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Vm235: Thermodynamics
Homework 4
Assigned Tues Jun 7, 2016; Due Thur Jun 16 at the start of class

Project: Ideal-Gas Specific Heat

This project will help you gain experience working
with ideal-gas specific heat to determine changes in the
gas internal energy (and, later in the semester, changes
in the gas enthalpy and entropy).
1) Plot the ideal-gas constant-volume specific heat
cv for nitrogen (N2 ) as a function of temperature
between 273 K and 750 K. Note that
cv (T ) = cp (T ) Ru

3) Determine the percent errors of your first three

calculations (assuming constant cv ) relative to the
fourth (assuming variable cv (T )). Important note:
Method (c) is easy to implement and yet introduces
relatively little error. Therefore, you are asked to
take this approach wherever possible when dealing
with changes in ideal gas internal energy (and, later
in the semester, changes in the gas enthalpy and
entropy) in homework sets, quizzes, and exams.

(1)

where Ru is the universal gas constant, and cp

is the polynomial fit in the given Property Table
A2(c). (You may use the MATLAB function
polyval.)
2) Consider solving Homework Problem (2) first. A
piston-cylinder assembly contains 1 kg of nitrogen
gas (N2 ). The gas expands from an initial state
where T1 = 700 K and p1 = 5 bars to a final
state where p2 = 2 bars. During the process
the pressure and specific volume are related by
pv 1.3 = constant. Assuming ideal gas behavior
and neglecting kinetic and potential energy effects,
determine the heat transfer during the process, in
kJ, using (P3.105 [1])
a) constant specific heat at 300 K (obtained
from the given Property Table A2(a)),
b) constant specific heat at T1 = 700 K (obtained from Property Table A2(b)),
c) constant specific heat at a temperature listed
in Table A2(b) and nearest to the average
gas temperature of the expansion process,
d) variable specific heat, based on integration
from initial temperature T1 to final temperature T2 (using Eq. 1 and Property Table A
2(c)). (You may use the trapezoidal sum, or
the MATLAB function trapz.)
Annotate the cv (T ) plot of Part (1) to illustrate
these specific internal energy calculations graphically. (You may use hand-drawn sketches and
labels.)

Homework
These problems should be completed according to the
solution format posted on the course website.
1) The combustion in a gasoline engine may be
approximated by a constant volume heat addition
process. There exists the air-fuel mixture in the
cylinder before the combustion and the combustion
gases after it, and both may be approximated as
air, an ideal gas. In a gasoline engine, the cylinder
conditions are 1.4 MPa and 450 C before the
combustion and 1600 C after it. Determine the
pressure at the end of the combustion process.
Answer: 3.63 MPa (Textbook, P3-108, 7th ed.)
2) A gasoline engine has a piston/cylinder with 0.1 kg
air at 4 MPa, 1527 C after combustion. This hightemperature, high-pressure gas is then expanded
during the power stroke of the engine, following
a polytropic process with exponent n = 1.5 to a
volume ten times larger. Find the expansion work
and heat transfer. (P5.112 [2])
The solution is provided below without annotations
and other essential elements of a complete Vm235
homework solution. Please reproduce (i.e., copy)
the partial solution below and complete it by
incorporating in it your answers to (i)(vi).

3) A gas is confined to one side of a rigid, insulated container divided into equal volumes by a
partition. The other side is initially evacuated. The
following data are known for the initial state of the
gas: p1 = 3 bars, T1 = 380 K, and V1 = 0.025 m3 .
The partition is removed, and the gas expands
to fill the entire container. Assuming ideal gas
behavior, determine the final equilibrium pressure,
in bars. Answer: 1.5 (P3.103 [1])
4) A system consisting of 1 kg of water undergoes a
cycle composed of the following processes:
12 constant-volume heating from p1 = 5 bars,
T1 = 160 C to p2 = 10 bars
23 constant-pressure process to saturated vapor
34 constant-volume cooling
41 isothermal expansion involving 815.8 kJ of
heat transfer
Sketch the cycle on T v and pv diagrams. Neglecting kinetic and potential energy effects, determine the net work for the cycle and the heat
transfer for each process, all in kJ. (P3.67 [1])
5) Pressure cooker from HW1 & HW3, revisited.
(Operating pressure p = 100 kPa gage; crosssectional area of exit opening A = 4 mm2 .) Steam
is leaving the pressure cooker, and it is observed
that the amount of liquid in the cooker decreases
by 0.06 liter in 45 min after the steady operating
conditions are established. Determine the mass
flow rate of the steam (in kg/s) and the exit
velocity (m/s).

R EFERENCES
[1] M. J. Moran and H. N. Shapiro, Fundamentals of Engineering
Thermodynamics, 3rd ed. Wiley, 1996.
[2] C. Borgnakke and R. E. Sonntag, Fundamentals of Thermodynamics, SI Version, 7th ed. Wiley, 2009.

Partial solution to textbook problem P5.112 [2]

Reproduce (i.e., copy) the partial solution below and
complete it by incorporating in it your answers to
(i)(vi).
A piston/cylinder of air at high temperature and pressure
is expanded polytropically to ten times the initial volume.
(i. Sketch setup, sys. boundary, and show transfers)
(ii. Write the energy balance equation based on the
energy transfer direction shown on the system sketch)
As far as the expansion work is concerned,
Z 2
P2 v2 P1 v1
P dv =
1n
1
n
n
where P2 v2 = P1 v1 P2 = P1 (v1 /v2 )n , and
v2 = 10v1 . Therefore,
P1 v1
1 RT1
work =
[10(1n) 1] =
[10(1n) 1]
1n
1n
0.287 kJ/kg K 1800 K (11.5)
=
[10
1]
1 1.5
= 706.5 kJ/kg
(iii. State the assumption behind the equality marked 1)
Expansion work = 70.6 kJ

Recitation
These problems may be discussed during the recitation
session. Do not turn them in.
1) A 1-kg steel pot contains 1 kg liquid water, both
at 15 C. The pot is now put on the stove, where it
is heated to the boiling point of the water. Neglect
any air being heated and find the total amount of
energy needed. Answer: 395 kJ (P5.78 [2])
2) A water-filled reactor with a volume of 1 m3
is at 20 MPa and 360 and is placed inside a
containment room, as shown in Fig. P5.46. The
room is well insulated and initially evacuated. Due
to a failure, the reactor ruptures and the water fills
the containment room. find the minimum room
volume so that the final pressure does not exceed
200 kPa. (P5.46 [2])

The change in system energy

2

E = m(u2 u1 ) = mcv,avg (T2 T1 )

(iv. State the assumption behind the equality marked 2)

(v. State the assumption behind the equality marked 3)
Final temperature
T2 = (P2 v2 /P1 v1 )T1 = 10(1n) T1 = 569 K,

so the mean temperature through the polytropic expansion process T = (T1 + T2 )/2 = 1185 K, and the
constant-volume specific heat cv,avg may be taken to be
cv (T),
cv,avg = cv (T) = cp (T) R
= a + bT + cT 2 + dT 3 R from Table A2(c)
= 25.6 kJ/kmol K = 0.884 kJ/kg K

(vi. Determine the heat transfer)