Top-rated ScreenCasts

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01.5 Real Fluids and Tabulated Properties Click here. 100 2

Double interpolation (uakron, 8min) is exactly what it sounds like: to find a steam property when neither the pressure nor temperature are among the tabulated values, you need to interpolate twice. We interpolate first on pressure, then on temperature. It is a bit tedious, but straightforward.

Comprehension Questions:
1. Describe how you would use double interpolation to obtain H if given T=275 C and P=0.45MPa.
2. Describe how you would use double interpolation to obtain H if given T=275 C and V=0.555m3/kg.
05.2 - The Rankine cycle Click here. 100 1

Rankine Cycle Introduction (LearnChemE.com, 4min) The Carnot cycle becomes impractical for common large scale application, primarily because H2O is the most convenient working fluid for such a process. When working with H2O, an isentropic turbine could easily take you from a superheated region to a low quality steam condition, essentially forming large rain drops. To understand how this might be undesirable, imagine yourself riding through a heavy rain storm at 60 mph with your head outside the window. Now imagine doing it 24/7/365 for 10 years; that's how long a high-precision, maximally efficient turbine should operate to recover its price of investment. Next you might ask why not use a different working fluid that does not condense, like air or CO2. The main problem is that the heat transfer coefficients of gases like these are about 40 times smaller that those for boiling and condensing H2O. That means that the heat exchangers would need to be roughly 40 times larger. As it is now, the cooling tower of a nuclear power plant is the main thing that you see on the horizon when approaching from far away. If that heat exchanger was 40 times larger... that would be large. And then we would need a similar one for the nuclear core. Power cycles based on heating gases do exist, but they are for relatively small power generators.
     With this background, it may be helpful to review the relation between the Carnot and Rankine cycles. (LearnChemE.com, 6min) The Carnot cycle is an idealized conceptual process in the sense that it provides the maximum possible fractional conversion of heat into work (aka. thermal efficiency, ηθ).
Comprehension Questions:
1. Why is the Carnot cycle impractical when it comes to running steam through a turbine? How does the Rankine cycle solve this problem?
2. Why is the Carnot cycle impractical when it comes to running steam through a pump? How does the Rankine cycle solve this problem?
3. It is obvious which temperatures are the "high" and "low" temperatures in the Carnot cycle, but not so much in the Rankine cycle. The "boiler" in a Rankine cycle actually consists of "simple boiling" where the saturated liquid is converted to saturated vapor, and superheating where the saturated vapor is raised to the temperature entering the turbine. When comparing the thermal efficiency of a Rankine cycle to the Carnot efficiency, should we substitute the temperature during "simple" boiling, or the temperature entering the turbine into the formula for the Carnot efficiency? Explain.
17.07 - Temperature Dependence of Ka Click here. 100 2

You can customize Kcalc.xlsx (uakron.edu, 17min) to facilitate whatever calculations you may need to perform. This presentation shows how to implement VLOOKUP to automatically load the relevant Hf, Gf, and Cp values. It also shows how to automatically use the Cp/R value when a,b,c,d values for Cp are not available. Finally, it shows how a fairly general table of inlet flows, temperatures, and pressures can be used to set up the equilibrium conversion calculation. The initial set up is demonstrated for the dimethyl ether process, then revised to initiate solution of Example 17.9 for ammonia synthesis.

Comprehension Questions:

1. The video shows how the shortcut Van't Hof equation can be written as lnKa=A+B/T. What are the values of A and B for the dimethyl ether process when a reference temperature of 633K is used?
2. The video shows how the shortcut Van't Hof equation can be written as lnKa=A+B/T. What are the values of A and B for the ammonia synthesis process when a reference temperature of 600K is used?
14.10 Solid-liquid Equilibria Click here. 100 2

Solid-liquid Equilibria using Excel (7:38min, msu)

The strategy for solving SLE is discussed and an example generating a couple points from Figure 14.12 of the text are performed. Most of the concepts are not unique to UNIFAC or Excel. This screeencast shows how to use the solver tool to find solubility at at given temperature.
08.02 - The Internal Energy Departure Function Click here. 100 1

Departure Function Derivation Principles (8:03) (msu.edu)
This screencast covers sections 8.2 - 8.8. Concepts of using the equation of state to evaluate departure functions. The screencasts also discusses the choice of density integrals or pressure integrals. The use of a reference state is discussed.
14.09 - Numerical procedures for binary, ternary LLE Click here. 100 1

LLE flash using Matlab/Chap14/LLEflash.m (5:54) (msu.edu)

An overview of the LLE flash routine in Matlab, including an overview of the program logic and then an example of how to run the program.

