Thermodynamics

Performance of thermodynamic processes

Module 3
Prof. Anand Veeraragavan
anandv@[Link]
Co-Director, Centre for Hypersonics
School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering

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 MECH3400 Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer

Example 3.1 – Power Cycle

A power system salesman claims that the Organic Rankine cycle Engine he is selling can recover
40 kW of electricity from 123 kW of waste industrial heat at 110°C. Should you buy his system?

His claimed efficiency is 40/123 = 32.52%.

We just need to determine the theoretical maximum efficiency the turbine has.
We don’t know the other thermal reservoir to which the engine must transfer heat. But we can
generously assume 10 °C.
The maximum output of the turbine is the power when it operates in a reversible cycle between
these reservoirs, for which the efficiency is Carnot efficiency
𝑇𝑐 10 + 273.15
𝜂𝑡ℎ,𝑟𝑒𝑣 = 1 − =1− = 26.1%
𝑇𝐻 110 + 273.15

You clearly cannot trust the salesman, unless he subsequently tells you that the system must
exhaust heat to some particularly low temperature sink:
𝑇𝑐 𝑇𝑐
1− =1− = 32.52% 𝑇𝑐 = −14.6 ℃
𝑇𝐻 110 + 273.15
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Example 3.2 – Turbine

In Example 2.6, the gas through the turbine undergoes isentropic process with air entering the inlet at
500°C, and 8 Mpa. It reduces the pressure to 0.5 Mpa at turbine exit. Now, if the turbine process is not
isentropic, instead the air has outlet temperature of 107°C. What is the isentropic efficiency?
Strategy: Assume ideal gas. The isentropic power output is ℎ2,𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑐 − ℎ1 , and the actual
𝑃𝑖𝑛 = 8 𝑀𝑃𝑎 output is ℎ2,𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 − ℎ1 . Just need to determine all these enthalpies so that isentropic
𝑇𝑖𝑛 = 500°C efficiency can be calculated through
ℎ1 − ℎ2,𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙
𝜂 𝑇 =? 𝜂𝑇 =
ℎ1 − ℎ2,𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑐
ℎ1 is the inlet enthalpy and can be determined by inlet state: ℎ1 = 792.38 𝑘𝐽/𝑘𝑔
@ 𝑇1 = 773𝐾 (A-17 and interpolation).

Following the same method in Example 2.6, ℎ2,𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑐 = 360.34 𝑘𝐽/𝑘𝑔

𝑃𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 0.5 𝑀𝑃𝑎
ℎ2,𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 can be determined by outlet state which is known:ℎ2,𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 = 380.77 𝑘𝐽/𝑘𝑔
𝑇𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 107°C @ 𝑇1 = 380𝐾 (A-17 and directly read).
ℎ1 − ℎ2,𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 792.38 − 380.77
𝜂𝑇 = = = 95.27%
ℎ1 − ℎ2,𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑐 792.38 − 360.34
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 MECH3400 Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer

Example 3.3 – Compressed Nitrogen

A full high pressure nitrogen cylinder contains 10.4 kg of nitrogen at 20 MPa and 40°C. How
much work could be obtained from expansion of the cylinder contents in the room temperature
of 35°C? assume atmospheric pressure to be 0.1 MPa.
Assumptions: ideal gas; negligible eK, eP; constant specific heat.
𝑐𝑣 for nitrogen is 0.743, 𝑐𝑝 is 1.039 , R is 0.2968 (Table A-2)
Strategy: how much work can do is essentially the exergy of the gas at current state in the
20 MPa
given environment. Therefore:
40°C 𝑉2
𝜙 = (𝑢 − 𝑢0 ) + 𝑃0 𝓋 − 𝓋0 − 𝑇0 𝑠 − 𝑠0 + + 𝑔𝑧
2
10.4 kg
𝑢 − 𝑢0 = 𝑐𝑣 Δ𝑇 = 𝑐𝑣 𝑇 − 𝑇0 = 0.743 × 40 − 35 = 3.72 kJ/kg
𝑅𝑇 𝑅𝑇0 313 308
𝑇0 =35 °C 𝑃𝓋 = 𝑅𝑇 ⇒ 𝑃 0 𝓋 − 𝓋0 = 𝑃0 − = 0.1 × 0.2968 − − = −91 kJ/kg
𝑃 𝑃0 20 0.1
𝑃0 = 0.1 MPa 𝑇 𝑃
𝑠 − 𝑠0 = 𝑐𝑝 ln − 𝑅 ln = 1.039 × 0.0161 − 0.2968 × 5.2983 = −1.556
𝑇0 𝑃0
𝜙 = 𝑢 − 𝑢0 + 𝑃0 𝓋 − 𝓋0 − 𝑇0 𝑠 − 𝑠0 = 3.72 − 91 − 308 × −1.556 = 391.95 kJ/kg

𝑋 = 𝑚𝜙 = 10.4 × 391.95 = 4076.33 𝑘𝐽

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Explanation on “transfer”
• In practice, we can consider “boundary” including not only the visible
boundary but the immediate surroundings that has temperature gradient.
• The combination of system + this “boundary” is exactly the extended system.
• In this way, the “surroundings” is reduced to the environment.
For example:

A piston-cylinder device contains a statured liq-v water mixture at 100°C and is maintained at constant
pressure. During a process, 600 kJ heat is transferred to the surroundings air at 25°C. Determine (a)
entropy and exergy change of the water mixture, (b) the total entropy generation and exergy destruction
during this heat transfer process.

