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EXAMPLE: 1
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
1. A container has two compartments separated by a membrane as shown in Figure E1.1.
Compartment A has 2 kg of air and a volume of 1 m3; compartment B has 1.5 m3 of air with a
specific volume of 2.5 m3/kg. If the membrane is broken, determine the resultant specific
volume. (0.96154 m3 /kg)
2. A cylinder with a total volume of 1 m3 has a movable piston as shown in Figure E1.2. When
the piston is at one fourth of the length, both sides have same specific volume of 4 m 3/kg.
Determine the specific volumes of both sides when the piston is at middle of the cylinder.
(8 m3 /kg, 2.667 m3 /kg)
3. Figure E1.3 shows a tank within a tank, each containing air. Pressure gage A is located inside
the tank B and reads 140 kPa. The U-tube manometer connected to tank B contains mercury.
Using data on the diagram, determine the absolute pressures inside the tank A and tank B.
(127.67 kPa, 267.67 kPa)
4. A large chamber is separated into two
compartments which are maintained at different pressures, as shown Figure E1.4. Pressure
gauge A reads 180 kPa, and pressure gauge B reads 120 kPa. If the barometric pressure is 100
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kPa, determine the absolute pressure existing in the compartments and the reading of gauge C.
(220 kPa, 40 kPa, – 60 kPa)
5. The piston of a vertical piston cylinder device containing as gas has a mass of 50 kg and a cross
sectional area of 0.02 m2, as shown in Figure E1.5.
(a) Determine the pressure inside the cylinder.
(b) During some process heat is lost by the gas to the surroundings and its volume decreases
to ¾ th of the initial volume, determine its final pressure. [Take 𝑃𝑎𝑡𝑚 = 100 kPa and 𝑔 =
9.81 m/s2] (124.525 𝑘𝑃𝑎, 124.525 𝑘𝑃𝑎)
Figure E1.5
6. A gas is contained in a vertical, frictionless piston–cylinder device shown in Figure E1.6. The
piston has a mass of 4 kg and a cross-sectional area of 35 cm2. A compressed spring above the
piston exerts a force of 60 N on the piston. If the atmospheric pressure is 95 kPa, determine
the pressure inside the cylinder. (123.4 kPa)
7. A 15 kg piston in a cylinder with diameter of 0.15 m is loaded with a linear spring and the
outside atmospheric pressure of 100 kPa, as shown in Figure E1.7. The spring exerts no force
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on the piston when it is at the bottom of the cylinder and for the state shown, the pressure is
300 kPa with volume of 0.02 m3. The valve is opened to let some air in, causing the piston to
rise 5 cm. Find the new pressure. [Take 𝑔 = 9.81 𝑚/𝑠 2 ] (308.47 kPa)
8. A new scale N of temperature is devised in such a way that the freezing point of ice is 1000N
and boiling point is 4000N. What is the temperature reading on this new scale when the
temperature is 1500C? At what temperature, both the Celsius and new temperature scale
reading would be the same? (550 0𝑁, −50)
EXAMPLE 1