Spring 2016 ME211 Thermodynamics

Mid-term Exam (10:30-12:00, April 21)

1. Consider Systems 1 and 2 in the figure where the liquid and vapor phases of water are in
equilibrium at 100 oC. (Use no more than 4 significant digits in calculation.)

(a) (6 points) Find the properties of the

initial state of System 1.
① (1) The specific volume of the
liquid phase and the vapor phase
② (2) The mass of the liquid phase,
the vapor phase, and the system
③ (1) The quality of the system
④ (2) The internal energy of the
system
(b) (6 points) As the heat is added to
System 1, the temperature of the
system will increase and the mass
fraction of the liquid phase will
decrease. Let’s define the final state when the last drop of the liquid phase evaporates.
Answer the question for the final state.

① (1) The specific volume of the vapor phase at the final state
② (2) The temperature and pressure of the final state. (Just find the closest
temperature and pressure shown in the Steam table. You do not have to estimate
the more precise value by interpolation.)
③ (1) The internal energy of the system at the final state.
④ (2) The heat added to the system from the initial state to the final state.
(c) (6 points) Now consider System 2 whose volume fractions of vapor and liquid in the
initial state are different from those of System 1. As the heat is added to System 2 the
temperature of the system will increase. Let’s define the final state as the state when
the last drop of the liquid phase evaporates or when the last bubble of the vapor phase
condenses.

① (2) What is the specific volume of the initial state?

② (4) Which is the final state, a saturated liquid or a saturated vapor? Explain your
reasoning? (Just find the closest temperature and pressure shown in the Steam
table. You do not have to estimate the more precise value by interpolation.)
(d) (7 points) Draw the process paths for Systems 1 and 2 on the T-v diagram,
respectively. You should indicate the saturated liquid line, the saturated vapor line, the
critical point, and the phases on the diagram.

① (3) The phase diagram with the saturated liquid line, the saturated vapor line, the
critical point
② (4) Process paths of Systems 1 and 2
2. The piston/cylinder setup shown here contains 0.1 kg of water at 1000 kPa, 500°C (State
1). The water is now cooled with a constant force on the piston until it reaches half the
initial volume (State 1-a). After this, it cools to 25°C while the piston is against the stops
(i.e. no further movement) (State 2).

(a) (10 points) Find P,v,T at each State points 1, 1-a and 2.

(b) (5 points) Find the work in the overall process.

(c) (10 points) Show the process from State 1 to State 1-a,
and the process from State 1-a to State 2 on P-v and T-v
diagrams.

3. Air (for simple calculation, R=0.3 kJ/kg-K) is flowing through a pipe line at 400 kPa and
300 K. The gas in the pipe line is thought as a thermal reservoir, and is connected to the
piston/cylinder system at the right hand side. At the initial state, the same gas of 1 kg was
charged in the piston and cylinder with the pressure of
200 kPa at 300 K. When the valve between the pipe line
and the cylinder slowly opens, the height of the piston
moves upward, and a linear spring above the piston
touches the piston from that moment. During this
process, the temperature in the cylinder is maintained
constant and the atmospheric pressure outside the
cylinder is at 100 kPa and 300 K. The volume within
the cylinder increases to the triple at the final
equilibrium state.

(a) (6 points) Determine the volume and mass within

the cylinder at the final state.
(b) (6 points) Draw the process from the initial to the final
states at the given P-v diagram.
(c) (5 points) Determine the work produced by the gas in the
cylinder. (You can use P-v diagram.)
(d) (8 points) Determine the total heat rejected from the
cylinder to outside through the same process

4. Let us consider a Carnot cycle, and for convenience, let us simplify the discussion by
imagining a control mass of ideal gas in a piston and cylinder device, with gas constant R.
(a) (5 points) Draw a T-v diagram for a Carnot cycle, denoting the state of the lowest
volume condition as the state point 1, and then proceeding to the state points 2, 3, and
4 in the direction of work production. Mark the constant temperature lines (T1=T2=TH,
and T3=T4=TL) and two adiabatic process lines, Tvk-1=Const.
(b) (5 points) Discuss how the heat transfer processes can be reversible.
(c) (5 points) Show that the work performed during the process 2-3 is equal amount but
different sign to the work performed during the process 4-1.

(d) (5 points) Show that the thermal efficiency of the cycle can be represented as η= 1-
TL/TH.
(e) (5 points) Show that QH/TH=QL/TL, and discuss the meaning of the thermodynamic
temperature scale.