Engineering Thermodynamics Exam Review

Flashcards reviewing key vocabulary and concepts from engineering thermodynamics lecture notes.

Specific heat capacity

The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1kg of a material by 1°C.

Thermal diffusivity

The rate at which a material reacts to a sudden change in temperature to regain thermal equilibrium.

Thermal conductivity

The rate at which heat is transported within a solid material.

Natural Convection h-value

Typically ranges between 1-10 W/m²K.

Critical insulation radius

The total wall thickness at which the radial thermal resistance is minimized.

Lumped mass analysis

Simplifies thermal analysis by neglecting spatial temperature variations within an object.

Reynolds Number Effect

The heat transfer between a wall and a fluid increases with an increasing Reynolds number.

Prandtl Number

Indicates how the momentum and thermal boundary layers relate to each other.

Grashoff Number in Natural Convection

The Grashoff number determines the type of flow in natural convection.

Colored thermal radiation

Radiation with an intensity that is wavelength dependent.

Wien's Displacement Law

Heated charcoal reaches its highest temperature when it visually appears white.

Thermally black body

Has an emissivity of 1.

Heat Exchanger Outlet Temperature

The outlet temperature of the cold fluid can only be higher than the inlet temperature of the hot fluid in the case of a counter-current heat exchanger or a condensing gas/evaporating liquid.

Heat Exchanger Capacity Rate

In heat exchangers, the fluid with the smallest capacity rate (mc) experiences the largest temperature change.

U-value of a Heat Exchanger

Depends on the geometry and the type of fluid.

Syngas

A mixture of CO and H₂.

Complete Combustion Process

Occurs when C, H, and S are fully converted into CO₂, H₂O, and SO₂.

Lean Combustion Process

A process where λ> 1.

Adiabatic Combustion Process

In an adiabatic process with combustion in an open thermodynamic system where work is done, Σw=Σp Np[h+(h-h°)]P-ΣR NR [h+(h-h°)]R.

Adiabatic Flame Temperature

The temperature of the gases after complete combustion, without heat or technical work exchanged with the environment.