Gotland University Exergy Assignment

GABRIEL KOFI NZULU

GOTLAND UNIVERSITY

EXERGY EXERCISE

E.1. Compare the energy, exergy and exergy factor of a myonic atom to that of hydrogen atom if
we assume that the room is the ground state temperature and the exited state temperature is the
80°C.

Solution

let the nuclear charge of the myonic atom be Ze and also posses a negatively charge myon µ-. If
the mass of the myon is m   207me then we can calculate the potential energy of the myon as

Ze 2
Potential energy V ( r ) 
4 0 r

(A) The ground state of the hydrogen atom has the Rydberg energy given by
2
 e2  me
E1     13.6eV and the ground state energy of the myonic atom can
 4 0  2 2
be found as
2
  Z 2e2  m m 
(B) E     Z 2  2
 E1  (82 ) x 207 x(13.6)  18.929MeV
1 2 m
 4 0  2  e 

Comparing to the ground state energy of hydrogen atom, this energy is 1.39 x 106 times that of
hydrogen atom.

The exergy states of both the hydrogen and myonic atom will be the excited states when there is
thermal agitation to cause the electrons to be in random motion. We then take the T 0 to be 298
and T = 353.

(C) The exergy of hydrogen which is the energy in motion due to temperature change is
given by

 T  T0   353  298 
Eexhydrogen  E1    13.6   2.19eV
 T   353 

(D) The exergy factor for hydrogen is given by

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Eexhydrogen  T  T0 
   0.1558
E1  T 

The exergy of the myonic atom is given by

  T  T0 
(E) Eexmyonic  E1     18.929MeV (0.1558)  2.949MeV
 T 

Eexyonic  T  T0 
(F) The myonic exergy factor is 
   0.1558
E 1  T 

E.2. Water of mass 500g, which is at its boiling point of 100°C, is left to fall to a temperature of
35°C. Taken the specific heat capacity of water to be 4.2KJ/Kg/K, calculate the increase in
entropy.

Solution

Mass = 50g = 0.5Kg

Cv = 4200 j/Kg/K

Temperature T1 = 273.15+100 = 308.15K

T2 = 35 +273.15 = 308.15K and quantity of heat is given by Q = mCvT

Heat change is given by Q = U2 – U1 = mC vT2 – mCvT1 = mCv(T2-T1)

Q = 0.5 x 4200 x (100-35) = 136.5 kJ

Q  1 1  kJ
The entropy (S) can therefore be found as S   Q    77.16 kJ/K
T T
 2 T1  K

E.3 Calculate the available Energy, Exergy for Utilization and the exergy factor in permafrost.
Consider the soil to be of mud whose mass is 100,000 Kg.

ANSWER

Permafrost is a soil which is below the freezing point of water for two or more years. It is mostly
located in high latitudes but alpine permafrost can exist in both high and low latitudes.

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Climate changes leads to different extent of permafrost and it is believed that about 20% of the
land mass of the earth is made up of permafrost. It can form in any climate where the
temperature is below the freezing point of water and it becomes discontinuous in areas where the
temperature is between 5 to 0°C. Discontinuous permafrost can be divided into two types namely
extensive discontinuous permafrost where the permafrost covers between 50 and 90 percent of
the landscape and it is common in areas with temperatures between -2 and -4 °C and Sporadic
permafrost is the type which covers less than 50% of the landscape and it is found in areas where
the temperature is between 0 and -2°C. During summer thin active layer of overlying permafrost
thaws the surface and it is within this active layer that plants life can be supported due to the fact
growth occurs only in soil which is fully thawed in a particular year.

Calculation

The Heat capacity of mud is 2.512kJ/Kg/K

For continuous permafrost assuming the initial and final temperatures are T0= -2°C (271K) and
T= -4°C (269K) respectively, then

(a) The Exergy for utilization within these two temperatures is given by

T   271  269 
E  Q 0  1  100000x2.512   1867.66 Kj
T   269 

E  271  269 
(b) And the Exergy factor is    7.43 x10 3
Q  269 

The exergy factor for continuous permafrost is 0.00743%

(c) For Sporadic permafrost, let us take the initial and final temperatures to be 0 and -2
degree Celsius respectively. Then exergy of utilization is given by

T   273  271 
E  Q 0  1  100000x2.512   1853.87 Kj
T   271 

E  273  271
(d) And the Exergy factor is found to be    7.38 x10 3
Q  271 

The exergy factor of sporadic permafrost is 0.00738% which is the same as the exergy factor in
continuous permafrost.

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E.4. Which are the effects on the global climate if there is methane emission after thawing
permafrost by considering Russia? Calculate the exergy and exergy power for the period by
considering the theory below and taken the initial and final temperatures to be 0°C and -181.9°C
and taken the soil to be of mud.

ANSWER

THEORY

Permafrost is known to cover about 25% of the land in the northern hemisphere and this is likely
to change due to climate warming which may pose serious threat on the environment when
greenhouse gases are released. Methane found in the Arctic soils is produced by some bacteria
which are found in the anaerobic zone of the active layer below the water table and this is
transferred to the atmosphere via diffusion and bubble emission through water and also vascular
system of plants. Approximately 80% of methane that is produced in the anaerobic zone is
oxidized in the upper soil layer before it reaches the atmosphere. It is known that the variations
in climate are as a result of methane emission in the northern mires and peat land and this is
contributing to climate warming.

In Russia, the net flux of methane from the northern wetland is between 24-33 Mt with 22 Mt
coming from Western Siberia. Since the average residence time of methane in the atmosphere is
12 years it is estimated that if the other sinks and sources remain unchanged, by the middle of the
21 st century there will be an additional annual increase between 6–8 Mt of thawing of permafrost
and this in tend will increase the total amount of methane in the atmospheric by about 100 Mt.

