BITS, PILANI – HYDERABAD CAMPUS, HYDERABAD

FIRST SEMESTER 2017 – 2018

Course: BITS F111 Thermodynamics Evaluation component: Comprehensive examination (Closed Book)
Date: 13/12/2017 Duration: 180 Minutes Weightage: 40% Maximum Marks: 160
Notes: All sub-questions of a question should be answered one after another in the sequence of
questions. Assume any missing data suitably and mention the same at appropriate places in your
answer. Unless otherwise mentioned take atmospheric pressure as 101kPa, g = 9.81m/s2, T in K = T
+ 273

PART A (To be answered on the main answer booklet)

Q1.
a. In an experimental set-up, a piston cylinder assembly, divided into two Po
compartments A and B by a rigid partition (see figure), is filled with water in both
the compartments. Volumes of respective compartments are VA = 0.2 m3 and VB
= 0.3 m3. Initial condition of water in A is 1000 kPa, x = 0.75 and that of B is
1600 kPa and 250°C. The partition is now gradually pulled out (through the wall
of the cylinder), due to which, the water comes to a final uniform state at 200°C.
The piston mass and atmospheric pressure is unaltered, all through. Answer the
following:
i. If the piston is free to float, what is the final pressure in the cylinder (in kPa), total work done (in
kJ) and the total heat transfer (kJ) during the process? [16M]
ii. If the piston is locked at its initial position, what is the final pressure in the cylinder (in kPa) and
the total heat transfer (in kJ) during the process? [6M]

b. An insulated piston-cylinder assembly with free floating piston initially contains 5 liters of saturated
liquid water. The piston mass is such that the pressure inside the cylinder is 175 kPa. Now, the water is
stirred by a paddle wheel amounting to 400 kJ of work and at the same time, an electric current of 8A
is made to flow for 45 min through a resistor placed in the water. If one-half of the liquid is converted
in to saturated vapor during this process, determine the voltage (in volts) of the source. [10M]

Q2.
a. An air-conditioner with refrigerant-134a as the working fluid is used to keep a room at 23oC by
rejecting the waste heat to the outdoor air at 34oC. The room gains heat through the walls & windows
at a rate of 250 kJ/min while the heat generated by the electrical & electronic equipment in the room
amounts to 900 W. The refrigerant enters the compressor at 400 kPa as a saturated vapor at a rate of 80
liters/min and leaves at 1200 kPa and 70oC. Determine the following:
i. Actual COP [10M]
ii. Maximum COP [5M]
iii. Minimum volume flow rate of the refrigerant (liters/min) at the compressor inlet for the same
compressor inlet and exit conditions and load conditions. [5M]
b. A heat engine operates between two reservoirs at 800oC and 20oC. One-half of the work output of the
heat engine is used to drive a Carnot heat pump that removes heat from the cold surroundings at 2 oC
and transfers it to a house maintained at 22oC. If the house is losing heat at a rate of 62,000 kJ/h,
determine the minimum rate of heat supply to the heat engine (kJ/h) required to keep the house at
22oC. [12M]
Q3.
a. In a manufacturing facility, a 1 m3 reactor filled with water at 20 MPa and 360°C is placed inside a
well-insulated evacuated chamber. Due to a failure, the reactor ruptured and the water filled the entire
chamber. A pressure gauge indicated that the pressure of the chamber did not exceed 200 kPa.
Calculate the following:
i. Final mass of water [4M]
ii. Final temperature in the chamber [6M]
iii. Volume of the chamber [4M]
iv. Total entropy generated during the process [6M]
v. Show the initial and final states on P-v and T-s diagrams [4M]

b. The same manufacturing facility reported the rupture of another 1 m3 reactor containing Helium gas at
360°C and 100 kPa. The reactor was placed in a well-insulated evacuated chamber of volume of 287
m3. The final temperature after the rupture was 120oC. Calculate the following, assuming constant
specific heat of Helium.

i. Mass of Helium after the reactor ruptured [2M]

ii. Total entropy generated [4M]
iii. Irreversibility in the process assuming a surrounding temperature of 25oC. [2M]

Q4.

Refrigerant R-134a at 100C and 2 bar and mass flow rate of 5 kg/min enters an insulated compressor
operating at steady state and exits at 5 bar. The isentropic efficiency of compressor is 76 %. Ignore the
effects of motion and gravity and let surrounding conditions T0 =20°C, and Po =1 bar. Determine
i. the temperature of refrigerant (oC) exiting the compressor [8M]
ii. actual work input (kW) [6M]
iii. entropy generation [6M]
iv. irreversibility [6M]
v. reversible work input, Wrev [6M]

**** End of PART A****

**** Look for PART B (To be answered separately on the question paper itself) ****