Tutorial Sheet 5

(Exergy and Irreversibility)

1. A system undergoes a refrigeration cycle while receiving Q C by heat transfer at temperature TC and
discharging energy QH by heat transfer at higher temperature TH, there is no other heat transfer.
i) Using energy and exergy balance show that the net work input to the cycle can not be zero.
ii) Show that the coefficient of performance of the cycle can be expressed as

TC
T H Ed
1
T H T C
T o ( Q H Q C )

)(

where ED is exergy destruction and To is the reference temperature at dead state.

2. Determine the exergy in kJ at 0.7 bar and 90 0 C for 1 kg of (a) water (b) Refrigerant 134a (c) air as
an ideal gas with cp constant. In each case, the mass is at rest and zero elevation relative to an exergy
reference environment. T0 = 20 0C and P0 = 1 bar. Ans. 542.27 kJ, 12.51 kJ, 21.94 kJ.
3. The following figure provides steady state data for the outer wall of a dwelling on a day when the
indoor temperature is maintained at 20 0 C and the outdoor temperature is 0 0C. The heat transfer rate
through the wall is 1100W. Determine the rate of exergy destruction (a) within the wall (b) within the
enlarge system shown by outside line in figure. Ans. 44.7 W, 75.1 W.

4. A flow of air at 1000 kPa, 300 K is throttled to 500 kPa. What is the irreversibility? What is the
drop in flow availability? (Assuming air as ideal gas)
Ans. 59.6 kJ/kg, 59.6 kJ/kg
5. A steam turbine inlet is at 1200 kPa, 500 0C. The actual exit is at 300 kPa with an actual work of
407 kJ/kg. What is its second law efficiency? Ans. 0.98.
6. A steam turbine receives steam at 6 MPa, 800 0C. It has a heat loss of 49.7 kJ/kg and an isentropic
efficiency of 90%. For an exit pressure of 15 kPa and surroundings at 20 0C, find the actual work and
the reversible work between the inlet and the exit. Ans. Ans. 1483.91 kJ/kg, 1636.8.
7. One kg of water in a piston cylinder assembly initially at 1.5 bar and 200 0C, cools at constant
pressure with no internal irreversibilities to a final state where the water is saturated liquid. For the
water as the system, determine the exergy transfer accompanying heat and work transfer. Dead state
20 0C and 1 bar. Ans. -72.1 kJ, -586.3 kJ.
8. 1.1 kg of Refrigerant R134a is contained in a rigid insulated vessel. The refrigerant is initially
saturated vapor at -28 0C. The vessel is fitted with a paddle wheel from which a mass is suspended. As
the mass descends a certain distance, the refrigerant is stirred until it attains a final equilibrium state
of 1.4 bar. The refrigerant and suspended mass are the mere systems to experience change in state.
Determine (i) Change in exergy of the refrigerant. (ii) The change in exergy of the suspended mass.
(iii) Change in exergy of the isolated system of the vessel and pulley mass assembly. (iv) Destruction
of exergy within the isolated system. Ans. 2.4 kJ, -98.6 kJ, -96.6 kJ, 96.6 kJ.

9. Air in a piston/cylinder arrangement, as shown in Figure is at 200 kPa, 300 K with a

volume of 0.5 m3. If the piston is at the stops, the volume is 1 m3 and a pressure of 400 kPa is
required. The air is then heated from the initial state to 1500 K by a 1900 K (T res)reservoir.
Find the total irreversibility in the process assuming surroundings are at 20C. Ans. 303 kJ.

10. Air enters a compressor at ambient conditions, 100 kPa, 300 K, and exits at 800 kPa. If
the isentropic compressor efficiency is 85%, what is the second-law efficiency of the
compressor process? Ans. 0.92
11. Water vapor at 4.0 MPa and 400 0C enters an insulated turbine operating at steady state
and expands to saturated vapor at 0.1 Mpa. The effect of motion and gravity can be neglected.
Determine the work developed and the exergy destruction. Assuming T0 = 27 0C, P0 = 1 bar.
Ans. 177.12 kJ/kg.
12. An air flow of 5 kg/min at 1500 K, 125 kPa goes through a constant pressure heat
exchanger, giving energy to a heat engine shown in Figure. The air exits at 500 K and the
ambient is at 298 K, 100 kPa. Find the power the engine can produce. Ans. 63.9 kW.

13. Figure shows a device to develop power using a heat transfer from a high
temperature industrial process together with steam input. The figure provides
data for steady state operation. All surfaces are well insulated, except for the one
at 527 0C, across which heat transfer occurs at a rate of 4.21 kW. The device
develops power at a rate of 6 kW. Determine in kW. (i) Rate of exergy
accompanying heat transfer (ii) Net rate of exergy carried by the steam. (iii) The
rate of exergy destruction within the device. Ans. 2.67 kW, 4.99 kW, 1.66 kW.

14. A piston/cylinder has forces on the piston so it keeps constant pressure. It contains 2 kg of
ammonia at 1 MPa, 400 C, and is now heated to 100 0C by a reversible heat engine that
receives heat from a 200 0C source. Find the work out of the heat engine.

An air compressor takes air in at the state of the surroundings, 100 kPa, 300 K. The air exits at 400 kPa, 200C, at the rate of 2
kg/sec. Determine the minimum compressor work input.

\An insulated steam turbine, receives 30 kg of steam per second at 3 MPa, 350
0
C. At the point in the turbine where the pressure is 0.5 MPa, steam is bled off for
processing equipment at the rate of 5 kg/s. The temperature of this steam is 200
0
C. The balance of the steam leaves the turbine at 15 kPa, 90 % quality.
Determine the availability per kg of the steam entering and at both points at
which steam leaves the turbine, the isoentropic efficiency and the second law
efficiency for this process. Ans. 1109.6, 755.3, 195.0, kJ/kg, 0.797, 0.817.

A household refrigerator has a freezer at TF and a cold space at TC from which energy is
removed and rejected to the ambient at T A as shown in Figure. Assume that the rate of heat
transfer from the cold space, QC, is the same as from the freezer QF. Find an expression for
the minimum power to/from the heat pump. Evaluate this power when T A = 20C, TC = 5C,
TF = 10C, and QF = 3 kW.

5. A heat engine receives 5 kW at 800 K and 10 kW at 1000 K rejecting energy

by heat transfer at 600 K. Assume it is reversible and find the power output.

How much power could be produced if it could reject energy at T 0 = 298 K?

6. The compressor in a refrigerator takes refrigerant R-134a in at 100 kPa,

20 0C and compresses it to 1 MPa, 40 0C. With the room at 20 0C find the
minimum compressor work. (not in quiz)
9. An air compressor receives atmospheric air at T 0 = 17C, 100 kPa, and
compresses it up to 1400 kPa. The compressor has an isentropic efficiency of
88% and it loses energy by heat transfer to the atmosphere as 10% of the
isentropic work. Find the actual exit temperature and the reversible work.
(Major)
10. Water as saturated liquid at 200 kPa goes through a constant pressure
heat exchanger as shown in Figure. The heat input is supplied from a
reversible heat pump extracting heat from the surroundings at 17C. The
water flow rate is 2 kg/min and the whole process is reversible, that is, there
is no overall net entropy change. If the heat pump receives 40 kW of work
find the water exit state and the increase in availability of the water.

11. A piston/cylinder contains 1 kg water at 150 kPa, 20C. The piston is

loaded so pressure is linear in volume. Heat is added from a 600C source
until the water is at 1 MPa, 500C. Find the irreversibility of the process.