piston-cylinder device contains 0.06 m3 of saturated water vapour at 350 kPa pressure.

Determine the temperature and the mass of the vapour inside the cylinder.
[138.86 oC, 0.114 kg]

3. A mass of 200 g of saturated liquid water is completely vapourized at a constant pressure of

100 kPa. Find (a) the volume change and (b) the amount of energy transferred to the water.
[0.33862 m3, 451.5 kJ]

4. A rigid tank contains 10 kg of water at 900C. If 8 kg of the water is in the liquid form and the

rest is in vapour form, determine (a) the pressure in the tank and (b) the volume of the tank.
[70.183 kPa, 4.73 m3]

5. A 1.8 m3 rigid tank contains steam at 2200C. One-third of the volume is in the liquid phase

and the rest is in the vapour form. Determine (a) the pressure of the steam, (b) the quality of
the saturated mixture and (c) the density of the mixture. [2320 kPa, 0.0269, 287.86 kg/m3]

6. A rigid vessel contains 2 kg of superheated refrigerant 134a at 800 kPa and 1200C.
Determine the volume of the vessel and the total internal energy.

[0.0753 m3, 655.7 kJ]

7. A 0.15 m3 rigid tank contains 2 kg of water at 150 kPa. Determine (a) the temperature, (b)

the total enthalpy, and (c) the mass of each phase of water.
[111.35 oC 1218.46 kJ, 0.128 kg, 1.872 kg]

8. A 0.5 m3 vessel contains 10 kg of refrigerant134a at 20 0C. Determine (a) the pressure, (b)

the total internal energy, and (c) the volume occupied by the liquid phase.
[132.82 kPa, 904.2 kJ, 0.00489 m3]

9. Superheated water vapour at 1.4 MPa and 250 0C is allowed to cool at constant volume

until the temperature drops to 1200C. At the final state, determine (a) the pressure, (b) the
quality, and (c) the enthalpy. Also, show the process on a T-v diagram.
[198.67 kPa, 0.1825, 905.7 kJ/kg]

10. Determine the missing properties and the phase descriptions in the following table for
water:

[Home Work]
REVIEWQUESTIONS

Define the terms: (a) saturated vapour, (b) superheated vapour, (c) saturation temperature,
and (d) saturation pressure.
Distinguish between the terms latent heat of fusion and latent heat of vapourization.
What is the difference between the critical point and the triple point?
Define the terms: (a) sublimation, (b) enthalpy of vapourization, (c) quality, and (d) moisture.
Draw the Ts diagram of a pure substance and show distinctly the (a) compressed liquid
region, (b) saturated liquid-vapour region (also known as wet region), (c) superheated
vapour region.

National Institute of Technology, Arunachal Pradesh

ME 401 Applied Thermodynamics
Tutorial Sheet 2

11. Consider a steam power plant operating on the ideal Rankine cycle. Steam enters the

turbine at 3 MPa and 350C and is condensed in the condenser at a pressure of 10 kPa.
Determine (a) the thermal efficiency of this power plant, (b) the thermal efficiency if steam is
superheated to 600C instead of 350C, and (c) the thermal efficiency if the boiler pressure
is raised to 15 MPa while the turbine inlet temperature is maintained at 600C.
[33.4%, 37.3%, 43%]

12. Consider a 210-MW steam power plant that operates on a simple ideal Rankine cycle.

Steam enters the turbine at 10 MPa and 500C and is cooled in the condenser at a pressure
of 10 kPa. Show the cycle on a T-s diagram with respect to saturation lines, and determine
(a) the quality of the steam at the turbine exit, (b) the thermal efficiency of the cycle, and (c)
the mass flow rate of the steam.
[0.79, 40.2%, 165 kg/s]

13. Repeat Problem-12 assuming isentropic efficiency of 85% for both the turbine and the
pump.

[0.874, 34.1%, 194 kg/s]

14. Consider a coal-fired steam power plant that produces 300 MW of electric power. The

power plant operates on a simple ideal Rankine cycle with turbine inlet conditions of 5 MPa
and 450C and a condenser pressure of 25 kPa. The coal has a heating value (energy
released when the fuel is burned) of 29,300 kJ/kg. Assuming that 75 percent of this energy is
transferred to the steam in the boiler and that the electric generator has an efficiency of 96
percent, determine (a) the overall plant efficiency (the ratio of net electric power output to
[24.5%, 150 t/h]
the energy input as fuel) and (b) the required rate of coal supply.

