Learning outcome

A candidate who has passed the course will have a learning outcome in the form of acquired knowledge, skills, and general competence, as described below.

Knowledge

The candidate:

• knows the principles of conservation of mass, energy and of the amount of each element
• knows the concept of reversibility and a definition of the second law of thermodynamics
• is familiar with the entities of internal energy, enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs free energy
• is familiar with the concept of vapour/liquid equilibrium for pure substances
• is familiar with the concept of different equations of state
• is familiar with the concept of vapour/liquid equilibrium for mixtures
• knows the definition of a partial molar property
• is familiar with the entities of fugacity and activity coefficients
• is familiar with calculation procedures of thermodynamic properties in computers

Skills

The candidate:

• can calculate problems involving the principles of conservation of mass and energy
• can calculate equations involving the entities of internal energy, enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs free energy
• can argue about strengths and weaknesses of different equations of state
• can calculate processes involving heat and power machines including ideal and non-ideal heat and power cycle calculations
• can calculate problems involving vapour/liquid equilibrium for mixtures and fugacity and activity coefficients
• can argue about the inherent limitations of energy transformations
• can argue about strengths and weaknesses of different ways of computing thermodynamic properties

General competence

Course Description

The course consists of the following topics:

• The concepts of mass and energy conservation (1st law) and reversibility (2nd law) applied to closed and open (control volume) systems
• Thermodynamic cycles (e.g. thermal power plants, heat pumps, refrigeration)
• Exergy analysis and 1st and 2nd law efficiencies
• Relations between state functions and their derivatives
• Total differentials, partial differentials and their meaning
• Introductory description of thermodynamic energy functions (U, H, A and G), departure functions and thermodynamic reference states
• Selected volumetric equations of state for pure substances and mixtures
• Phase equilibrium in a pure substance, fugacity
• Calculation of vapor-liquid phase equilibrium in mixtures (dew point, bubble point and isothermal flash) by equation of state method and activity models

Teaching and Learning Methods

Lectures and tutorials are used.

Lectures (based on textbooks) are used to facilitate knowledge and to give a basis for calculations. Demonstrations of calculation programs are also used as a basis for the students’ own calculations. Tutorials are used to develop calculation skills.

Assessment Methods

Grading is based on an intermediate test which counts 30 % and a final exam which counts 70 % in the final grade.

In order to pass the course, the student must pass the final exam.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean