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PE
principles and practice
of engineering

mechanical: THERMAL and

FLUIDS SYSTEMS
sample questions + solutions
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Copyright ©2011 by NCEES. All rights reserved.

All NCEES sample questions and solutions are copyrighted under the laws of the United States. No part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written
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NCEES
PO Box 1686
Clemson, SC 29633
800-250-3196
www.ncees.org

ISBN 978-1-932613-61-2

Printed in the United States of America

November 2010 First printing
April 2013 Second printing
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CONTENTS

Introduction to NCEES Exams ................................................................ 1

About NCEES
Updates on exam content and procedures
Exam-day schedule
Admission to the exam site
Candidate Agreement
Scoring and reporting

Exam Specifications.......................................................................... 3

Sample Questions and Solutions

Morning Sample Questions ................................................................. 9

Afternoon Sample Questions ............................................................. 27

Morning Solutions .............................................................................. 51

Afternoon Solutions ........................................................................... 67

Psychrometric Chart ....................................................................... 89

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About NCEES
NCEES is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing professional licensure for engineers
and surveyors. It develops, administers, and scores the examinations used for engineering and
surveying licensure in the United States. It also facilitates professional mobility and promotes
uniformity of the U.S. licensure processes through services for its member licensing boards and
licensees. These services include the records program, study materials, credentials evaluations, exam
administration, and more.

NCEES is composed of member licensing boards from throughout the United States and its territories.

Updates on exam content and procedures

NCEES.org is our home on the Web. Visit us there for updates on everything exam-related, including
specifications, exam-day policies, scoring, and corrections to published study materials. This is also
where you will register for the exam and find the additional steps you should follow in your state to be
approved for the exam.

Exam-day schedule
Be sure to arrive at the exam site on time. Late-arriving examinees will not be allowed into the exam
room once the proctor has begun to read the exam script. The report time for the exam will be printed
on your Exam Authorization. Normally, you will be given 1 hour between morning and afternoon
sessions.

Admission to the exam site

To be admitted to the exam, you must bring two items: (1) your Exam Authorization and (2) a current,
signed, government-issued photo identification.

Candidate Agreement
The NCEES Candidate Agreement describes references and other personal materials allowed in the
exam room. It also describes other exam policies designed to protect exam content. This document will
be printed in your exam book. It is also available for download at NCEES.org. If you register to take an
NCEES exam, you are strongly encouraged to review this document prior to exam day, as you will be
asked to affirm that you abide by the policies and procedures it describes.

Scoring and reporting

NCEES typically releases exam results to its member licensing boards 8–10 weeks after the exam.
Depending on your state, you will be notified of your exam result online through your My NCEES
account or via postal mail from your state licensing board. Detailed information on the scoring process
can be found at NCEES.org.

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MECHANICAL
MORNING SAMPLE QUESTIONS

A psychrometric chart (normal temperature at sea level)

is provided on page 89 for your possible use. Unless
stated otherwise, assume sea level conditions.

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MECHANICAL MORNING SAMPLE QUESTIONS

101. Poisson's ratio is a term that arises in:

(A) heat transfer
(B) HVAC
(C) mechanical behavior
(D) vapor power cycles

102. Which of the following is used as a measure of energy efficiency of refrigeration systems?
(A) COP
(B) Hydraulic head
(C) Latent heat
(D) SHR

103. A system with an initial cost of $90,000 has an operating cost of $2.50/hr and is operated
16 hr/day for 300 days/year. After 10 years, the system has a salvage value of $10,000.
Assuming the interest rate is constant at 10%, the total annualized cost over the 10-year life is
most nearly:

(A) $12,000
(B) $14,000
(C) $20,000
(D) $26,000

104. You manage a manufacturing production department that operates 80 hr/week. The process has a
production rate of 60 units/hr, with a scrap rate of 1 out of 120 units. With a 10% lost production
time allowance, the number of good units that can be made per week is most nearly:

(A) 4,284
(B) 4,320
(C) 4,760
(D) 4,800

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MECHANICAL MORNING SAMPLE QUESTIONS

119. Which of the following factors is least likely to affect the fatigue life of a steel spring?

(A) Alternating stresses

(B) Cycle period
(C) Primary stresses
(D) Surface roughness

120. The 2,500-lbf load shown in the figure is supported by a beam that is secured by six 3/4-in.-
diameter bolts in a hexagonal array with neighboring bolts 3 in. apart. The shear stress is greatest
in which bolt?

(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 4

1 4

2,500 lbf

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THERMAL AND FLUIDS SYSTEMS

AFTERNOON SAMPLE QUESTIONS

A psychrometric chart (normal temperature at sea level)

is provided on page 89 for your possible use. Unless
stated otherwise, assume sea level conditions.