15. A steady-flow Carnot cycle uses water as the working fluid. Water changes from saturated
liquid to saturated vapor as heat is transferred to it from a source at 250C. Heat rejection
takes place at a pressure of 20 kPa. Show the cycle on a T-s diagram relative to the
saturation lines, and determine (a) the thermal efficiency, (b) the amount of heat rejected,
[36.3%,1092.3 kJ/kg, 623 kJ/kg]
and (c) the network output.

REVIEWQUESTIONS

Why is excessive moisture in steam undesirable in steam turbines? What is the highest
moisture content?
Why is the Carnot cycle not a realistic model for steam power plants?
What is a steam generator?
Several steam power plants in the world use dry cooling. Why?
Why should there be a limit in lowering the condenser pressure?
Which component determines the high pressure in a Rankine cycle?
What are the side effects of lowering the condenser pressure on ideal Rankine cycle?
What is a supercritical Rankine cycle?

National Institute of Technology, Arunachal Pradesh

ME 401 Applied Thermodynamics
Tutorial Sheet 3

16. Consider a steam power plant that operates on a reheat Rankine cycle and has a net power

output of 80 MW. Steam enters the high-pressure turbine at 10 MPa and 500C and the
low-pressure turbine at 1 MPa and 500C. Steam leaves the condenser as a saturated liquid
at a pressure of 10 kPa. The isentropic efficiency of the turbine is 80%, and that of the pump
is 95%. Show the cycle on a T-s diagram with respect to saturation lines, and determine (a)
the quality (or temperature, if superheated) of the steam at the turbine exit, (b) the thermal
efficiency of the cycle, and (c) the mass flow rate of the steam. [88.1C, 34.1%, 62.7 kg/s]

17. A steam power plant operates on an ideal regenerative Rankine cycle. Steam enters the

turbine at 6 MPa and 450C and is condensed in the condenser at 20 kPa. Steam is
extracted from the turbine at 0.4 MPa to heat the feedwater in an open feedwater heater.
Water leaves the feedwater heater as a saturated liquid. Show the cycle on a T-s diagram,
and determine (a) the network output per kilogram of steam flowing through the boiler and
[1017 kJ/kg, 37.8%]
(b) the thermal efficiency of the cycle.

18. Steam enters the turbine of a cogeneration plant at 7 MPa and 500C (Figure P18). One-

fourth of the steam is extracted from the turbine at 600-kPa pressure for process heating. The
remaining steam continues to expand to 10 kPa. The extracted steam is then condensed and
mixed with feedwater at constant pressure and the mixture is pumped to the boiler pressure
of 7 MPa. The mass flow rate of steam through the boiler is 30 kg/s. Disregarding any
pressure drops and heat losses in the piping, and assuming the turbine and the pump to be
isentropic, find the net power produced and the plant utilization factor. [32.86 MW, 52.4%]

Figure P18

REVIEWQUESTIONS

What is the sole purpose of using a reheat cycle?

Why is not practical to use more than two reheat stages?
How do open feed-water heaters differ from closed feed-water heaters?
What is the difference between cogeneration and regeneration?
How is the utilization factor for cogeneration plants defined? Could utilization factor be
unity for a cogeneration plant that does not produce any power?

National Institute of Technology, Arunachal Pradesh

ME 401 Applied Thermodynamics
Tutorial Sheet 4

19. Consider a steady-flow Carnot cycle with water as the working fluid. The maximum and

minimum temperatures in the cycle are 350 and 60C. The quality of water is 0.891 at the
beginning of the heat-rejection process and 0.1 at the end. Show the cycle on a T-s diagram
relative to the saturation lines, and determine (a) the thermal efficiency, (b) the pressure at
[0.465, 1.4 Mpa, 1623 kg/s]
the turbine inlet, and (c) the net work output.

