ENGRD221: Engineering Thermodynamics

Cornell University, Fall 2007

Hollister B14, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:40 am - 12:55 pm

Professor Nicholas Zabaras

To see what others think of us and the class, visit RateMyProfessor.com




Honor Code

Homework that is submitted to be graded should be your work alone. While you are encouraged to work with others (during office hrs or elsewhere) in understanding the material of each homework problem, it is illegal to copy homework from others or from other sources (e.g. solution manual). Failure to follow these restrictions, and giving or receiving unauthorized aid or assistance on exams are Cornell honor system violations and cases will be filed.

Top of ENGRD221 page


Reading assignments

  • Lecture 1 (8/23/07) pdf
  • Lecture 2 (8/28/07) pdf
  • Lecture 3 (8/30/07) pdf
  • Lecture 4 (9/04/07) pdf
  • Lecture 5 (9/06/07) pdf
  • Lecture 6 (9/11/07) pdf
  • Lecture 7 (9/13/07) pdf
  • Lecture 8 (9/18/07) pdf
  • Lecture 9 (9/20/07) pdf
  • Lecture 10 (9/25/07) pdf
  • Lecture 11 (9/27/07) pdf
  • Lecture 12 (10/02/07) pdf
  • Lecture 13 (10/04/07) pdf
  • Lecture 14 (10/11/07) pdf
  • Lecture 15 (10/16/07) pdf
  • Lecture 16 (10/18/07) pdf
  • Lecture 17 (10/23/07) pdf
  • Lecture 18 (10/25/07) pdf
  • Lecture 19 (10/30/07) pdf
  • Lecture 20 (11/1/07) pdf
  • Lecture 21 (11/6/07) pdf
  • Lecture 22 (11/8/07) pdf
  • Lecture 23 (11/13/07) pdf
  • Lecture 24 (11/15/07) pdf
  • Lecture 25 (11/20/07) pdf
  • Lecture 26 (11/27/07) pdf
  • Lecture 27 (11/29/07) pdf

Top of ENGRD221 page


Recitation notes

These handouts provide any material covered in the recitations that maybe useful to the class. Also any other notes that any of the TAs have prepared for their students will be listed here.
  • Week 1 (Aug. 27 - Sept. 2) pdf
  • Week 2 (Sept. 3 - Sept. 9) pdf
  • Week 3 (Sept. 10 - Sept. 16) pdf
  • Week 4 (Sept. 17 - Sept. 24) pdf
  • Week 5 (Sept. 24 - Oct. 1) pdf
  • Week 6 (Oct. 1 - Oct. 10) pdf
  • Week 7 (Oct. 15 - Oct. 22) pdf
  • Week 8 (Oct. 22 - Oct. 29) pdf
  • Week 9 (Oct. 29 - Nov. 5) pdf
  • Week 10 (Oct. 5 - Nov. 29) pdf

Top of ENGRD221 page


Homework

  • Homework 1 (due Monday September 3nd) pdf
  • Homework 2 (due Monday September 10th) pdf
  • Homework 3 (due Monday September 17th) pdf
  • Homework 4 (due Monday September 24th) pdf
  • Homework 5 (due Monday October 1st) pdf
  • Homework 6 (due Friday October 5th, 5 pm) pdf
  • Practice Prelim I (solutions to be posted 10/11, 9 am) pdf
  • Homework 7 & 8 (due Monday October 22nd, 5 pm) pdf
  • Homework 9 (due Monday October 29th, 5 pm) pdf
  • Homework 10 (due Monday November 5th, 5 pm) pdf
  • Homework 11 (due Monday November 12th, 5 pm) pdf
  • Practice Prelim II (solutions to be posted 11/8, 11:40 am) pdf
  • Homework 12 (due Wednesday November 28th, 5 pm) pdf
  • Homework 1 solutions pdf
  • Homework 2 solutions pdf
  • Homework 3 solutions pdf
  • Homework 4 solutions pdf
  • Homework 5 solutions pdf
  • Homework 6 solutions pdf
  • Practice Prelim I solutions pdf
  • Homework 7&8 solutions pdf
  • Homework 9 solutions pdf
  • Homework 10 solutions pdf
  • Practice Prelim II solutions pdf
  • Homework 11 solutions pdf
  • Homework 12 solutions pdf

Top of ENGRD221 page


Exams

Policy for make-up exams: If there is a documented conflict with another exam, we will provide a make-up exam 2-3 hours before our regular exam. We strongly discourage you from requesting a make-up exam at another time and day. This way all students take the same exam and issues of varying degree of difficulty between exams do not arise. We will work with each of you case-by-case if there is an unexpected `emergency'. We are very sorry if the days of the exam (including the final) are not convenient to your overall (travel) plans. Failure to take any of the exams will result in an automatic loss of grade.

Top of ENGRD221 page


Basic course info

Credit: 3 Units.

Lectures: Tues./Thurs. 11:40 -- 12:55, HO B14 (Prof. N. Zabaras)

Recitations:

  • Recitation 1: Tuesdays 2:30-3:20 p.m., UP 111 (TA: Xiang Ma and Iris Choi) -- registered as SEC 4.
  • Recitation 2: Thursdays: 2:30-3:20 p.m., SN G01 (TA: Yuan Xiang Chew and Kobbina Awuah) -- registered as SEC 5.
  • Recitation 3: Thursdays: 2:30-3:20 p.m., IV 219 (TA: Roland Florenz and Xiang Ma) -- registered as SEC 6.

Professor: Nicholas Zabaras, 188 Frank H. T. Rhodes Hall.

