Thermodynamics // L1

Examination / Duration: 1.5 hour

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Exercise 1.

A heat engine operates using the cycle shown in the picture. The working substance is 2
mole of helium gas, which reaches a maximum temperature of 327°C. Assume the
helium can be treated as an ideal gas. Process bc is isothermal. The pressure in states a
and c is 1 ×105 Pa , and the pressure in state b is 3 ×105 Pa. R=8 ,31 J / K ∙ mol.
1) Find the temperature and volume at each point.

2) Calculate the work and heat in each step.

 3) What is its efficiency of cycle?

4) Find this engine's efficiency with the maximum possible efficiency attainable with the hot and cold
reservoirs used by this cycle and compare it with the efficiency of cycle.

Exercise 2
For gallium, heat of fusion Lf = 8.04×104 J/kg and the melting point is 29.8 ℃=303 K . Your hand is at a
constant temperature of 37 ℃=310.1 K . Ignore heat losses to the surroundings.
If 25 g of the metal gallium melts in your hand,
5) What is the change in entropy of the gallium in this process? Is it positive or
negative?

6) What about the change in entropy of your hand? Is it positive or negative?

7) Is the magnitude of the change in entropy of your hand greater or less than that of the change in entropy
of the gallium?
Exercise 3.
Van der Waals equation for the real gas is given by formula:

( )
2
n a
P+ 2 ( V −nb )=nRT
V

Constants are: a=0.137 J∙m3∙mol−2, b=38.7⋅10−6 m3∙mol−1

During isothermal expansion from volume of 10 L to five times this volume. The initial pressure of the gas was
300 kPa, its amount of substance is 1 mol.
8) Determine the analytical expression and numerical value of temperature.
 9) Derive the analytical expression for W during this process using W =−∫ pdV integral.

10) Find the numerical calculation for W.

Exercise 4.
Ideal gas of a volume of 1 m3 at initial pressure of 200 kPa is expanding isothermally to occupy double of its
initial volume.
11) Determine the work performed by the gas during expansion, final pressure and the amount of heat
supplied to the gas.