See also - Supplement on Iteration of LLE with Excel and Matlab.
09.05 - Fugacity and Fugacity Coefficient Click here. 100 1

What is fugacity? (10min) (learncheme.com) Defines fugacity in terms of Gibbs Energy and describes the need for defining this new property as a generalization of how pressure affects ideal gases.
Comprehension Questions
1. The phases in this video start with concentrations 0.0007kg/L and 1.0 kg/L, when not at equilibrium. What are the equilibrium concentrations?
2. Why is concentration an unreliable indicator for the direction of mass transfer?
3. Name two indicators for the direction of mass transfer that are superior to concentration.  
05.2 - The Rankine cycle Click here. 100 1

Thermal Efficiency with a 1-Stage Rankine Cycle. (uakron.edu, 12min) Steam from a boiler enters a turbine at 350C and 1.2MPa and exits at 0.01MPa and saturated vapor; compute the thermal efficiency (ηθ) of the Rankine cycle based on this turbine. (Note that this is something quite different from the turbine's "expander" efficiency, ηE.) This kind of calculation is one of the elementary skills that should come out of any thermodynamics course. Try to pause the video often and work out the answer on your own whenever you think you can. You will learn much more about the kinds of mistakes you might make if you take your best shot, then use the video to check yourself. Then practice some more by picking out other boiler and condenser conditions and turbine efficiencies. FYI: the conditions of this problem should look familiar because they are the same as the turbine efficiency example in Chapter 4. That should make it easy for you to take your best shot.

Comprehension Questions:

1. The entropy balance is cited in this video, but never comes into play. Why not?

2. Steam from a boiler enters a turbine at 400C and 2.5 MPa and exits a 100% efficient turbine at 0.025MPa; compute the Rankine efficiency. Comment on the practicality of this process. (Hint: review Chapter 4 if you need help with turbine efficiency.)
04.09 Turbine calculations Click here. 100 2

Entropy Balances: Solving for Turbine Efficiency Sample Calculation. (uakron.edu, 10min) Steam turbines are very common in power generation cycles. Knowing how to compute the actual work, reversible work, and compare them is an elementary part of any engineering thermodynamics course.

Comprehension Questions:

1. An adiabatic turbine is supplied with steam at 2.0 MPa and 600°C and it exhausts at 98% quality and 24°C. (a) Compute the work output per kg of steam.(b) Compute the efficiency of the turbine.

2. A Rankine cycle operates on steam exiting the boiler at 7 MPa and 550°C and expanding to 60°C and 98% quality. Compute the efficiency of the turbine.
05.4 - Refrigeration Click here. 100 2

Refrigeration Cycle Introduction (LearnChemE.com, 3min) explains each step in an ordinary vapor compression (OVC) refrigeration cycle and the energy balance for the step. You might also enjoy the more classical introduction (USAF, 11min) representing your tax dollars at work. The musical introduction is quite impressive and several common misconceptions are addressed near the end of the video.
Comprehension Questions: Assume zero subcooling and superheating in the condenser and evaporator.
1. An OVC operates with 43 C in the condenser and -33 C in the evaporator. Why is the condenser temperature higher than than the evaporator temperature? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Explain.
2. An OVC operates with 43 C in the condenser and -33 C in the evaporator. The operating fluid is R134a. Estimate the pressures in the condenser and evaporator using the table in Appendix E-12.
3. An OVC operates with 43 C in the condenser and -33 C in the evaporator. The operating fluid is R134a. Estimate the pressures in the condenser and evaporator using the chart in Appendix E-12.
4. An OVC operates with 43 C in the condenser and -33 C in the evaporator. The operating fluid is R134a. Estimate the pressures in the condenser and evaporator using Eqn 2.47.
5. An OVC operates with 43 C in the condenser and -33 C in the evaporator. Assume the compressor of the OVC cycle is adiabatic and reversible. What two variables (P,V,T,U,H,S) determine the state at the outlet of the compressor?

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