THERMODYNAMICS A214

PRACTICALS
(Rankine cycle, Air and Water heat pump
and Petrol Engine)

M.C. (Carl) Tshamala

BEng | MScEng | PrEng in Mechanical
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Content [marks allocation]

- Safety [10%];
- Rankine cycle; (1) [35%];
- Air and Water heat pump (2) [35%];
- Petrol Engine display (turbo-charging) (3) [15%];
- Report [5%].

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 SAFETY

- All students MUST wear closed shoes;

- Stay clear of all machinery and moving parts;
- No running in the laboratory and be aware of wet floors in the energy lab;
- Be aware of hot-surfaces (Do not touch) and clearly follow demis instructions
- Wear provided gloves to operate the Rankine cycle’s turbine’s throttle valve;
- Do not touch/change settings on the boiler section of the Rankine cycle
- In case of emergency, a first aid kit can be obtained from Mr Ferdie Zietsman in the main
workshop (Tel: 021 808 4954)

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1. Rankine cycle Unit

Boiler Turbine

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Turbine section

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2. Heat Pump Unit (Air and Water)

Compressor Condenser Evaporator

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Air and water Heat Pump Layout

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3. Petrol Engine Unit

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Pract. objectives
Rankine cycle
Take readings of various parameters during operation to:

- Determine the torque, power produced and steam consumption in

operation;
- Determine the thermal efficiency of the cycle.

Heat Pump
Take readings of various parameters during operation to:

- Determine the Power input, Heat output, and COP of the system in
both water and air mode;
- Plot the vapour compression cycle on an actual P-h chart and
compare it to the ideal cycle.

Petrol Engine
Take measurements and engine specs. to evaluate its theoretical
efficiency and the effect of insertion of an ideal turbocharger on the
efficiency of engine. 9
 REPORT and INSTRUCTIONS

- All are submitted in the pigeon-hole at our reception Room M517 before 14h00;
- For the first 3 weeks of pract., submission maybe done 10 days after the pract., and a week
later for all other pract. sessions;
- Note that late submissions will be given a mark of 0;
- Show all calculations in your report and provide the necessary drawing and diagrams;
- Report length: 7 pages max (all included);
- Students must arrive at the pract. venue at least 5 min before the scheduled pract. Time as no
delay will be tolerated;
- Each pract. will be about 10 minutes max and will run in the following order:
(1) – (2) – (3); (2) – (3) – (1) and (3) – (1) – (2).

For example: Group A1: Rankine cycle – heat pump – Petrol engine
Group A2: Heat pump – Petrol engine – Rankine cycle
Group A3: Petrol Engine – Rankine cycle – Heat pump

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