SHARJAH UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
Department of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering (SREE)

Introduction to Basic Concepts

Part 1

Dr. Muhammad Tawalbeh

 Outline
Importance of dimensions & units.

Basic concepts to form a sound foundation for the development

of the principles of thermodynamics.

Explain the basic concepts of thermodynamics such as system,

state, state postulate, equilibrium, process, & cycle.

Review concepts of temperature, temperature scales,

pressure, absolute, vacuum & gage pressure.

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 Dimensions & Units
Fundamental )primitive( dimensions:
Recognized by sensory perceptions and not definable in terms
of anything simpler.

Set by international agreement, codified as the International

System of Units (abbreviated SI).

In the International System of Units, there are seven

fundamental dimensions: length, mass, time,
temperature, electric current, amount of light, & amount of
matter.

The seven fundamental units are: meter, kilogram, second,

kelvin, ampere, candela, & mole.
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 Dimensions & Units
Second (s)-duration of 9,192,631,770 cycles of radiation associated with a
specified transition of the cesium atom.
Meter (m)-distance light travels in vacuum during 1/299,792,458 of a second.
Kilogram (kg)-mass of a platinum/iridium cylinder kept at the International
Bureau of Weights and Measures at Sevres, France.
Kelvin (K): 1 K = 1/273.16 of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple
point of water.
Mole (mol): amount of substance represented by as many elementary entities
(e.g., molecules) as there are atoms in 0.012 kg of carbon-12.
Candela (cd): 1 candela is the luminous intensity, in a given direction, of a
source that emits monochromatic radiation of frequency 540 1012 hetrz and
that has a radiant intensity in that direction of 1/683 watt per steradian.
Ampere (A): 1 ampere is that constant current which, if maintained in two
straight parallel conductors of infinite length, of negligible circular cross-
section, and placed 1 metre apart in vacuum, would produce between these
conductors a force equal to 2 10-7 newton per metre of length.
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 Dimensions & Units
Secondary or derived dimensions: expressed algebraically in
terms of fundamental units or other derived units, such as
velocity V, energy E, & area A.

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 Dimensions & Units
English system: It has no apparent systematic numerical base,
and various units in this system are related to each other rather
arbitrarily. (eg.: 1 ft = 12 in, 1 mile = 5280 ft, 1 slug = 32.174 lbm).

In English system: force is usually considered to be one of the

fundamental dimensions and is assigned a non derived unit
(lbf).

To solve this confusion it is necessary to use a dimensional

constant (gc) in many formulas.

To avoid this, force is consider a secondary dimension and

derived from Newtons second law.

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 Dimensions & Units
Force:

Newton (N) is the force required to accelerate a mass

of 1 kg at a rate of 1 m/s2.
Pound force (lbf) is the force required to accelerate a
2
mass of 32.174 lbm (1 slug) at a rate of 1 ft/s .

Dr. Muhammad Tawalbeh 1 lbf = 4.44822 N 7

 Dimensions & Units
Weight:

W: weight
m: mass
g: gravitational
acceleration

The relative magnitudes of the force

units newton (N), kilogram-force
(kgf), and pound-force (lbf).
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 Dimensions & Units
Some English units:
1 lbm = 0.45359 kg 1 ft = 0.3048 m
1 lbf = 4.44822 N 1 Btu = 1.0551 kJ

Work = Force Distance

J: Energy exerted when a force of 1 N is applied over a

displacement of 1 m 1 J = 1 Nm
cal: Energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water
at 14.5C by 1C. (1 cal = 4.1868 J).
Btu: Energy needed to raise temperature of 1 lbm of water at
60F by 1F. (1 Btu = 1.0551 kJ).

Quad = 1015 Btu and therm = 105 Btu.

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 Dimensions & Units
The SI unit prefixes are used in all branches of engineering.

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 Dimensions & Units
Dimensional homogeneity: All equations must be dimensionally
homogeneous. APPLES & ORANGES do not add.

Unity Conversion Ratios:

Force units, for example, can be expressed as:

Or they can be expressed more conveniently as unity conversion

ratios as:

Unity conversion ratios are identically equal to 1 and are

unitless (Dimensionless).
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 Units Conversion Table

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 Test Yourself
If the equation below is valid, what are the dimensions and units of
the constants 3 and 4?
D(ft) = 3t(s) 4
3: L/t (ft/s)
4: L (ft)

True or False?
If an equation is dimensionally homogeneous, is it necessarily valid?
No
If an equation is valid, is it necessarily dimensionally homogeneous?
Yes

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 Example
Using the table of conversion factors convert:
(a) An acceleration of 1 cm/s2 to km/yr2.

1 cm 3600 s 24 365
2 2 2 2 2 2
h day 1 m 1 km
2
9.95 10 9
km / yr 2

s 2 2 2 3
1 h 1 day 1 yr 10 cm 10 m

(b) 23 lbm.ft/min2 to its equivalent kg.cm/s2.

23 lbm.ft 0.453593 kg 100 cm 1 min 2

0.088 kg.cm / s 2

min 2
3.281 ft 60 s 2
2
1 lbm

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 Test Yourself

Using the table of conversion factors convert:

(a) 760 miles/h to m/s
(b) 921 kg/m3 to Ibm/ft3
(c) 5.37 x 103 kJ/min to hp
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 Systems & Control Volumes
System: A quantity of matter or a region in space chosen for
study.

Surroundings: The matter or region outside the system.

Boundary: The real or imaginary surface that separates the

system from its surroundings.

The boundary of a system can be fixed or movable.

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 Systems & Control Volumes

Surroundings

Boundaries

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 Systems & Control Volumes
Systems may be considered to be closed or open.

Closed system (Control mass): A fixed amount of mass, and no

mass can cross its boundary. But volume can be changed.

Burning of fuel and air mixture

inside a sealed piston cylinder.
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 Systems & Control Volumes
Open system (Control volume): Both mass and energy can
cross the boundary of a control volume, such as a compressors,
pumps, turbines, valves or nozzles.

In Out
Mass and
energy Fluid passing through
Mass and
energy
pump represents a steady
flow control volume.

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 Systems & Control Volumes
Isolated systems: An isolated system is a general system where
No MASS, HEAT or WORK (Energy) may cross the boundaries.

An isolated system is a closed system with no energy crossing

the boundaries.

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