Prelim Summer 2015

Problem 1.0 (30 points)

As Becky was driving "Old Betsy," the family station wagon, the engine finally quit, being worn out after
171,000 miles. It can be assumed that the average speed over its lifetime was 40 mph at an engine speed
of 1700 RPM. The engine is a five-liter V8 operating on a four-stroke cycle. Calculate:
(a) How many revolutions has the engine experienced?
(b) How many spark plug firings have occurred in the entire engine?
(c) How many intake strokes have occurred in one cylinder?
Problem 2.0 (20 points)
The air at 25C and 100 kPa in a 150-m3 room has a relative humidity of 60%.The air is cooled below the
dew point to 10C.
(a) Estimate the amount of water vapor that will condense.
(b) Reheat the air back to 25C and calculate the relative humidity.
Problem 3.0 (20 points)
A fuel mixture of 60% methane, 30% ethane, and 10% propane by volume is burned with stoichiometric
air. Calculate the volume flow rate of air required if the fuel mass is 5.67 kg/hr assuming the air to be at
15.55C and 101.3 kPa.
Problem 4.0 (30 points)

Midterm Summer 2015

Problem 1.0 (20 points)

A mixture of butane gas (C 4 H 10 ) and stoichiometric air is contained in a rigid tank at 25C and 100 kPa. If
95% of the carbon is burned to CO 2 and the remainder to CO, calculate the heat transfer from the tank
and the volume percent of the water that condenses out if the final temperature is 25C.
Problem 2.0 (20 points)
Producer gas, created from coal, has a volumetric analysis of 3% CH 4 , 14% H 2 , 50.9% N 2 , 0.6% O 2 , 27%
CO, and 4.5% CO 2 . Complete combustion occurs with 150% theoretical air at 100 kPa. What percentage
of the water vapor will condense out if the temperature of the products is 20C?
Problem 3.0 (20 points)
Three moles of a mixture of hydrocarbon fuels, denoted by C x H y , is burned and a volumetric analysis on
a dry basis of the products yields 10% CO 2 , 8% O 2 , and 1.2% CO. Estimate the values for x and y and the
percent theoretical air utilized.

Seatwork (Additional 40 points of Midterm exam)

Problem 1.0 (20 points)
A constant-volume tank contains a mixture of 1 mol of benzene (C 6 H 6 ) gas and 30 percent excess air at
25C and 1 atm. The contents of the tank are now ignited, and all the hydrogen in the fuel burns to H 2 O
but only 92 percent of the carbon burns to CO 2 , the remaining 8 percent forming CO. If the final
temperature in the tank is 1000 K, determine the heat transfer from the combustion chamber during this
process.
Problem 2.0 (20 points)
Liquid propane (C 3 H 8 ) enters a steady-flow combustion chamber at 25C and 1 atm at a rate of 0.4 kg/min
where it is mixed and burned with 150 percent excess air that enters the combustion chamber at 12C. If
the combustion products leave at 1200 K and 1 atm, determine
(a) the mass flow rate of air,
(b) the rate of heat transfer from the combustion chamber, and
(c) the rate of entropy generation during this process. Assume T 0 = 25C.

Semis Summer 2015

Problem 1.0 (20 points)

Liquid propane (C 3 H 8 ) enters a steady-flow combustion chamber at 25C and 1 atm at a rate of 0.4 kg/min
where it is mixed and burned with 150 percent excess air that enters the combustion chamber at 12C. If
the combustion products leave at 1200 K and 1 atm, determine
(a) the mass flow rate of air,
(b) the rate of heat transfer from the combustion chamber, and
(c) the rate of entropy generation during this process. Assume T 0 = 25C.
Problem 2.0 (25 points)
Methane is burned with dry air, and volumetric analysis of the products on a dry basis gives 10% CO 2 , 1%
CO, 1.8% O 2 , and 87.2% N 2 . Calculate
(a) the air-fuel ratio,
(b) the percentage of water vapor that condenses if the products are cooled to 30C, and
(c) the percent condensate.
Problem 3.0 (30 points)

Problem 4.0 (25 points)