For (a)
Select system as the “liq-v mixture” alone: the heat transfer means 600 kJ heat leaving the system
and this “leaving” is an internally reversible process, because it can be reversed without creating
any irreversibilities inside the system by simply “adding” the same amount of heat.
Entropy and exergy changes are merely due to heat “leaving” the system.

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Explanation on “transfer”
A piston-cylinder device contains a statured l-v water mixture at 100°C and is maintained constant pressure in it. During a
process, 600 kJ heat is transferred to the surroundings air at 25°C. Determine (a) entropy and exergy change of the water
mixture, (b) the total entropy generation and exergy destruction during this heat transfer process.

Whereas the system remains constant temperature which means the heat “leaving” is an isothermal
process. Therefore, the entropy and exergy changes are
𝑄 −600 𝑇0 298
Δ𝑆𝑠𝑦𝑠 = 𝑆𝑏𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 = = = −1.61 kJ/kg Δ𝑋𝑠𝑦𝑠 = 𝑋𝑏𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 = 1 − 𝑄 = 1− −600
𝑇 100 + 273 𝑇 373
= −120.64 kJ
For (b)
Select the “boundary” as system which has 100°C on inner face and 25°C on the outer face: the heat
transfer means 600 kJ heat is crossing the system. This “crossing” is not a reversible process, because
100℃
it has temperature gradient. Apply entropy balance to the system. The state of the system is steady.
25℃ 600 600
∆𝑆𝑠𝑦𝑠 = 𝑆2 − 𝑆1 = 𝑆𝑖𝑛 − 𝑆𝑜𝑢𝑡 + 𝑆𝑔𝑒𝑛 = 0 ⟹ − + 𝑆𝑔𝑒𝑛 = 0 ⟹ 𝑆𝑔𝑒𝑛 = 0.4048 kJ/kg
373 298
Similarly, we can apply exergy balance on the system
𝑆𝑜𝑢𝑡 298 298
𝑆𝑖𝑛 ∆𝑋𝑠𝑦𝑠 = 𝑋𝑖𝑛 − 𝑋𝑜𝑢𝑡 − 𝑋𝑑𝑒𝑠 = 0 ⟹ 600 1 − − 600(1 − ) − X des = 0 X des = 120.6434 kJ
373 298
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Thermodynamics: Thermodynamic Processes & Exergy
 MECH3400 Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer

Example 3.4 – Steam Turbine Performance

1 kg/s of steam enters a turbine at 10 MPa and 400°C, and exits the turbine at 200°C and 100 kPa.
The turbine is currently generating 222 kW. What is its 2nd law efficiency, given T0 is 30°C?
Turbine is steady-flow device, so starting from the general rate form of exergy balance for CVs in a reversible manner:
𝑑𝑋𝐶𝑉 𝑇0 𝑑𝒱𝑠𝑦𝑠
=෍ 1− 𝑄ሶ − 𝑊ሶ − 𝑃0 + 𝑚𝜓
ሶ 𝑖𝑛 − 𝑚𝜓
ሶ 𝑜𝑢𝑡 − 𝑋ሶ 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑡 = 0
𝑑𝑡 𝑇 𝑑𝑡
𝑊ሶ 𝑟𝑒𝑣 2
⟹ = 𝜓𝑖𝑛 − 𝜓𝑜𝑢𝑡 Where 𝜓 = (ℎ − ℎ0 ) − 𝑇0 𝑠 − 𝑠0 + 𝑉 + 𝑔𝑧
𝑚ሶ 2
⟹ 𝑊ሶ 𝑟𝑒𝑣 = 𝑚ሶ × ℎ𝑖𝑛 − ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 − 𝑇0 𝑠𝑖𝑛 − 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑡

By looking up the table A-6, ℎ𝑖𝑛 = 3097 kJ/kg, 𝑠𝑖𝑛 = 6.2141 kJ/kg K @ inlet state
ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 2875.5 kJ/kg, 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 7.8356 kJ/kg K @ inlet state
𝑘𝑔
⟹ 𝑊𝑟𝑒𝑣 = 1 × 3097 − 2875.5 − 303.15 × 6.2141 − 7.8356 = 713.314 kW
𝑠

𝑊𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 222
𝜂 𝑇,𝐼𝐼 = = = 31.12 % This is a poorly designed turbine.
Thermodynamics: Thermodynamic Processes & Exergy 𝑊𝑟𝑒𝑣 713.314 7
 MECH3400 Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer

Example 3.5 – Heat exchanger

A heat exchanger used to generate high-pressure steam runs hot oil through tubes, generating
saturated steam in the shell at 5 bar pressure. Given that the input temperature of the oil is
180°C, the outlet temperature is 170°C, the heat capacity of oil is 2 kJ/kg/K, the flow-rate of
generated steam is 1 kg/s, and 20 kW of heat is lost from the steam to the surroundings (303 K),
what is the rate of exergy destruction in the heat exchanger?

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Example 3.5 – Heat exchanger

(Tin – Tout) kg/s

(2 x ln((180 + 273.15)/(170+ 273.15))

Ds = 0.044645 kJ/kg/K
702.94 kW

− 619.92 kW

5.876 kW

702.94 – 619.92 = 83.02 kW

5.876 kW

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