Central Texas College Thermodynamic Fundamentals and Definitions Worksheet

Assignment brief – RQF BTECAssignment front sheet
Qualification
Unit number and title
BTEC Level 4 Higher National Certificate in
Unit 13 Fundamentals of Thermodynamics and Heat
Engines. D/615/1487
Engineering
Creators name
Gareth Holmes
Creation date
06/02/20
Internal Verifier
IV Date
Scott Margison
Learner name
07/02/2020
Assessors name
Gareth Holmes
Date issued from
IV Date
Hand in deadline
Submitted on
2 weeks
Assignment title
1. Investigate fundamental thermodynamic systems and their properties
In this assessment you will have opportunities to provide evidence against the following Learning
Outcomes.
Learning
Outcome
L01
To achieve the criteria the evidence must show
that the learner is able to:
Task no.
Investigate fundamental thermodynamic systems
and their properties
Evidence
1
Learner declaration
I certify that the work submitted for this assignment is my own. I have clearly referenced any
sources used in the work and recognise that excessive use of downloaded material or failure to
identify reference sources may result in the assignment being referred. I understand that false
declaration is a form of malpractice.
Learner signature:
Date:
Assignment brief
Qualification
BTEC Level 4 Higher National Certificate in Engineering
Unit number and title
Unit 13 Fundamentals of Thermodynamics and Heat Engines
D/615/1487
Assessor name
Gareth Holmes
Date issued from
Hand in deadline
Assignment title
2 weeks after Issue
1. Investigate fundamental thermodynamic systems and
their properties
Purpose of this assignment
During this assignment, you will need to produce evidence that is sufficient to meet the
assessment criteria for Learning Outcome 1. You are advised to use the text and websites
in the reference list when completing this assignment.
Question 1: Thermodynamic fundamentals and definitions
(a) A thermodynamic system consists of matter contained in a region of space delineated
by a closed surface that separates the system from its environment/surroundings.
Describe what is meant if a system is said to be:
i)
Open
ii)
Closed
iii)
Diathermal
iv)
Adiabatic
v)
Isolated
(b) A thermodynamic system can often be decomposed into smaller subsystems that can
themselves be considered as thermodynamic systems. The separation between two
subsystems is referred to as a wall or boundary. The enclosure which separates a
system from its environment consists of one or several walls. Describe what is meant if
a wall is said to be:
i)
Fixed
ii)
Movable
iii)
Permeable
iv)
Impermeable
v)
Diathermal
vi)
Adiabatic
(c) Write out in full, the definition of the First Law of Thermodynamics. Also, provide the
energy conservation equations for both an isolated system as well as an open system.
In the case of an open system, give an explanation for each form/type of power that
can occur when a system interacts with its environment.[GH1]
Question 2: Gas laws
(a) There are three fundamental gas laws which describe the relationship between the
pressure, temperature, volume and amount of an ideal gas. Provide the name,
mathematical relation, and explanation of each of these three ideal gas laws.
(b) These three ideal gas laws rely on making several simplifying assumptions, which
fortunately for us, prove to be more than reasonable for mathematically governing
most “every day” applications. Please list these assumptions.
(c) What is meant if a thermodynamic process is said to be “polytropic”? what is the
polytropic index for the following specific cases whereby a process is:
(i)
Isobaric
(ii)
Isochoric
(iii)
Isothermal
(iv)
Isentropic[GH2]
(d) If you have 1 Kg of a gas with a specific gas constant of 260 J/Kg.K which is
compressed according to a polytropic process such that the temperature of the gas
increases by 60 degC, determine the polytropic index of this process if 3000 J of
work is done on the system.[GH3]
Question 3: Application of the First Law
0.35 kg’s of air is contained in a vertical piston‐cylinder assembly fitted with an electrical
resistor. The atmospheric pressure is 101.325 kPa and the piston has a mass of 45 kg and
a face area of 0.12 m2. An electrical current is passed through a resistive heating element
which causes the air contained within the cylinder to expand in volume by 0.045 m3.
During this process, the specific energy of the air increases by 41.8 kJ/kg. Assuming that
the piston-cylinder assembly is insulated (and thus there is no heat loss to the
environment) and frictional losses between the cylinder wall and the piston can be
considered to be negligible, determine the heat transfer from the heating element to the
air for a system consisting of:
(a) the air alone,
(b) the air and the piston
(c) What can you conclude about the value of the heat transfer Q in both cases?
Include a simple diagram illustrating the arrangement as well as the system boundaries in
each case. [GH4]
Submission Format
Your submission should include the evidence detailed below:
1. Submit your answers as a typed or neatly hand-written document detailing all the
steps you have used to determine your answers. Please include any diagrams which
may aid in supporting your answers and clearly state any assumptions that you have
made in your analysis.
Pass
Merit
Distinction
LO1 Investigate fundamental thermodynamic systems and their properties
P1 Describe the operation of
thermodynamic systems and their
properties
P2 Explain the application of the first
law of thermodynamics to appropriate
systems
P3 Explain the relationships between
system constants for a perfect gas
M1 Calculate the index of
compression in polytrophic
processes
D1 Illustrate the
importance of
expressions for
work done in
thermodynamic
processes by
applying first
principles
Sources of information
Textbooks
CENGEL, YUNUS A. and BOLES, MICHAEL A. (2015) Thermodynamics: An engineering approach 8th Ed
DUNN, D. (2001) Fundamental Engineering Thermodynamics. Longman.
EASTOP, T.D. and MCCONKEY, A. (1996) Applied Thermodynamics for Engineering Technologists. 5th
Ed. Prentice Hall.
EASTOP, T.D. and MCCONKEY, A. (1997) Applied Thermodynamics for Engineering
Technologists Student Solution Manual. 5th Ed. Prentice Hall.
RAYNER, J. (2008) Basic Engineering Thermodynamics. 5th Ed. Pearson.
ROGERS, G.F.C. and MAYHEW, Y.R. (1994) Thermodynamic and Transport Properties of Fluids: S. I.
Units. 5th Ed. Wiley-Blackwell.
Learning Management System (Moodle)
Unit 013 – Fundamentals of Thermodynamic and Heat Engines