SSN College of Engineering

Department of Mechanical Engineering

ME 8391 – Engineering Thermodynamics
Unit I - Problems on Heat/Work Transfer

1. Calculate the work done by the apple if it falls from a tree to just above Newton’s head at

a distance of 1.5 m. Assume mass of the apple is 200 g.

2. Gas from a bottle of compressed air is used to inflate an inelastic flexible balloon,

originally folded completely flat to a volume of 0.6 m3. If the barometer reads 760 mm of

Hg, what is the amount of work done on the atmosphere by the balloon?

3. A mass of 1.5 kg of air is compressed in a quasi-static process from 0.1 MPa to 0.7 MPa

for which pv = constant. The initial density of air is 1.16 kg/m3. Find the work done by

the piston to compress the air. (Ans. 251.62 kJ)

4. A gas in a piston–cylinder assembly undergoes an expansion process for which the

relationship between pressure and volume is given by pVn = C. The initial pressure is 0.3

MPa, the initial volume is 0.1 m3 and the final volume is 0.2 m3. Determine the work for

the process in kJ if i) n = 1.5, ii) n = 1.0, iii) n = 0 and iv) n = α.

5. A mass of gas is compressed in a quasi-static process from 80 kPa, 0.1 m3 to 0.4 MPa,

0.03 m3. Assuming that the pressure and volume are related by pVn = constant, find the

work done by the gas system. (Ans. –11.83 kJ)

6. A single-cylinder, double-acting, reciprocating water pump has an indicator diagram

which is a rectangle 0.075 m long and 0.05 m high. The indicator spring constant is 147

MPa per m. The pump runs at 50 rpm. The pump cylinder diameter is 0.15 m and the

piston stroke is 0.20 m. Find the rate in kW at which the piston does work on the water.

(Ans. 43.3 kW)

7. A piston and cylinder machine containing a fluid system has a stirring device in the

cylinder. The piston is frictionless and is held down against the fluid due to atmospheric
 pressure of 101.325 kPa. The stirring device is turned 10000 revolutions with an average

torque against the fluid of 1.275 N m. Meanwhile the piston of 0.6 m diameter moves out

0.8 m. Find the net work transfer for the system.

8. A system of volume V contains a mass m of gas at pressure p and temperature T. The

macroscopic properties of the system obey the following relationship: (p + a /V2) (V- b) =

mRT, where a, b, and R are constants. Obtain an expression for the displacement work

done by the system during a constant-temperature expansion from volume V1 to volume

V2. Calculate the work done by a system which contains 10 kg of this gas expanding from

1 m3 to 10 m3 at a temperature of 293 K. Use the values a = 15.7 × 10 N m4 , b = 1.07

×10−2 m3 and R = 0.278 kJ/kg K. (Ans:1742 kJ)

9. If a gas of volume 6000 cm3 and at a pressure of 100 kPa is compressed quasistatically

according to pV2 = C until the volume becomes 2000 cm3, determine the final pressure

and the work transfer. (900 kPa, -1.2 kJ)

10. A gas at a pressure of 1.5 bar and volume of 0.5 m3 freely expands to 1 bar and 0.8 m3

isothermally. Calculate the work done by the gas.

11. A car battery has a specification of 12 volts and 5 amperes. It is used to run a motor for

two minutes, which drives a shaft to raise a weight of 305 kg by a height of 2 m. The

motor runs at a speed of 500 rpm and the torque produced by it is 1.114 N m. Considering

the pulley and the rope to be of negligible mass and neglecting effects of friction,

calculate the work transfer by the (a) battery, (b) motor and (c) weight.