ME 300 Thermodynamics II

Exam 2
November 13, 2012
8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Name: Solution

Section (Circle One):

Sojka Naik
11:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m.

Instructions: This is a closed book/notes exam. You may use a calculator. You must
start from the most basic form of the governing equations and simplify as necessary to
solve each problem. You must show all work for full credit. Please keep your eyes on
your own exam. If you are caught cheating you will get a zero for the exam and your
name will be turned over to the Dean of Students.

Please feel free to use the tables/equation sheet provided with the exam. If you need to
interpolate any property data, feel free to use the closest value to save time. State
clearly the source of property data.

Question Total Score

1 30

2 25

3 35

4 10

Total 100
1. An air-conditioning system operates at a total pressure of 1 atm and consists of a
heating section and an evaporative cooler. Air enters the heating section at 10C and
70% relative humidity (state 1) with a volumetric flow rate of 30 m3/min. The heated
air from the heating section (state 2) enters the evaporative cooler and leaves at
20C and 60% relative humidity (state 3).

(a) Show the air-conditioning process on the attached psychrometric chart. Clearly
label states 1, 2, and 3 and indicate the appropriate processes. (8 points)
(b) Determine the rate of heat transfer (kJ/min) in the heating section using the
psychrometric chart. (15 points)
(c) Calculate the amount of water added to the air (kg/min) in the evaporative cooler
using the psychrometric chart. (7 points)

Assumptions
1. Steady state
2. Neglect KE and PE effects
3. No work interaction
4. Air and water vapor behave as ideal gases

m3
V1  30
min

Solution
(a) Heating process (1-2) occurs at constant humidity ratio i.e. 1 = 2 and the evaporative
cooling process occurs at constant wet bulb temperature i.e. h1 = h2. The heating (1-2) and
evaporative cooling (2-3) processes are shown on the psychrometric chart.

(b) Considering energy balance for the control volume around the heating section:
dEheating
 Q heating  Wheating  m air  h1  h2   KE  PE   Q heating  m air  h2  h1 
dt
State 1: v1 = 0.81 m3/kg dry air, h1 = 24 kJ/kg dry air
State 2: h2 = 42 kJ/kg dry air
m3
30
V min kg dry air
m air  1  3
 37.04
v1 m min
0.81
kg dry air
kg dry air kJ
Q heating  m air  h2  h1   37.04  42  24 
min kg dry air
kJ
Rate of heat addition: Q heating  666.7
min
 3

1 2
Use this as extra space for Problem 1.

(c) Considering mass balance for the control volume around the evaporative cooling section:
Dry Air: m air ,2  m air ,3  m air
Water Vapor: m vapor ,2  m water  m vapor ,3  m water  m vapor ,3  m vapor ,2  3 m air ,3  2 m air ,2
 m water  m air 3  2 
State 2: 2 = 1 = 0.0055 kg water/kg dry air
State 3: 3 = 0.00875 kg water/kg dry air
Amount of water added to the air in the evaporative cooling section:
kg dry air kg water
m water  37.04  0.00875  0.0055 
min kg dry air
kg
m water  0.1204
min
2. (a) Liquid octane (C8H18) is burned completely with air in a steady-flow reactor
operating at a pressure of 1 bar and at an equivalence ratio of 1.11.

Calculate the dew point temperature (C) of the products. (15 points)

Solution
For complete combustion of octane with 100% theoretical air:
C8H18(g) + a(O2 + 3.76N2)  xH2O(g) + yCO2 + zN2
H Balance: 18 = 2x  x = 9
C Balance: 8 = y
O Balance: 2a = x + 2y = 25  a = 25/2 = 12.5
N Balance: 3.76a = z  z = 47
Balanced chemical reaction is: C8H18(g) + 12.5(O2 + 3.76N2)  9H2O(g) + 8CO2 + 47N2

% Actual Air = 1/ = 1/(1.11) = 90%

For complete combustion of octane with 90% theoretical air:

C8H18(g) + (0.9×12.5)(O2 + 3.76N2)  wH2O(g) + xCO2 + yCO + zN2
H Balance: 18 = 2w  w = 9
C Balance: 8 = x + y
O Balance: 22.5 = w + 2x + y  2x + y = 13.5
 x = 5.5 and y = 2.5
N Balance: 42.3 = z
Balanced chemical reaction is:
C8H18(g) + 11.25(O2 + 3.76N2)  9H2O(g) + 5.5CO2 + 2.5CO + 42.3N2

Partial pressure of water vapor in the products:

nH O 9
pvapor  2 ( g ) ptotal   1 bar  0.1518 bar
ntotal 9  5.5  2.5  42.3

Dew point temperature of products: Tdewpoint  Tsat  pvapor 

Using Table A-2: Tdewpoint  55 C
2. (b) 1 kmol of carbon monoxide (CO) is burned completely with 100% excess air in a
closed rigid tank. Initially, the reactants (CO and air) are at 25C and 1 bar; finally,
the products are at 927C.