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THERMAL AND FLUIDS SYSTEMS AFTERNOON SAMPLE QUESTIONS

501. A U-tube manometer containing an unknown fluid is connected to a tank containing a gas. The
tank pressure is 19.4 psia, and atmospheric pressure is 14.7 psia. If the fluid height in the
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manometer is 35.0 in., the density (lbm/ft ) of the manometer fluid is most nearly:

(A) 1.6
ATMOSPHERE
(B) 19.3
(C) 62.4
(D) 232 GAS
P = 19.4 psia
35.0 in.

502. Steam at 900,000 lbm/hr exits a low-pressure steam turbine at 2.0 psia with 7% moisture content
2
and a velocity of 300 fps. The required cross-sectional area (ft ) is most nearly:

(A) 56.3
(B) 135
(C) 145
(D) 156

503. An airplane is flying at a Mach number of 0.85. If the absolute ambient pressure is 20.64 kPa
and the ambient temperature is –56.7°C, the airplane velocity (m/s) is most nearly:

(A) 251
(B) 292
(C) 344
(D) 395

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THERMAL AND FLUIDS SYSTEMS AFTERNOON SAMPLE QUESTIONS

525. Known data for a closed regenerative gas turbine cycle are given in the figure. Carbon dioxide
[cp = 0.203 Btu/(lbm-°R), cp/cv = 1.285, M = 44 lbm/lbmol] is the working fluid. Assuming
constant specific heats throughout, the heat added (Btu/lbm) from an external source is most
nearly:

(A) 108 REGENERATOR

(B) 137
(C) 157 Qout
(D) 255 Q=0 Qin

Wout

526. Given a hydronic piping system and a number of pumps, each having performance characteristics
as shown in the figure below, the minimum number of available pumps needed to supply the
required flow at system operation Point A is:

(A) two
(B) three
(C) four
(D) Cannot be done with the available pumps

120

100
PUMP CURVE
80

60
A
HEAD 40
(ft) SYSTEM CURVE
20

0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600

FLOW (gpm)

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MECHANICAL
MORNING SOLUTIONS

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MECHANICAL MORNING SOLUTIONS

101. Poisson's ratio is a measure of how a material deforms when acted upon by a force. It is applied
in situations where the mechanical behavior of a machinery component is important.

THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: (C)

102. The coefficient of performance (COP) is a measure of energy efficiency of refrigeration systems.
THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: (A)

103. Annualized purchase price over 10 years $90,000 (A/P, 10%, 10) = 0.1627
Annualized salvage value after 10 years $10,000 (A/F, 10%, 10) = 0.0627
Annual operating cost = (300 days/yr)(16 hr/day)($2.50/hr) = $12,000
Total annual cost = $90,000(0.1627) – $10,000(0.0627) + $12,000 = $26,016

THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: (D)

104. 80 hours – 10% lost production time = 72 hours

72 hours × 60 units/hour = 4,320 units  1 scrap/120 units × 4,320 units = 36 scrap
4,320 – 36 units = 4,284 units

THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: (A)

105. If Task C is delayed by 3 days, but has 2 days to spare while waiting on Task D, then the total
compensation delay will be 1 day of delivery time.

CONSECUTIVE DAYS TASK AND DURATION PLANNED

A (2) B (2) C (7)

0 2 4
REVISED-ACTUAL

D (11) 14 E (2)
13 15
E (2) 16

THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: (B)

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THERMAL AND FLUIDS SYSTEMS

AFTERNOON SOLUTIONS

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THERMAL AND FLUIDS SYSTEMS AFTERNOON SOLUTIONS

501. P = gL
Ppsig = Ppsia  Patm
= 19.4 psia  14.7 psia
= 4.7 psig
P lbf in 2 sec 2 1 32.2 lbm-ft 12 in.
ρ = 4.7 2  144 2    ×
gL in ft 32.2 ft 35 in. lbf-sec 2 ft
= 232.0 lbm / ft 3

THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: (D)

502. m = AV = AV/v

From steam tables
At 2 psia: v L = 0.016230 ft3/lbm
v V = 173.72 ft3/lbm
X = steam quality = 1 – moisture content
= 1 – 0.07
= 0.93
v = vL + X(vV – vL)
= 0.01623 + (0.93)(173.72 – 0.01623)
= 161.56 ft3/lbm
m = AV/v
3
900,000 lbm/hr = A (300 ft/sec)(3,600 sec/hr)/(161.56 ft /lbm)
2
A = 135 ft

THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: (B)

503. V = Mach number  speed of sound

= 0.85  c
0.5
= (0.85) [kRT]
0.5
  J   Nm  1 kgm  
= (0.85) (1.4)  287  (  56.7C  273 K)   
  kgK   J   s 2N  
V = 251 m/s

THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: (A)

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PE Sample Questions and Solutions Published by NCEES

Chemical
Civil: Construction
Civil: Geotechnical
Civil: Structural
Civil: Transportation
Civil: Water Resources and Environmental
Electrical and Computer: Computer Engineering
Electrical and Computer: Electrical and Electronics
Electrical and Computer: Power
Environmental
Mechanical: HVAC and Refrigeration
Mechanical: Mechanical Systems and Materials
Structural Engineering

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