Pawi, Roger P.

BSA Eng’g 4
ES 31 - Thermodynamics

1. The pressure gage on a 2.5 m3 oxygen tank reads 500 kPa. Determine the amount of
oxygen in the tank if the temperature is 28o C and the atmospheric is 97 kPa.

Given:
V= 2.5m3
Pgage=500 kPa
O2=?
T=28o + 273=301 K
Patm=97 kPa

Solution:
a. Patm=Pabs – Pgage
Pabs=Patm + Pgage
Pabs=97 kPa + 500 kPa
Pabs=597 kPa

b. PV=mRT
m=PV/RT
m= (597 kPa x 2.5m3) / (0.2598 kj.kg-k x 301 K)
m= 19.08 Kg

2. A 400-L rigid tank contains 5 kg air at 25o C. Determine the reading on the pressure
gage if the atmospheric pressure is 97 kPa.

Given:
V =400-L
m =5 kg
T= 25o C
Pgage=97 kPa

Solution:
P=mRT/V
P= (5 kg x 0.287 kPa.m3/kg.K x 298 K) / (0.4 m3)
P= 1069.1 kpa

Pgage = P – Patm
Pgage = 1069.1 kPa – 97 kPa
Pgage = 972.1 kPa

3. A 1-m3 tank containing air at 25°C and 500 kPa is connected through a valve to
another tank containing 5 kg of air at 35°C and 200 kPa. Now the valve is opened,
and the entire system is allowed to reach thermal equilibrium with the surroundings,
 which are at 20°C. Determine the volume of the second tank and the final
equilibrium pressure of air.

Let the two tanks be represented by A and B as shown in the figure below.

Given:
Volume of the tank A, VA = 1 m3
Temperature of air in tank A, TA = 25 oC = 298 K
Pressure of air in tank A, PA = 500 kPa
Mass of air in tank B, mB = 5 kg
Temperature of air in tank B, TB = 35 oC = 308 K
Pressure of air in tank B, PB = 200 kPa
Surrounding temperature, Tsurr = 20 oC = 293 K

a. Solution:
Assuming, at given conditions air behaves as an ideal gas.
For air, gas constant R = 0.287 kJ/kmol K
From ideal gas equation, mass of air in tank A is determined by
mA = PAVA / RTA
mA = (500 kPa x 1m3) / (0.287 kj.kmol-K x 298 K)
mA= 5.846 kg
Volume of the tank B can be determined from
VB = mBRTB/PB
VB= (5 kg x 0.287 kj.kg-k x 308 K) / (200 kPa)
VB= 2.21 m3
b.
Now, when the valve is opened
Total volume, V = VA + VB = 1+ 2.21 = 3.21 m3
Total mass of air, m = mA + mB = 5 + 5.846 = 10.846 kg
The final equilibrium pressure (P) can be obtained from the ideal gas equation applied to
total volume
Therefore, P = mRTSum / V
P = (10.846 kg x 0.287 kj.kg-k x 293 K) / 3.21 m3
P= 284.13 kPa.

4. The pressure in an automobile tire depends on the temperature of the

air in the tire. When the air temperature is at 25o C, the pressure gauge
reads 210 kPa. If the volume of the tire is 0.025 m3, determine the
pressure rise in the tire when the air temperature in the tire rises to 50O C.
Also determine the amount of air that must be bled off to restore pressure
to its original value at this temperature. Assume the atmospheric pressure
to be 100 kPa.

Given:
T1= 25o C + 273= 298 K
Pgage1= 210 kPa
V= 0.025 m3
Pabs= ? when T2= 50o C + 273= 323 K
mabs= m1-m3

Solution:
a. Pabs1= Pgage1 + Patm1
Pabs1= 210 kPa + 100 kPa
Pabs1= 310 kPa
m1=P1v / RT1
m1= (310 kPa x 0.025 m3) / (0.287 kj.kg-k x 298 K)
m1= 0.09062 kg
b. P2 =mRT2 / V
P2= (0.09062 kg x 0.287 kj.kg-k x 323 K) / (0.025 m3)
P2= 336.0 kPa
Pabs= Pabs2 – Pabs1
Pabs= 336 kPa – 310 kPa
Pabs= 26 kPa
c. Thus T3= 323 K, P3=P1= 310 kPa
m3= P3V / RT3
m3= (310 kPa x 0.025 m3) / (0.287 kj.kg-k x 323 K)
m3= 0.08360 kg
mabs= m2 – m1
mabs= 0.09062 kg – 0.08360 kg
mabs= 0.007018 kg