UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES

Alubijid | Cagayan de Oro | Claveria | Jasaan | Oroquieta | Panaon

Sample Problems for Module 2

Example 1.
A car of mass 1100 kg drives with a velocity such that it has a kinetic energy of 400 kJ. Find
the velocity. If the car is raised with a crane, how high should it be lifted in the standard
gravitational field to have a potential energy that equals the kinetic energy?

Solution:
The standard kinetic energy of the mass is
𝑉2
KE = m (kJ)
2
From this we can solve for the velocity:
2𝐾𝐸 2 × 400 kJ
V=√ =√
𝑚 1100 kg

800 x 1000 Nm
= √ 1100 kg

8000 kg m 𝑠 −2 m
= √ 11kg

= 27m/s
Standard potential energy is
PE = mgH
So, when this is equal to the kinetic energy we get
𝐾𝐸
H=
𝑚𝑔
400 000 𝑁𝑚
=
1100 kg × 9.807 m 𝑠 −2

= 37.1m

Notice the necessity of

converting the kJ to J in
both Calculations.
 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES
Alubijid | Cagayan de Oro | Claveria | Jasaan | Oroquieta | Panaon

Example 2.
A rigid tank contains a hot fluid that is cooled while being stirred by a paddle wheel.
Initially, the internal energy of the fluid is 800 kJ. During the cooling process, the fluid loses
500 kJ of heat, and the paddle wheel does 100 kJ of work on the fluid. Determine the final
internal energy of the fluid. Neglect the energy stored in the paddle wheel.

Solution:
A fluid in a rigid tank loses heat while being stirred. The final internal energy of the
fluid is to be determined.
Assumptions
1. The tank is stationary and thus the kinetic and potential energy changes
are zero, ∆KE = ∆PE = 0. Therefore, ∆E = ∆U and internal energy is the
only form of the system’s energy that may change during this process.
2. Energy stored in the paddle wheel is negligible.
Analysis
1. Take the contents of the tank as the system. This is a closed system since
no mass crosses the boundary during the process. We observe that the
volume of a rigid tank is constant, and thus there is no moving boundary
work. Also, heat is lost from the system and shaft work is done on the
system. Applying the energy balance on the system gives
𝐸𝑖𝑛 − 𝐸𝑜𝑢𝑡 =
⏟ 𝛥𝐸𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚
⏟ (𝑘𝐽)
Net energy transfer Change in internal, kinetic,
by heat, work, and mass potential, etc., energies

Wsh,in - Qout = ∆U = U2 - U1
100 kJ - 500 kJ = U2 - 800 kJ
U2 = 400 kJ

Therefore, the final internal energy of the system is 400 kJ.

 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES
Alubijid | Cagayan de Oro | Claveria | Jasaan | Oroquieta | Panaon

Example 3.
A room is initially at the outdoor temperature of 25˚C. Now
a large fan that consumes 200 W of electricity when running is
turned on. The heat transfer rate between the room and the outdoor
air is given as 𝑄̇out = 𝑈𝐴(𝑇𝑖 − 𝑇𝑜 ) where U = 6 W/m2 ∙˚C is the
overall heat transfer coefficient, A = 30 m2 is the exposed surface
area of the room, and Ti and To are the indoor and outdoor air
temperatures, respectively. Determine the indoor air temperature
when steady operating conditions are established.

