ME5022: Measurements in Thermal Engineering

Assignment #2
Date: 23rd Feb 2020

1) A U-tube manometer employs a special oil having a specific gravity of 0.82 for the
manometer fluid. One side of the manometer is open to local atmospheric pressure of 29.3
inHg and the difference in column heights is measured as 20 cm±1.0 mm when exposed to
an air source at 25◦C. Standard acceleration of gravity is present. Calculate the pressure of
the air source in Pascal’s (Pa) and its uncertainty.

2) a) A U tube manometer employs special oil having a specific gravity of 0.82 as the
manometer liquid. One limb of the manometer is exposed to the atmosphere at a pressure
of 740 mmHg and the difference in column heights is measured as 20 cm±1mm when
exposed to an air source at 25°C. Calculate the air pressure in Pa and the uncertainty.
(b) The above manometer was carelessly mounted with an angle of 3° with respect to the
vertical. What is the error in the indicated pressure due to this, corresponding to the data
given above?

3) (a) In an inclined tube manometer the manometer liquid is water at 20°C while the fluid
whose pressure is to be measured is air. The angle of the inclined tube is 20◦ . The well is
a cylinder of diameter 0.05 m while the tube has a diameter of 0.001 m. The manometer
reading is given to be 150 mm.
Determine the pressure differential in mm water and Pa. What is the error in per cent if the
density of air is neglected?
(b) Determine the error in the measured pressure differential if the reading of the
manometer is within 0.5 mm and the density of water has an error of 0.2%. Assume that
all other parameters have no errors in them. Neglect air density in this part of the question.

4) A certain thermometer has a time constant of 15 s and an initial temperature of 20°C. It is

suddenly exposed to a temperature of 100°C. Determine the rise time, that is, the time to
attain 90 percent of the steady-state value, and the temperature at this time.
5) Suppose the thermometer in above problem is subjected to a very slow harmonic
disturbance having a frequency of 0.01 Hz. The time constant is still 15 s. What is the time
delay in the response of the thermometer and how much does the steady-state amplitude
response decrease?

6) A U tube manometer uses mercury as the manometer liquid having a density of 13580
kg/m3 and kinematic viscosity of ν = 1.1×10−7 m2/s. The total length of the liquid is 0.6 m.
The tube diameter is 2 mm. Determine the characteristic time and the damping ratio for
this installation. Redo the above with water as the manometer liquid. The density and
kinematic viscosity of water are 996 kg/m3 and 10−6 m2/s respectively.

7) A first-order system experiences a phase shift of −45° at a certain frequency ω1. By what
fraction has the amplitude decreased from a frequency of one-half this value?

𝐶
8) A certain pressure transducer has a natural frequency of 5000 Hz and a damping ratio 𝐶 of
𝑐

0.4. Estimate the resonance frequency and amplitude response and phase shift at a
frequency of 2000 Hz.

9) A McLeod gage has VB Example 6.7 =100 cm3 and a capillary diameter of 1 mm.
Calculate the pressure indicated by a reading of 3.00 cm. What error would result if Eq.
(6.23) were used instead of Eq. (6.22)?

10) When is the Knudsen gage used?

11) Describe the ionization gage. How does it differ from the Pirani gage? What disadvantages
does it have?

12) (Here pls try with Matlab, this you need to submit as a Matlab program) You are dealing
with a 1st order measurement system. The input to this measurement system is a step
function, whose equations are described below. When T tends to zero, x(t) tends to infinity.
Impulse function is a step function applied over infinitesimal duration. Solve and find the
measurement system response when the below input is applied to it. Plot the input function
 and output response in Matlab taking A = 1 and time constant as 0.5. You can assume the
steady state gain (or static sensitivity) to be 1.

𝑥(𝑡) = 0, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡 < 0

x(t) = A/T, for 0<=t<=T
x(t) = 0, t>T

13) (For this problem as well, you pls try with Matlab, this again you need to submit as a Matlab
program, same as last problem) Evaluate by hand calculations the frequency response of
first order measurement system with τ = 0.2 s and τ = 0.002 s, when system subjected to
the following periodic signal

𝑥(𝑡) = sin(2𝑡) + 0.3 ∗ sin(20𝑡)

Plot in Matlab, the input signal and measurement system response for the above two cases
and comment on the resulting plot. Which of these two cases is preferable and why?
Hint: remember the measurement system function is to reproduce the input signal as
accurately as possible. Our measurement system is measuring an unknown signal and only
its output response is visible to us.

14) Calculate the time constant of a liquid in glass thermometer with a spherical bulb of 4 mm
inner diameter, assuming it as a 1st order system. Take density of mercury to be 13600
kg/m3. Specific heat capacity 0.15 kJ/kg/K and heat transfer coefficient h = 40 W/m2/K.
If the bulb is cylindrical with identical volume and diameter, what would be the time
constant?

15) A thermocouple has a time constant of 8 s and may be approximated as a first- order system.
If it is initially at a temperature of 40°C and suddenly exposed to a surrounding temperature
of l00°C, calculate the 90 percent rise time and the time to attain 99 percent of the steady-
state temperature.
 16) The thermocouple in the above problem is subjected to a harmonic temperature variation
having an amplitude of 15°C and frequency of 0.01 Hz. Determine the phase lag of the
thermocouple and the amplitude attenuation. Assume the time constant does not change.

17) A thermometer acting as a first-order system is initially at a temperature of 35°C and is

then suddenly subjected to a temperature of 110°C. After 8 s the thermometer indicates a
temperature of 75°C. Calculate the time constant and the 90 percent rise time for the
thermometer.

18) The following heat-transfer data points are expected to follow a functional form of
N = aRb. Obtain the values of a and b by the method of least squares:

What is the average deviation of the points from the correlating relationship?

19) (For this problem as well, you pls try to plot the output temperature response of
thermometer with Matlab, same as in problem 12 & 13) A thermometer goes through
sequence of transfers, as shown in the table below. Assuming each of these transfers to
be instantaneous, find the measured temperature after 30 s.

-----------------------------------------End of Assignment #2------------------------------------------