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ME2121- Thermodynamics
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 Introduction
 for students who aspire to become a practicing Mechanical
Engineer.  with a title, Er (by the Professional Engineers Board).
 Thermodynamic functions of machines and cycles a key subject of
Mechanical Engineering
 Topics to be covered
 Review of fundamentals, definitions etc. (Tutorial #1),,
 Properties of pure substances, state diagrams, how to use steam
tables, temperature measurements and scale. (Tutorial #2)
 First Law of thermodynamics, steady flow energy equations,
applications (Tutorial #3),
 Second Law of Thermodynamics, statements of 2nd Law, Clausius
inequality, Clausius Clapeyron equation, entropy, entropy increase.
(Tutorial #4).
Mechanical Engineering,
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Texts & References
Cengel YA and MA Boles, Thermodynamics: an
engineering approach, 4th edition, McGraw Hill,2002
van Wylen GJ and RE Sonntag, Fundamentals of
classical thermodynamics, John Wiley & Sons, 1993
Rogers GFC & YR Mayhew, Engineering
Thermodynamics, Longmann, 1992
Engineering and Chemical Thermodynamics by MD
Koretsky, Wiley, 2004 (Advance reading)
Thermodynamics and Transport properties of fluids (SI
Units) by GFC Rogers and YR Mayhew, Blackwell.
Mechanical Engineering,
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ME2121- Thermodynamics
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What is Thermodynamics?
 A science that deals with the properties of matter and the
relationship between key variables -energy, heat, work,
temperature, enthalpy, entropy, etc.
 Treats all matters behave in a continuum manner,
 Based on simple postulates or laws, axioms for
behaviour of matters,
 To quantify efficiency, useful effects (work), etc.
 A tool to evaluate the viability of a machine or system
 To make investment decision on the thermo-economics
of projects, eg., micro-power plants, cooling and heating
plants, aeroplanes, fleet of vehicles, etc.
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ME2121- Thermodynamics
Chapter 1  4 / 9
 Historical background  people associated with thermodynamics
1. Joseph Black (1728-1799)-Noted for
his fundamental work on latent and
specific heats and for his discovery
of carbon dioxide.
1. Benjamin Thomson (1753-1814)
noted for his early statement on
the 1st Law, disproved the
caloric theory of heat.
2. http://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/~alanc/de
pt/black.htm
http://www.english.upenn.edu/Projec
ts/knarf/People/rumford.html
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Robert Mayer (1814-1878)  reported
the conversion between heat and
work.
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James P Joule (1818-1889)  noted for
his experiments in heat, formulated
the amount of heat to produce a unit
of work- the Joule Law.
http://www.mhtl.uwaterloo.ca/courses/
me354/mayer.html
http://www.mhtl.uwaterloo.ca/courses/me
354/joule.html
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Sadi Carnot(1796-1832)  noted for
the heat input to steam engine
and the work derived from it, laid
the foundation to 2nd Law (1824)
in the thesis, the motive of fire.
http://www.mhtl.uwaterloo.ca/courses
/me354/carnot.html
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Rudolf Clausius (1822-1888)  unified
the statements of 2nd Law 
axioms of thermodynamics.
http://www.mhtl.uwaterloo.ca/courses/
me354/clausius.html
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Lord Kelvin (1824-1907)  noted for the
absolute temperature scale.
Scottish Mathematician & physicist
http://www-groups.dcs.stand.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/
Thomson.html
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JW Gibbs (1839-1903)  noted for the
Gibbss law. First person to obtain
PhD in USA (Yale).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josiah_Willar
d_Gibbs
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ME2121- Thermodynamics
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Useful applications of Thermodynamics
Power plants  electricity production
Internal Combustion engines  work horse of our mode of
transportation,
Gas turbines  air transportation, ships, etc.
http://www.geae.com/engines/commercial/genx/2b_fett.html
Compressors  for air conditioning chillers, high
pressurized air, etc.
Desalination plants  multi-stage, adsorption, etc.
Biological processes  oxygenation in blood streams,
heart of animals, humans, etc.
Heat exchangers  chillers, heaters, processes, reactors,
Separation reactors- chemical plants
Mechanism of Photosynthesis  a thermodynamic
view point.
1. Fraction of useful wavelength of
solar spectrum = 0.25
2. Fraction of photons reaching the
leaves (containing chlorophyll) is
0.7 (70%).
3. Each photon of sunlight has 1.7
eV energy (1eV=1.609 x 10-19J)
CO2
O2
H 2O
4. I unit of glucose (plant matter) is
equivalent to 5 eV energy.
However, the process of
achieving 1 unit of plant matter
requires 8 photons (due to
losses)
Photosynthesis  a thermodynamic process
that occurs in plants
fraction of useful
wavelength effect
from incident light
 photosynthesis 
0.25
fraction of
absorbed light
spectrum in foilage
0. 7
fraction of amt of stored
energy in glu cos e ( 5 eV )
to incident photons ( 8 x 1.7 eV )
0.35
 0.06
chlorophyll
 Plant experiments:- 3744 Cal/g or 15665 J/g of glucose
(by EC Pielou  The energy of nature)
10
Kenaf plant
 known as a miracle plant for CO2 capture.
11
CO2 capture by Kenaf Plants  an excellent crop
12
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ME2121- Thermodynamics
Chapter 1  9/9
 Internal combustion engines
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:4-Stroke-Engine.gif (for engine)
http://www.dula.tv/watch.php?file=how-the-drinking-bird-works.flv (drinking bird)