Module 4

Problem: 1
What is the highest cycle efficiency possible for a heat engine operating between 900 C and
30 C?
Answer: 74.2%
Problem:2
Two reversible heat engines operate in series between a source at 600 C and a sink at 30 C.
If the engines have equal efficiencies and the first rejects 400 kJ to the second, calculate:
(i) the temperature at which heat is supplied to the second engine;
(ii) the heat taken from the source;
(iii) the work done by each engine.
Assume that each engine operates on the Carnot cycle.
Answers: 241.3 C; 679.1 kJ; 279.1 kJ and 164.4 kJ.

Problem:3
Estimate the overall cumulative efficiency for domestic electrical and gas water heating, taking
into account energy losses in
Fuel production
Fuel transportation
Energy conversion to electricity
Transmission of electricity
Heating of water
Use the conversion efficiencies given in the table shown below:
Step Efficiency of step
(percent)
ELECTRIC (coal-fired)
Production of coal 96
Transportation of coal 97
Generation of electricity 33
Transmission of electricity 85
Water heating efficiency 92
GAS
Production of natural gas 96
Transportation of natural gas 97
Heating efficiency 64
Answers: 24.03% and 59.6%






Module 5
. Question:1
A steel pipe of 60 mm external diameter and 53 mm internal diameter carries a gas
flow at 150 C
through an air space at 10 C. Using the data below, calculate:
(i) a suitable thickness of glass fibre insulation;
(ii) the simple pay-back period for the insulation.

Data
Thermal conductivity of steel, 48 W/m K;
Thermal conductivity of glass fibre, 0.07 W/m K;
Heat transfer coefficient for inside surface of pipe, 100 W/m2 K;
Heat transfer coefficient for outside surface (with and without insulation), 10 W/m2 K;
The gas is heated by a boiler of efficiency 80 % burning gas at a cost of 1.3 c/kWh;
Plant in use for 3000 h per annum;
Insulation to be written off after five years;
Glass fibre thicknesses and costs: 19 mm at 476 c/m; 25 mm at 531 c/m; 32 mm at
632 c/m; 38
mm at 763 c/m; 50 mm at 1007 c/m.
Answers: 38 mm; 0.91 years.

Question : 2
Question:
A shell-and-tube heat exchanger similar to the one shown in the Figure below is
used to recover
energy from waste water at 30C to heat fresh water entering at 15C. The mass
flow rate of the
waste water is 2 kg/s which is the same as that of the fresh water. Using the data
given, calculate:
(i) the optimum rate of energy recovery;
(ii) the required heat transfer area;
(iii) the temperature of the fresh water at exit.

Specific heat of waste water and fresh water, 4.2 kJ/kg K.
Overall heat transfer coefficient, 2500 W/m K.
For a single shell-pass, two tube-pass heat exchanger take the following
characteristic
when R = 1.
Effectiveness 0 0.46 0.53 0.56 0.57 0.58 0.58 0.58
NTU 0 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0
Answers: 73.08 kW; 10.08 m2; 23.7C.
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