Keirstyn Marcucci

EGEE 101H, Homework #2 Unit Conversions and Efficiency

February 05, 2015
1.
Assume that you have graduated from Penn State, found a good job and secured a low-interest
mortgage loan to build your dream house in Pittsburgh. You need a heating system which would
provide 125,000,000 Btu of heat per year during the heating season. Below are some options with fuel
costs.
Which option would you choose, if you want to minimize your energy bill? You need to find out the
current price of each fuel (or electricity) in the indicated unit for each option. Calculate the total fuel
cost (or energy cost) of each option to support your decision. Tabulate your results using the table
below. 40 pts
a) burn coal:
Heating Value: 25,000,000 Btu/ton, Heating Efficiency: 0.55, Cost: $? per ton.
25,000,000 Btu/ton x 0.55 = 13,750,000 Net Heating Value
125,000,000 Btu / 13,750,000 Btu/ton = 9.09 ton
9.09 ton * $49.65/ton = $451.32
b) burn fuel oil :
Heating value: 140,000 Btu/gallon, Heating Efficiency: 0.65, Cost: $? per gallon.
140,000 Btu/gal * .65 = 91,000 Btu/gal
125,000,000 Btu / 91,000 Btu/gal = 1,373.63 gal
1,373.63 gal * $1.81/gal = $2,4862.27/gal
c) burn natural gas:
Heating Value: 1,000 Btu/cu ft, Heating Efficiency: 0.80, Cost: $?/1,000 cu ft.
1,000 Btu/ft3 * .80 = 800 Btu/ft3
125,000,000 Btu / 800 Btu/ft3 = 156,250 ft3
156,250 ft3 * $10.32/1,000 ft3 = $161.25/ft3
d) use electricity:
Conversion Factor: 1 kWh = 3412 Btu, Heating Efficiency: 1.0, Cost: $?/1,000 kWh
3,412 Btu/kWh* 1.0 = 3,412 Btu/kWh
125,000,000 Btu / 3,412 Btu/kWh = 36,635.40 kWh
36,635.40 kWh * $120/1,000 kWh = $4,396.25 / kWh
System
Coal Stove
Oil Furnace
Gas Furnace

Amount of Fuel
13,750,000 tons
91,000 gallons
156,250 x1,000 cu ft

Unit Cost
$49.65/ton
$1.81/gallon
$10.32/1,000 cu ft

Total Cost, $
451.32/ton
2,4862.27/gallon
161.25/ cu ft

Electric Heat

3,412 x1,000 kWh

$120/1,000 kWh

4,396.25 / kWh

Note: Don't forget to include heating efficiencies in your calculations. Remember, when you include
efficiency, you will need more heat from the fuels (as input) than the required output (i.e., 125,000,000
Btu).
7.5 pts for each correct answer.
2.
What is the heating efficiency of an electric water heater, if you spend 0.11 kilowatt-hour
of electric energy to heat 2 lb. of water from 77 to 212 F? (Hint:
Remember the definition of Btu and 1 kWh = 3412 Btu.) 40 pts
212F - 77F = 135F
2 lb. of water x (1 Btu / (1 lb H O 1 F)) x 135 F = 270 Btu
0.11 kWh x (3412 Btu/1kWh) = 375.3 Btu
270 Btu / 375.3 Btu = 0.72 or 72% heating efficiency
2

3.
An inventor claims that he has developed a wonderful new heat engine that operates with a
relatively cool flame at 150 C and discharges waste heat to the environment at 20 C. His promotional
literature advertises that the first law efficiency of his device is 45%. Would you believe him? (Hint:
Calculate the maximum efficiency possible for the engine and compare it with the claimed efficiency.)
20 pts
Efficiency= (High Temperature-Low Temperature)/High Temperature
High Temperature= 150C= 150C + 273= 423K
Lower Temperature= 20C= 20C + 273= 293K
Efficiency= (423K-293K)/ 423K = .307 x 100= 30.7% heating efficiency
The maximum efficiency for the engine would be 30.7%, therefore making the inventors claim of
45% efficiency impossible. Thus, I would not believe the inventor.