CH EN 6853 Graduate ChE Thermodynamics Fall 2016

Homework #1
Due: Start of class on Friday, September 2nd
1. Steam enters a turbine at 100 bar and 100 C above the saturation temperature, and leaves as
a fully saturated vapor at 1 bar. If the flow rate of steam is 400 kg/hr. What is the maximum
amount of power (in kW) that the turbine can generate? (A: 50 kW)
2. An ideal gas is to be heated in two different piston-cylinder devices. In the first, the piston is
fixed and the system has a constant volume. In the second, the piston is allowed to move.
You may assume constant values for CP and CV.
a. Derive an equation for each system that determines how much energy is required to
heat the gas from T1 to T2. Your answers may only contain T1, T2, CP and CV.
b. What is the ratio of the energy for system 2 compared to system 1?
c. Why is your answer in part b not unity? (i.e., Why does one approach require more
work than the other?)
3. A stream of methyl cyclopentane at 500 C is adiabatically and isobarically mixed with
methane at 25 C under ideal gas conditions. The molar flow rate of methane is 10 times
greater than that of methyl cyclopentane. What is the outlet temperature? Assume constant
heat capacities at the inlet conditions of each stream. (A: 200 C)
4. Liquid water at 20 MPa and 20 C is vaporized at a rate of 1 kg/s in a heat exchanger at
constant pressure to a final temperature of 600 C. The heat provided to vaporize the water
comes from the cooling of an ideal gas stream with a constant heat capacity
(Cp* = 2 kJ/kg*K). The flow rate of the ideal gas is 10 kg/s. Consider 2 cases: (1) the inlet
temperature of the ideal gas is 1000 C and (2) the inlet temperature of the ideal gas is
2000 C.
a. For each of the two cases, calculate the outlet temperature of the ideal gas. (A: 800
and 1800 C)
b. For each of these two cases, calculate the rate of entropy generation in the system.
(A: 3 and 4 kJ/s*K)
c. In your own words, why does increasing the temperature of the incoming gas
change/not change your answers for (a)?
5. A Rankine cycle is used to generate power with water as the working fluid. A schematic of
the cycle is provided below. The conditions at each point in the cycle (#1-4) are listed in the
table below.
a. Draw the process on the supplied T-S diagram and label the points by their stream
number and lines by their processes.
b. Fill out a table of the temperature, pressure, enthalpy and entropy for each point in
the process. (Neglect the work required to pressurize liquid water.)

c. Perform an energy balance on each unit and determine the value of the heat and

work inputs/outputs per kg of water flowing through the cycle.

d. Determine the efficiency of this Rankine cycle (defined as work extracted divided by
heat input). (A: 30 %)
1
2
3
4

Saturated Liq. Water at 120 C

Liq. Water at 4 MPa
Superheated Steam T<600 C
Saturated Water Vapor at 120 C

6. Starting with the following equation for an open system:

= + +
a. Derive three thermodynamic identities
b. Derive the following Maxwell relations:

i.
ii.
iii.

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