Version | 1.1 |
Unit Name | Thermodynamics |
Unit Code | BME203 |
Unit Duration | 1 Semester |
Award |
Bachelor of Science (Mechanical Engineering) Duration 3 years |
Year Level | Two |
Unit Creator | Dr Milind Siddhpura |
Common/Stream: | Stream |
Pre-requisites | None |
Credit Points |
3 Total Course Credit Points 81 (27 x 3) |
Mode of Delivery | Online or on-campus. |
Unit Workload | (Total student workload including “contact hours” = 10 hours per week; 5 hours per week for 24 week delivery) Pre-recordings / Lecture – 1.5 hours Tutorial – 1.5 hours Guided labs / Group work / Assessments – 2 hours Personal Study recommended – 5 hours |
Unit Description and General Aims
The objective in presenting this unit is to provide students with detailed knowledge of the principles and practices governing the field of thermodynamics.
The subject matter covered in the unit will include thermodynamic laws and their applications; steam and gas power cycle concepts; the use of steam and Mollier charts; thermodynamic relationships; applied thermodynamic concepts in relation to internal combustion (IC) engines, steam turbines, and air compressors and refrigeration cycles.
At the conclusion of this unit, students will have been imparted with the requisite knowledge to comprehend, distinguish, and apply the principles and practices governing the field of thermodynamics in their future work.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this Unit, students are expected to be able to:
- Identify and apply basic thermodynamic principles and concepts.
Bloom's Level 3
- Evaluate the properties of pure substances, ideal and real gases.
Bloom's Level 5
- Examine different thermodynamic relationships.
Bloom's Level 4
- Distinguish the working principles and practical applications of steam and gas power cycles.
Bloom's Level 4
- Evaluate the thermodynamic principles of steam nozzles, turbines and compressors
Bloom's Level 5
- Examines the working principles and applications of refrigeration cycles
Bloom's Level 4
Student assessment
Assessment Type |
When assessed |
Weighting (% of total unit marks) |
Learning Outcomes Assessed (Topics covered) |
Assessment 1 Type: Weekly Quizzes Description: Students will need to complete multiple-choice quiz questions to demonstrate a good understanding of the fundamental concepts. |
Weekly |
10% |
All (Topics 2-11) |
Assessment 2 Type: Test (Invigilated) Description: Students will need to answer some short and/or long answer questions and/or solve some numerical problems. |
During Topic/Week 6 |
25% |
2, 3 (Topics 1-5) |
Assessment 3 Type: Practical (Report) Description: Students will need to complete this practical project using a software or hardware or hand-calculations. |
After Topic 9 |
25% |
4, 5 (Topics 1-9) |
Assessment 4 Type: Exam (Invigilated) Description: An examination with a mix theoretical short/detailed answer questions and some engineering problems. |
Exam Week |
40% |
All (All topics) |
Overall requirements: Students must achieve a result of 50% or above in the exam itself to pass the exam, and must pass the exam to be able to pass the unit. An overall final unit score of 50% or above must be achieved to pass the unit once all assessment, including the exam, has been completed.
Prescribed and Recommended Readings
Textbook (s)
MJ Moran, HN Shapiro, DD Boettner, MB Bailey, Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics, 9th Edition. Wiley, 2018. ISBN: 978-1119391388
References)
Çengel, YA & Boles, MA 2015, Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach, 8th edn, McGraw-Hill Education, ISBN: 9789814595292
Holman, JP 1988, Thermodynamics, 4th edn, McGraw-Hill College, ISBN: 978-0070296336
Jones, JB & Hawkins, GA 1986, Engineering Thermodynamics: An Introductory Textbook, 2nd edn, Wiley, ISBN-13: 978-0471812029
Richard E. Sonntag, Claus Borgnakke, Gordon J. Van Wylen, Fundamentals of Thermodynamics, 6th edn, Wiley, ISBN: 9780471152323
Journal, website
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/heacon.html
https://nptel.ac.in/courses/112108148
Notes and Reference Texts
Knovel library: http://app.knovel.com
IDC Technologies
Other material advised during the lectures
Unit Content
Topic 1
Basic Thermodynamic Concepts
1. Introduction to Thermodynamics
2. Concepts and Definitions, open and closed systems, surroundings, property (intensive, extensive, specific extensive), state, process, cycle
3. Dimensions and Units of properties
Topic 2
Energy and the First Law of Thermodynamics
- Zeroth law of thermodynamics, definition of K, International Temperature Scale-90, other temperature scales and mutual conversion
- Equilibrium, quasi-steady processes, thermodynamic definitions of work and heat
- First Law of Thermodynamics for closed and open systems, steady flow energy equation, development of concepts of internal energy and enthalpy
Topic 3
Ideal and Real Gases
- The Ideal Gas Model
- Internal Energy, Enthalpy, and Specific Heats of Ideal Gases
- Comparison of Ideal Gas with Real Gas
- Equations of State for Ideal and Real Gases
- Compressibility Factor and Compressibility Charts
Topic 4
Thermodynamic properties of common working fluids such as air, water and refrigerants
1. Phases, change of phase, representation on p-v, p-T, T-v, T-s, h-s diagrams
2. Web resources such as REFPROP
3. Quality and iso-property lines
4. Property charts and representation of processes on them
Topic 5
Renewable Energy Systems
1. Renewable and sustainable energy
2. Economics of renewable energy
3. Forces driving the technologies
4. Solar water heating systems
5. Hybrid energy systems
Topic 6
First Law and Application to Nozzles, Compressors and Turbines
1. Nozzles
2. Turbines
3. Compressors and pumps
4. Other considerations
Topic 7
Second Law, Analysis and Applications
- Background of second law of thermodynamics
- Kelvin-Plank and Clausius statements
- Concept of Entropy and calculation of change in entropy during a process, T-dS equations
- Isentropic process and Carnot cycle, concept of irreversibility
- Isentropic Efficiencies of Turbines, Nozzles, Compressors, and Pumps
Topic 8
Ideal and non-ideal gas Power Cycles
1. The Otto cycle
2. The Diesel cycle
4. The Brayton cycle
5. Air standard efficiency and mean effective pressure
Topic 9
Steam Power Cycles
1. Simple steam power cycle
2. Ideal and actual Rankine cycles
3. Cycle Improvement Methods – Reheat and Regenerative cycles, Economizer, Pre-heater, Binary and Combined cycles
Topic 10
Refrigeration Cycles
- Reverse Carnot cycle
- Vapour compression refrigeration cycle
- Refrigerants, properties and environmental issues
- Introduction to other refrigeration cycles
Topic 11
Mixtures of Ideal Gas
1. Ideal gas mixtures – mass and mole fractions
2. Mass, energy and entropy analysis for mixtures
Topic 12
Practical Applications and Unit Review
- Practical applications of thermodynamics
- Unit review: In the final week students will have an opportunity to review the contents covered in the entire unit. An opportunity will be provided for a review of student work in Assessments 1-3, and to clarify any outstanding issues. Instructors/facilitators may choose to cover a specialized topic if applicable to that cohort.
Software/Hardware Used
Software
- Software: REFPROP
- Version: N/A
- Instructions: N/A
- Additional resources or files: https://www.nist.gov/srd/refprop
Hardware
- Kettle, Digital Thermometer, Wattmeter, stopwatch/mobile phone, (connected) Thermocouple set.