Solution:
A large fan is turned on and kept on in a room that loses heat
to the outdoors. The indoor air temperature is to be determined
when steady operation is reached.
Assumptions
1. Heat transfer through the floor is negligible.
2. There are no other energy interactions involved.
Analysis
The electricity consumed by the fan is energy input for the room, and thus the room
gains energy at a rate of 200 W. As a result, the room air temperature tends to rise. But as the
room air temperature rises, the rate of heat loss from the room increases until the rate of heat
loss equals the electric power consumption. At that point, the temperature of the room air,
and thus the energy content of the room, remains constant, and the conservation of energy
for the room becomes Discussion
Note that a 200-W fan heats a room just
E − E out = E system ( kW ) like a 200-W resistance heater. In the case of a
in    fan, the motor converts part of the electric
Rate of net energy transfer Rate change in internal, kinetic,
by heat, work, and mass potential, etc., energies energy it draws to mechanical energy in the form
= 𝑑𝐸 0(steady) of a rotating shaft while the remaining part is
⏟ 𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚 /𝑑𝑡 ↗
Rate of Change in internal, kinetic, dissipated as heat to the room air because of the
potential, etc., energies motor inefficiency (no motor converts 100
̇
= 0 → 𝐸𝑖𝑛 = 𝐸𝑜𝑢𝑡 ̇ percent of the electric energy it receives to
mechanical energy, although some large motors
𝑊̇elect,in = 𝑄̇out = 𝑈𝐴(𝑇𝑖 − 𝑇𝑜 ) come close with a conversion efficiency of over
Substituting, 97 percent). Part of the mechanical energy of
shaft is converted to kinetic energy of air
200 W = (6 W/m2 · ˚C)(30 m2 )(Ti - 25˚C) through the blades, which is then converted to
Ti = 26.1˚C thermal energy as air molecules slow down
because of friction. At the end, the entire electric
energy drawn by the fan motor is converted to
Therefore, the room air temperature will remain thermal energy of air, which manifests itself as a
constant after it reaches 26.18C. rise in temperature.
 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES
Alubijid | Cagayan de Oro | Claveria | Jasaan | Oroquieta | Panaon

Example 4.
A flat wall is composed of 20 cm of brick having a thermal conductivity kt = 0.72
W/mK. The right face temperature of the brick is 900C, and the left face temperature of the
brick is 20C. Determine the rate of heat conduction through the wall per unit area of wall.

SOLUTION:
𝛥𝑇
𝑄̇𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 = 𝑘𝑡 𝐴
𝛥𝑥
𝑄̇𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝛥𝑇
= 𝑘𝑡
𝐴 𝛥𝑥
𝑊 (900 − 20)𝐾
= 0.72
𝑚⋅𝐾 0.2𝑚
𝑊
= 3168 2
𝑚
Example 5.
A vehicle is to be parked overnight in the open away from large surrounding objects.
It is desired to know if dew or frost may form on the vehicle top. Assume the following:
• Convection coefficient h from ambient air to vehicle top is 6.0 W/m2C.
• Equivalent sky temperature is -18C.
• Emissivity of vehicle top is 0.84.
• Negligible conduction from inside vehicle to top of vehicle.
Determine the temperature of the vehicle top when the air temperature is 5oF. State which
formation (dew or frost) occurs.

SOLUTION:
Under steady-state conditions, the energy convected to the vehicle top is equal to the
energy radiated to the sky.
Q conv = Q rad
 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES
Alubijid | Cagayan de Oro | Claveria | Jasaan | Oroquieta | Panaon

The energy convected from the ambient air to the vehicle top is

Q conv = Atop h (Tair − Ttop )

The energy radiated from the top to the night sky is

Q rad = Atop Ttop

4
(
− Tsky
4
)
Setting these two heat transfers equal gives
Atop h(Tair − Ttop ) = Atop Ttop
4
(
− Tsky
4
)
h(Tair − Ttop ) =  Ttop
4
(
− Tsky
4
)
𝑊 𝑊 4
6.0 [(5 + 273) − 𝑇𝑡𝑜𝑝 ] = (0.84) (5.67𝑥10−8 ) [𝑇𝑡𝑜𝑝 − (−18 + 273)4 ]𝐾 4
𝑚2 𝐾 𝑚2 𝐾 4

Write the equation for Ttop in C (T K = TC + 273)

(0.84)(5.67) 𝑇𝑡𝑜𝑝 + 273 4
(5 − 𝑇𝑡𝑜𝑝 ) = [( ) − (2.55)4 ]
6.0 100
Ttop = −3.38  C
Example 6.
A fluid contained in a piston-cylinder device receives 500 kJ of electrical work as the
gas expands against the piston and does 600 kJ of boundary work on the piston. What is the
net work done by the fluid?

