3 Exp 3. 1st Law Open System-SFEE

Engineering Thermodynamics Practical
Experiment No. 3
Aim: Study 1st law of thermodynamics applied to an open system.
Theory:
Applications of First Law of Thermodynamics
First law of thermodynamics when it is applied to an open system has got tremendous
applications all across industries. Using this law you can predict how much is the pressure
drop across the nozzle, or how much is the energy required by the pump to pump the fluid
out, or what is the heat transfer in heat exchanger, or what is the amount of work produced by
the turbine.
The First Law of Thermodynamics: Open Systems:
The system is no more closed now, it’s an

open system. The mass is continuously varying. It
can have an inlet mass flow rate at particular pressure
and particular velocity. Similarly there will be exit
flow rate of particular pressure and velocity. Here
also our objective is the same. We want to find out
energy change of the gas or the system. But here it is
not possible to pin point a particular quantity of gas.
The gas is continuously flowing. So before
proceeding to the energy change calculation, we have
to define a system first, a control volume where you
will do energy balance.
Here the dotted line represents the control volume, or the space at which we will do
energy balance. Here you can see there are 4 energy interactions to the system. 2 energy
interactions which are coming to the system and another 2 energy interactions which leave
the system. So if you want to find out energy change in system you should add energy
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transfer due to heat flow and inlet mass flow

and subtract energy transfer due to work done
and exit mass flow. So for an open system
change in energy will be as follows.
Note that the flow stream has got 3 components of energy. Internal energy, kinetic
energy and potential energy. Z represents the altitude of flow stream. This equation is the first
law of thermodynamics for an open system.
Concept of Flow work & Enthalpy
But for an open system the term W, work done by the gas should be carefully
examined. Here the gas is doing work to push the cylinder up, plus it is doing work to suck
the fluid in or eject the fluid out. Or to maintain the flow gas has to do some work. This kind
of work, the work which is required to maintain the flow is known as flow work. So the total
work done by the system will be summation of visible work and flow work.
Wcv represents the visible work, in this case the work done by the gas on the piston.
And we know flow work is the work required to eject the fluid out or suck the fluid out. The
work required to eject the fluid out will be force at exit portion multiplied by velocity of this
stream. Force is same as pressure at that portion times area. So we can represent flow work
like this.
If you do some rearrangement to the equation by substituting volumetric flow rate as

mass flow rate into specific volume, by representing u+Pv as a new property enthalpy,
The above equation will be simplified like this.
This is the final and most useful form of first law of thermodynamics for an open system.

Steady Flow Engineering Devices
Many engineering devices operate essentially under unchanged conditions for long
periods. For example, the industrial appliances such as turbines, compressors, heat
exchangers and pumps may operate nonstop at steady state for months before they are shut
down for maintenance. In this section, we will deal with devices such as nozzles, turbines,
compressors, heat exchangers, boilers, and condensers. The emphasis will, however, be on
the overall functions of the devices, and the steady flow energy equation will be applied to
these devices treating them more or less like black boxes.
1) Nozzles & Diffusers
Nozzles and diffusers are properly shaped ducts which are used to increase or
decrease the speed of the fluid flowing through it. Schematics of a typical nozzle and a
typical diffuser are shown in Figure. Nozzles are used for various applications such as to
increase the speed of water through a garden hose, and to increase the speed of the gases
leaving the jet engine or rocket. Diffusers are used to slow down a fluid flowing at high
speeds, such as at the entrance of a jet engine.
Since no shaft work is involved in a nozzle or a diffuser, and since the potential
energy difference across a nozzle or a diffuser is usually negligible, the steady flow energy
equation for flow through a nozzle or a diffuser becomes.
The flow through nozzles and diffusers are often considered adiabatic, so that the rate of heat
transfer is neglected. Therefore equations reduces to
for adiabatic nozzles and diffusers. It can be clearly seen in above equation that an increase in
the speed of the flow is accompanied by a decrease in its enthalpy, as in the case of flow