Calculate the pressure (bar) of the products. (10 points)

Assumption
Reactants and products behave as ideal gases

Solution
For complete combustion of carbon monoxide with 100% theoretical air:
CO + a(O2 + 3.76N2)  xCO2 + yN2
C Balance: 1 = x
O Balance: 1 + 2a = 2x  2a = 1  a = 0.5
N Balance: 3.76a = y  y = 1.88
Balanced chemical reaction is: CO + 0.5(O2 + 3.76N2)  CO2 + 1.88N2

For complete combustion of carbon monoxide with 100% excess air:

CO + (2×0.5)(O2 + 3.76N2)  xCO2 + yO2 + zN2
C Balance: 1 = x
O Balance: 1 + 2 = 2x + 2y  y = 0.5
N Balance: 3.76 = z
Balanced chemical reaction is: CO + (O2 + 3.76N2)  CO2 + 0.5O2 + 3.76N2

For reactants: PRVR  nR RTR

For products: PPVP  nP RTP
PPVP nP RTP n T 1  0.5  3.76  927  273 K
   PP  PR  P  P  1 bar  
PRVR nR RTR nR TR 1  1  3.76  25  273 K

Pressure of the products: PP  3.68 bar

3. 1 kmol of water vapor enters a steady-flow reactor at 1 atm and an equilibrium
mixture of H2O(g), H2, O2, H, and OH exits the reactor at 2500 K and 1 atm.
Measurements indicate that the equilibrium mixture contains 0.01705 kmol of O2,
0.005323 kmol of H, and 0.02456 kmol of OH.

(a) Calculate the number of kmol of H2O(g) and H2 in the equilibrium mixture.
(10 points)
(b) Verify the equilibrium composition at 2500 K and 1 atm using the definition of
equilibrium constant for all three relevant reactions. (20 points)
(c) Explain whether concentration of O atoms can be considered negligibly small so
that it need not be included in the equilibrium mixture. No calculation is required.
(5 points)
Solution
(a) The chemical reaction is: H2O(g)  aH2O(g) + bH2 + cO2 + dH + eOH
O Balance: 1 = a + 2c + e  a = 1 – 2 × 0.01705 – 0.02456  a = 0.94134
H Balance: 2 = 2a + 2b + d + e  2b = 2 – 2a – d – e  b = 0.04372
nH 2O  0.94134 kmol and nH 2  0.04372 kmol

(b) There are five products in the equilibrium mixture and two atom balances  three reactions
need to be considered in equilibrium at 2500 K and 1 atm.
 ni i
 P 


K p T   Products
i  

Reactants
ni  ntotal Pref 

Considering equilibrium of the reaction: H2O  H2 + 0.5O2

 1 0.5  1
n1H 2 nO0.52  P   0.04372   0.01705
1 0.5 0.5
 1 
K p T   1       5.9698 103
nH 2O  ntotal Pref   0.94134 
1
 1.032 
 log10 K p T   2.224

Considering equilibrium of the reaction: H2O  OH + 0.5H2

 1 0.5 1
nH0.5  P   0.02456   0.04372 
1 1 0.5 0.5
nOH  1 
K p T   1 2       5.37 103
nH 2O  ntotal Pref   0.94134 
1
 1.032 
 log10 K p T   2.27

Considering equilibrium of the reaction: H2  2H

  2 1
 P   0.005323
2 1
n2  1 
K p T   1H       6.28 10
4

 0.04372   
1
nH 2  ntotal Pref  1.032
 log10 K p T   3.202

Using Table A-27, the values of equilibrium constant are consistent for 2500 K and 1 atm.
Use this as extra space for Problem 3.

(c) Considering equilibrium of the reaction: O2  2O

Using Table A-27: log10 K p  2500 K   3.684
Since the equilibrium constant is nearly same for H2  2H and O2  2O at 2500 K 
concentration of O atoms cannot be considered negligibly small.
4. Answer the following questions. Justify your answers with equations.

(a) Consider the dissociation of hydroperoxyl radical in reacting systems

described by HO2  H + O2. This reaction is endothermic (H > 0) and its
equilibrium constant is K1 at T1 and K2 at T2 (T2 > T1). (5 points)

K1 > K2 K1 < K2
K1 = K2 Insufficient Information

K 2 H  1 1 
ln    
K1 R  T1 T2 
At constant pressure, the value of equilibrium constant increases when temperature
increases for endothermic reaction  K2 > K1

(b) Consider the Haber process for industrial production of ammonia described
by N2 + 3H2  2NH3. At constant temperature, what is the effect of
increasing pressure on the number of moles of NH3? (5 points)

Increase Decrease
No Effect Insufficient Information

 ni i
 P 
 2
nNH  P 
  2 1 3

K p T   Products
i    1 33  

Reactants
ni  ntotal Pref  nN 2 nH 2  ntotal Pref 
At constant temperature, the value of equilibrium constant remains the same
 The number of moles of NH3 must increase if pressure increases at constant
temperature