20. The net work output and the thermal efficiency for the Carnot and the simple ideal Rankine
cycles with steam as the working fluid are to be calculated and compared. Steam enters the
turbine in both cases at 10 MPa as a saturated vapor, and the condenser pressure is 20 kPa.
In the Rankine cycle, the condenser exit state is saturated liquid and in the Carnot cycle, the
boiler inlet state is saturated liquid. Draw the T-s diagrams for both cycles.
[35%, 43%]

21. A steam power plant operates on a cycle with pressures and temperatures as designated in

Figure 21. The efficiency of the turbine is 86%, and the efficiency of the pump is 80%.
Determine the thermal efficiency of the cycle. Show the cycle on a T-s diagram.
[29.2%]

Figure P21

22. Consider a cogeneration power plant modified with regeneration. Steam enters the turbine

at 6 MPa and 450C and expands to a pressure of 0.4 MPa (Figure 22). At this pressure,
60% of the steam is extracted from the turbine, and the remainder expands to 10 kPa. Part
of the extracted steam is used to heat the feedwater in an open feedwater heater. The rest of
the extracted steam is used for process heating and leaves the process heater as a saturated
liquid at 0.4 MPa. It is subsequently mixed with the feedwater leaving the feedwater heater,
and the mixture is pumped to the boiler pressure. Assuming the turbines and the pumps to
be isentropic, show the cycle on a T-s diagram with respect to saturation lines, and find the
mass flow rate of steam through the boiler for a net power output of 15 MW.
[17.7 kg/s]

Figure P22

National Institute of Technology, Arunachal Pradesh

ME 401 Applied Thermodynamics
Tutorial Sheet 5

23. Consider a cogeneration power plant that is modified with reheat and that produces 3 MW

of power and supplies 7 MW of process heat (Figure 23). Steam enters the high-pressure
turbine at 8 MPa and 500C and expands to a pressure of 1 MPa. At this pressure, part of
the steam is extracted from the turbine and routed to the process heater, while the
remainder is reheated to 500C and expanded in the low-pressure turbine to the condenser
pressure of 15 kPa. The condensate from the condenser is pumped to 1 MPa and is mixed
with the extracted steam, which leaves the process heater as a compressed liquid liquid at
120C. The mixture is then pumped to the boiler pressure. Assuming the turbine to be
isentropic, show the cycle on a T-s diagram with respect to saturation lines, and disregarding
pump work, find (a) the rate of heat input in the boiler and (b) the fraction of steam
extracted for process heating.
[12 MW, 77.3%]

Figure P23

Figure P24

24. The gas-turbine portion of a combined gassteam power plant has a pressure ratio of 16

(Figure P24). Air enters the compressor at 300 K at a rate of 14 kg/s and is heated to 1500 K
in the combustion chamber. The combustion gases leaving the gas turbine are used to heat
the steam to 400C at 10 MPa in a heat exchanger. The combustion gases leave the heat
exchanger at 420 K. The steam leaving the turbine is condensed at 15 kPa. Assuming all the
compression and expansion processes to be isentropic, determine (a) the mass flow rate of
the steam, (b) the net power output, and (c) the thermal efficiency of the combined cycle.
For air, assume constant specific heats at room temperature. [1.27 kg/s, 7.82 MW, 66.4%]

25. Refer text books (or internet), and make an analysis of the following cases:
Sl. No.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Type
Simple Ideal Rankine Cycle
Supercritical Rankine Cycle
Ideal Reheat Rankine Cycle
Ideal Regenerative Rankine Cycle
Ideal Reheat-Regenerative Rankine Cycle
Ideal Cogeneration Plant
Combined Gas Steam Plant
Binary Vapour Cycle

Efficiency/Utilization
Factor

REVIEWQUESTIONS

In combined gassteam cycles, what is the energy source for the steam?
What is a binary power cycle? What is its purpose?
Why is steam not an ideal working fluid for vapor power cycles?

Remark