through an adiabatic nozzle. And, a decrease in the speed of the flow is accompanied by an
increase in its enthalpy, as in the case of flow through an adiabatic diffuser.
2) Turbines
A turbine is a device with rows of blades mounted on a shaft

which could be rotated about its axis (see Figure 1). In some
water turbines used in hydroelectric power stations, water at
high velocity is directed at the blades of the turbine to set the
turbine shaft in rotation. The work delivered by the rotating
shaft drives an electric generator to produce electrical energy.
In steam turbines, steam at high pressure and temperature
enters a turbine, sets the turbine shaft in rotation, and leaves at low pressure and temperature.
In gas turbines, gaseous products of combustion at high pressure and temperature set the
turbine shaft in rotation. The rotating shaft of a turbine is not always used for electric power
generation. It is also an essential part of a jet engine in an aircraft which generates the thrust
required to propel the aircraft. The schematic of a turbine is shown in Figure. Since the fluid
flowing through a turbine usually experiences negligible change in elevation, the potential
energy term is neglected. Work always leaves the turbine, and therefore the (W˙s)in term in
equation is negative. The steady flow energy equation for flow through a turbine may
therefore be written as
The fluid velocities encountered in most turbines are large, and the fluid experiences a
significant change in its kinetic energy. However, if this change is small compared to the
change in enthalpy then the change in kinetic energy may be neglected. If the fluid flowing
through the turbine undergoes an adiabatic process, which is usually the case, then Q˙ in = 0.
Under such conditions, equation reduces to
which clearly shows that the shaft work delivered by an adiabatic turbine is derived from the
enthalpy loss by the fluid flowing through the turbine.
3) Compressor
A compressor is a device used to increase the pressure

of a gas flowing through it. The rotating type compressor
functions in a manner opposite to a turbine. To rotate the shaft
of a compressor, work must be supplied from an external
source such as a rotating turbine shaft. The blades that are
mounted on the shaft of the compressor are so shaped that,
when the compressor shaft rotates, the pressure of the fluid
flowing through the compressor increases. The rotating type compressors are used to raise the

pressure of the air flowing through it in the electricity generation plants and in the jet engines.
In a reciprocating type compressor, a piston moves within the cylinder, and the work needed
to move the piston is generally supplied by the electricity obtained from a wall socket.
Household refrigerators use the reciprocating type of compressors to raise the pressure of the
refrigerant flowing through them. A schematic of a compressor is shown in Figure.
The potential energy difference across a compressor is usually neglected, and the
steady flow energy equation for flow through it becomes
A pump works like a compressor except that it handles liquids instead of gases. Fans
and blowers are compressors which impart a very small rise in the pressure of the fluid
flowing through them, and are used mainly to circulate air. Equation may be used to describe
the flows through pumps, fans and blowers.
The velocities involved in these devices are usually small to cause a significant
change in kinetic energy, and often the change in kinetic energy term is neglected. If the
compressor, pump, fan or blower is operated under adiabatic conditions, then Q˙ in = 0.
Under such conditions, equations reduces to
which clearly shows that the shaft work provided to an adiabatic compressor, pump, fan or
blower is used to increase the enthalpy of the fluid flowing through.

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Engineering Thermodynamics Practical

Aim: Study 1st law of thermodynamics applied to an open system.

Applications of First Law of Thermodynamics

The First Law of Thermodynamics: Open Systems:

The system is no more closed now, it’s an

National Fire Service College, Nagpur Page 1

transfer due to heat flow and inlet mass flow

Concept of Flow work & Enthalpy

If you do some rearrangement to the equation by substituting volumetric flow rate as

The above equation will be simplified like this.

National Fire Service College, Nagpur Page 2

Steady Flow Engineering Devices

1) Nozzles & Diffusers

National Fire Service College, Nagpur Page 3

A turbine is a device with rows of blades mounted on a shaft

A compressor is a device used to increase the pressure

National Fire Service College, Nagpur Page 4

Under such conditions, equations reduces to

National Fire Service College, Nagpur Page 5

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