CPE108 Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics 2016 2017

Problem Class 2: Lectures 3-4

Section A

1. Name four different types of equilibrium.

2. Indicate whether each of the following statements is true (T) or false (F).
(a) The temperature and pressure of an ideal gas can be varied independently of each other.
(b) Air can be considered a pure substance.
(c) When a liquid and gas are in phase equilibrium, the rate of evaporation is zero.
(d) Water boils at 120 C on the top of Mount Everest.
(e) A saturated vapor is a vapor about to condense.

3. The temperature and volume of nitrogen gas in a container are known. Can the state of the system be
determined? Explain your answer.

4. On a phase diagram, the intersection of the solid, liquid, and gaseous lines is known as the ____.

5. The lines on a PT phase diagram represent the temperatures and pressures at which (choose one):
i) No phases are present
ii) One phase is present
iii) Two phases are present
iv) Three phases are present

6. Choose which of the terms 1) vapor pressure or 2) saturation pressure best matches the statements
below:
a) The pressure of water vapor in a saturated-liquid vapor mixture
b) The pressure of water vapor in the air above a drying towel

Section B
1. (1.7) Consider a tightly capped bottle containing two phases with a small amount of liquid water and
saturated air. If the bottle is left in the sun on a hot day and the temperature increases, what happens to
the amount of water in the liquid? Explain your answer.

2. A pure substance is compressed isothermally in a vessel with a moveable boundary and a transition is
observed from the saturated vapour state to the subcooled liquid state. Sketch a line with an arrow to
show such a transition with respect to the saturation liquid-vapour lines on a pressure-specific volume P-
v diagram.

3. The phase diagram for carbon dioxide is shown below:

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CPE108 Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics 2016 2017

(a) What is the normal boiling temperature of CO 2? (this should be sublimation temperature)
(b) In what phase is CO2 at 73 atm and -30 C?
(c) Starting from a point below the line C, what phase changes will be observed if the temperature is
decreased at constant P?
(d) Determine the critical temperature and pressure of CO 2.
(e) Is it possible for a thermodynamic process to convert the pure liquid phase to the vapor phase
without observing a phase change? If so, redraw the diagram including a line to show such a process.

4. Explain what is meant by a saturated liquid-vapor of a pure substance. Consider a saturated liquid-vapor
at a specified T that contains 20% vapor by mass and 80% liquid. Identify the state on a T-v diagram,
labelling the saturation liquid-vapor lines.

5. (1.24) Water is cooled in a rigid closed container from the critical point to 10 bar. Determine the quality
of the final state given that crit = 0.003155 m3 /kg; and at 10 bar l = 0.001127 m3 /kg and v = 0.19444
m3 /kg.

6. A 230 m3 rigid tank is filled with saturated liquid-vapor mixture of water at 120C. If 25% of the mass is
liquid, determine the total mass in the tank.
The v at 120 C = 0.89133 m3/kg and l = 0.001060 m3/kg

Section C
1 Below is a PT phase diagram for water (not to scale).

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CPE108 Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics 2016 2017

Use this diagram to explain why:

(a) the base of glaciers at -1 C can slide on a layer of liquid, but this would not occur if water contracted
when frozen.
(b) the temperature of water boiling in a pressure cooker is higher than the temperature of water
boiling in an open pan.
(c) liquid water is not expected on mars if the pressure on the surface of mars is less than 0.006 atm and
the temperature ranges from -80 C to 20 C.

2. In 1775, Dr William Cullen made ice in Scotland by evacuating the air in a water tank. Using a sketch of a
P-T plot, explain how the device works, starting at room temperature and pressure.

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