Thermodynamics

What will you learn?

The aim of the course is to familiarize students with the fundamentals of heat transfer and thermodynamics, thereby creating a basis for their application in the design and calculation of machines, equipment, and processes.
After completing the course, student:
– is familiar with the basic quantities of thermodynamics and can perform related calculations
– understands heat transfer and its effects in substances and structures (heat conduction , thermal expansion, phase changes)
– can calculate the heat quantity in various state changes
– can perform calculations related to the flow of liquids and gases
– knows the ideal gas equation and can apply it in various state change processes
– understands the state changes of ideal gases and the cycles based on them
– can determine the thermal efficiency of a heat engine as well as the coefficients of performance of a heat pump and a refrigeration machine
– can evaluate the energy efficiency of different machines
– is familiar with the Mollier diagram and its use in calculations related to heat transfer processes
– can investigate thermodynamic phenomena using measurement setups

What do the studies include?

the main principles of thermodynamics
– pressure, temperature, measurement
– heat conduction
– thermal expansion
– heat capacity
– quantity of heat
– flow equation, Bernoulli’s equation, viscosity of liquids
– changes in the state of gases and vapors
– energy balance, thermal efficiency
– operating principles of thermodynamic machines and cycles
– moist air and Mollier diagram
– measurements related to thermodynamics and reporting of results
Course literature

The course takes place in weeks 36-50.

The course introduces thermodynamic phenomena and practices related calculations and measurements from a physics perspective. The first hours of the week are theory lessons on the topic of the week. At the same time, we review any unclear points from the previous week’s calculations. The second lesson is a calculation workshop (1 hour).

(In addition to the theory lessons, the course includes one mandatory lab assignment in small groups. The lab assignments are divided into two topics: Thermal conductivity of the thermistor or calorimetry. The assignments are peer-reviewed.)

Contents
– Basic quantities of thermophysics/thermodynamics, formulas, units, pressure, buoyancy
– Thermodynamic system, temperature and thermal expansion
– Heat capacity, thermal energy and energy transfer
– Changes in state and energy in changes in state
– Flows of liquids and gases, flow equations
– Viscosity of a liquid
– Equation of state of an ideal gas
– First and second law of thermodynamics
– Introduction to gas cycle processes
– Introduction to the operating principles of heat and refrigeration machines