SOLUTION:

𝑊𝑛𝑒𝑡 = (𝑊𝑛𝑒𝑡 )𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 + 𝑊𝑏

𝑊𝑛𝑒𝑡 = (𝑊𝑜𝑢𝑡 − 𝑊𝑖𝑛,𝑒𝑙𝑒 )𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 + 𝑊𝑏
𝑊𝑛𝑒𝑡 = (0 − 500𝑘𝐽) + 600𝑘𝐽
𝑊𝑛𝑒𝑡 = 100𝑘𝐽
Example 7.
A steam power plant operates on a thermodynamic cycle in which water circulates
through a boiler, turbine, condenser, pump, and back to the boiler. For each kilogram of
steam (water) flowing through the cycle, the cycle receives 2000 kJ of heat in the boiler,
rejects 1500 kJ of heat to the environment in the condenser, and receives 5 kJ of work in the
cycle pump. Determine the work done by the steam in the turbine, in kJ/kg.
The first law requires for a thermodynamic cycle.
 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES
Alubijid | Cagayan de Oro | Claveria | Jasaan | Oroquieta | Panaon

SOLUTION:

Qnet − Wnet = Ecycle

Qnet = Wnet
Qin − Qout = Wout − Win
Wout = Qin − Qout − Win
W Q
Let w = and q =
m m
wout = qin − qout + win
kJ
wout = ( 2000 − 1500 + 5 )
kg
kJ
wout = 505
kg

Example 8.
Air flows into an open system and carries energy at the rate of 300 kW. As the air
flows through the system, it receives 600 kW of work and loses 100 kW of energy by heat
transfer to the surroundings. If the system experiences no energy change as the air flows
through it, how much energy does the air carry as it leaves the system, in kW?

SOLUTION:
System sketch:

𝐸̇𝑖𝑛 − 𝐸̇𝑜𝑢𝑡 = Δ𝐸̇𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚

𝐸̇𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠,𝑖𝑛 + 𝑊̇𝑖𝑛 − 𝐸̇𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠,𝑜𝑢𝑡 − 𝑄̇𝑜𝑢𝑡 = Δ𝐸̇𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚 = 0
𝐸̇𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠,𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 𝐸̇𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠,𝑖𝑛 + 𝑊̇𝑖𝑛 − 𝑄̇𝑜𝑢𝑡
𝐸̇𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠,𝑜𝑢𝑡 = (300 + 600 − 100)𝑘𝑊 = 800𝑘𝑊
 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES
Alubijid | Cagayan de Oro | Claveria | Jasaan | Oroquieta | Panaon

Example 9.
In example 7 the steam power plant received 2000 kJ/kg of heat, 5 kJ/kg of pump
work, and produced 505 kJ/kg of turbine work. Determine the thermal efficiency for this
cycle.

SOLUTION:
We can write the thermal efficiency on a per unit mass basis as:
wnet , out
th =
qin
kJ
( 505 − 5 )
w − win kg
= out =
qin kJ
2000
kg
= 0.25 or 25%
Example 10.
A steam power plant receives 2000 kJ of heat per unit mass of steam flowing through
the steam generator when the steam flow rate is 100 kg/s. If the fuel supplied to the
combustion chamber of the steam generator has a higher heating value of 40,000 kJ/kg of
fuel and the combustion efficiency is 85%, determine the required fuel flow rate, in kg/s.

SOLUTION:
𝑄𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑚̇𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑞𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚
𝜂𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑏𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = =
𝐻𝑉 𝑚̇𝑓𝑢𝑒𝑙 𝐻𝐻𝑉

𝑚̇𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑞𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚
𝑚̇𝑓𝑢𝑒𝑙 =
𝜂𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑏𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐻𝐻𝑉
𝑘𝑔𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑘𝐽
(100 ) (2000 )
𝑠 𝑘𝑔𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚
𝑚̇𝑓𝑢𝑒𝑙 =
𝑘𝐽
(0.85) (40000 )
𝑘𝑔𝑓𝑢𝑒𝑙
𝑘𝑔𝑓𝑢𝑒𝑙
𝑚̇𝑓𝑢𝑒𝑙 = 5.88
𝑠