CALCULATION
1 gm mole occupies 22.4 litres at 273 K and 1 atm.

C 12.01115, H 1.00797

16.043 g CH4 – 22.414 litres

Density (16.043 / 22.414) = 0.7157 g/litre or kg/m3.

Flux of methane in Russia is between 24-33 Mt so the average of methane is 28.5Mt = 28500Kg

The specific heat capacity of mud is 2.512Kj/Kg/K

The average resident time of methane in the atmosphere is 12 years

(i) The heat is given by Q  mcT  28500x2512x(191.1  273)  5870MJ

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Q  5870000000
(ii) The energy power is E p     15.51  15.5 j / s
t 12 x365 x 24

 T   273 
The exergy is found as E  C  T  T0  T0 In 0   2512x 28500181.9  273  273In 
 T   181.9 

The exergy is E = -14457MJ

The exergy power is then E = -14457MJ/12x365x24x60x60 = 38.2 J/s

E  T 
The exergy factor is given by  1    0.33
Q  T0 

So the exergy factor is approximately 0.33%

Conclusion
From theory it is estimated that there will an increase the radiative forcing due to the fact that the
sensitivity of the global temperature is 0.3°C for each 1 ppm of atmospheric methane; thus an
increase in the global mean annual air temperature. Drying and wetting of tundra contributes to
greenhouse emission and radiative forcing and as such under warmer climate there is the need to
establish good drainage system and enhance evapotranspiration so as to lower the water table and
improve soil ventilation in order to shift the existing balance to favour the production of CO2
rather than CH4 production.

Reference:

http://www.azocleantech.com/Details.asp?newsID=3240

E.5. Calculate the exergy of combustion of fossil fuel and the thermal exergy by considering
1kg mass of each constituent.

Answer to question 4

Chemicals that make up of fossil fuels consist of mixture of compounds and therefore represent
different combustion reactions. In calculating the exergy released during the combustion of fossil
fuels, the primary constituents such as isooctane for petroleum, carbon for coal and methane for
natural gas must be considered.

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Consider the balance equations of the constitutuents as shown below:

Petroluem Combustion: 2C8H18 + 25O2→ 16CO2 +18H2O + Ecombustion

Coal Combustion: C + O2 → CO2 + Ecombustion

Natural Gas Combustion: CH4 +2O2 → CO2 +2H2O + Ecombustion

Considering the heat of formation table below for the selected molecules we can easily calculate
the exergy of combustion as follows:

Element C H2 O2 CH4 H2O CO2 C8H18

Hf 0 0 0 -74.85 -241.8 -393.5 -255.1

(Kj/mol)

(i) Petroluem combustion: 2 mol(-255.1 Kj/mol) + 25 mol(0 Kj/mol) =16 mol(-393.5 Kj/mol) +
18mol(-241.8 Kj/mol)+ Ecombustion and this gives

Ecombustion = 2 (-255.1) –16 (-393.5) – 18 (-241.8) = 10,138.2 Kj and its exergy per molecule
Ecombustion/molcule = 5069.1 Kj.

(ii) Using the same method gives the exergy of combustion of the remaining constituents as
follows:

Ecombustion/molcule of Coal = 393.5 Kj and that of CH4 = 802.3 Kj

T
 T 
The thermal exergy is given Ethermal   C (T ' )1  0 dT '
T0  T' 

Assuming the heat capacity does not change with temperature for petroleum, then the exergy
becomes

 T 
Ethermal  C  T  T0  T0 In 
 T0 

(iii) For petroleum C = 2.140 Kj/Kg, T0= 298.15K and T is 398.85

 398.85 
Ethermal  2.140 x10 3 x1 398.85  298.15  298.15In 3
  29.84 x10 J
 298.15 

(iv) The energy transformation here is chemical → kinetic → heat energy

(v) For coal the heat capacity C is 1.26KJ/Kg, T0= 298.15K so the thermal exergy is given by

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Ethermal = mcT = 1x 1.26J/Kg/K x 298.15 = 375.67KJ

This thermal exergy is very high and it explains the reason why coal has not got boiling point but
sublimes.

(vi) For methane: Methane has different heat capacity at different temperatures hence the thermal
Exergy can be found as

Ethermal  mc1T1  c0T0   1300 x 2.226  275x 2.191KJ  65.275Kj

Reference

http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/topicreview/bp/ch14/liquids.php

http://www.diracdelta.co.uk/science/source/s/p/specific%20heat%20capacity/source.html

E.6 A gas with a fixed mass (Mg) and initial volume (V1) expands to three times that volume
at a constant pressure of 80 kPa and the temperature increased from 20°C to T 2. The internal
energy increased from 56kJ to 206kJ. Calculate the T2, mass, change in enthalpy. Assume there
is no friction existing in the process and take the Specific heat capacity of the gas to be
0.655kJ/Kg/K.

Solution

Mass = Mg,

Initial Volume = V1

Final Volume = 3 V1

Initial temperature = 20°C and final temperature = T2 ?

V1 V2 VT 3V x 293
  T2  2 1  1  879K
T1 T2 V1 V1

The temperature is given by 879K

The mass is found as

Q = U2 –U1 = mCvΔT

Q = 206-56 = 150kJ

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Q 150 x1000
Therefore mass is given by m    0.391Kg
C v T 0.655x1000(879  293)

Hence the mass is 0.391Kg

The enthalpy change is given by H  U  pV  (206  56)  80(3  1)  310kJ

The enthalpy is found as 310kJ

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