Teaching Assistants:

HW or exam re-grading: The grader for the class is Hon C. Hoi. For regrades, please submit your HW or prelim within two days after its return to you to any of the TAs during office hours or in your recitation. No regrades will be considered after that time. Be sure to attach to your HW/prelim a clear statement explaining what you need to be regraded and why.

Office hours:

You are encouraged to attend the office hours of any of the TAs and not only of your recitation TA. The office hours can be of much higher benefit if you already have spent some time working the HW problems and you come prepared to ask the right questions.
  • Mondays: 4:00-5:45 pm (Rhodes 151). All TAs are available to meet with you at this location for a one-to-one advising basis (Email your TAs two days in advance to arrange for such meetings). Please take advantage of this unique opportunity.
  • Tuesdays: Professor N. Zabaras, 4:00-5:30 pm (Rhodes 151).
  • Wednesdays: Kobbina Awuah, 5:00-7:00 pm (Rhodes 151).
  • Thursdays: Professor N. Zabaras, 3:15-4:15 pm (Rhodes 151) and Roland Florenz, 4:15-5:30 (Rhodes 151).
  • Saturdays: Xiang Ma and Kobbina Awuah, 5:00-7:00 pm (Rhodes 178).
  • Sundays: Iris Choi, Roland Florenz & Yuan Chew, 5:00-7:00 pm (Rhodes 178).

Exam Schedule:

Closed books & notes. You need to be able to derive simple formulas using the fundamental laws of thermodynamics. Some formulas and Tables will be provided as needed. Only simple calculators will be allowed in the exam for manipulating data. Electronic and wireless communications are serious violations of the course policy and prohibited.
  • Exam 1: 10/11/2007, 7:30-9:30 pm, OH 155.
  • Exam 2: 11/15/2007, 7:30-9:30 pm, OH 155.
  • Final Exam: Fri, Dec 7, 2:00 - 4:30 pm, HO B14.

Required textbook:


Optional references:


Homework: assigned each Monday evening on the course web site and due the following Monday by 5 pm in the designated homework box in Upson 123 (the small room leading to the Upson Lounge kitchen). Be sure that you indicate your recitation section (and your name!) on the top of the first page of your HW. We will not accept late homework -- if there was a serious reason for that please talk to Prof. Zabaras as the TAs are not authorized to accept late HWs. Homeworks will be returned in your recitation. The TAs have been instructed to keep your HW for only one extra week in case you miss a recitation.

Working on homework: You are strongly encouraged to work and discuss the homework in small groups during and outside office hours and recitations. It is more important to understand the theory and methodology needed to solve each HW problem rather than receiving a good HW grade!!

Grading: Homework 20%, two prelims 40%, and final exam 40%.

Prerequisites: Calculus for Engineers (MATH 192), Physics I: Mechanics (PHYS 112).

Top of ENGRD221 page


Course description

The definitions, concepts, and laws of thermodynamics. Applications to ideal and real gases, vapor and gas power systems and heat pump systems. Combustion, chemical equilibrium, chemical kinetics and phase transitions. The course will introduce students to real world energy systems and develop analysis techniques for these systems. A systematic problem solving process will be emphasized.

Course objectives:

  • understanding of thermodynamic principles
  • apply the first and second laws of thermodynamics
  • understanding of the basic relations among physical properties of materials
  • develop the ability to apply thermodynamic reasoning and basic mathematics to applications in real world energy systems including power cycles, reverse cycles, simple combustion systems, phase transformations and kinetics, etc.

Intended audience: Engineering Sophomores.

Preliminary syllabus

  1. Introduction, thermodynamic systems and processes, equilibrium, thermodynamic variables, intensive and extensive variables, thermodynamic properties
  2. State functions, derived intensive variables
  3. Types of work, kinetic and potential energy, the first law of thermodynamics, internal energy, energy transfer by heat, energy balance, energy analysis of cycles
  4. Quasistatic processes, reversibility, heat capacities, Property relations relevant to engineering thermodynamics, p-v-T relation
  5. Evaluating thermodynamic properties, generalized compressibility chart
  6. Ideal gas model, internal energy, enthalpy and specific heat of ideal gases
  7. Evaluating changes in specific enthalpy and internal energy for ideal gases, polytropic process of an ideal gas
  8. Introducing the control volume, conservation of mass and energy in a control volume
  9. Steady-state and transient forms of mass and energy rate balances
  10. Second law of thermodynamics, irreversible processes, entropy
  11. Applying the second law to thermodynamic cycles, the Carnot cycle
  12. The Clausius inequality, entropy changes, evaluating entropy data
  13. Entropy balance for closed systems, entropy rate balance for control volumes, isentropic processes, isentropic efficiencies of turbines, nozzles, etc.
  14. Equations of state, property relations from exact differentials, fundamental thermodynamic functions, relations for gas mixtures and multi-component systems, the Gibbs-Duhem relation
  15. Chemical and phase equilibrium, phase transitions, Gibbs free energy and phase diagrams, chemical potential, chemical potential in solutions, ideal reacting gas mixture
  16. Properties of mixtures and solutions, solute concentration effects on freezing, solidification and boiling
  17. Free energy analysis of reactions, coupling to drive thermodynamically unfavorable reactions
  18. Chemical kinetics, transition states, activation energy, Arrhenius equation, temperature and concentration effects on kinetics
  19. Thermodynamics of materials, solution thermodynamics,  unstable solutions, equilibrium conditions for solid solutions, surface thermodynamics, review of applications

Top of ENGRD221 page