Thermal Science syllabus

Thermodynamic systems – closed, open, isolated, control volume, boundaries, surroundings, macroscopic and microscopic approaches. Thermodynamic properties – intensive, extensive, specific, point and path functions, state, path, process, cycle, quasi-static and non-quasi-static processes. Thermodynamic equilibrium – thermal, mechanical, chemical equilibrium. Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics, concept of temperature and temperature scales, Concept of continuum and relevance of molecular approach, Concept of work and heat – adiabatic work, dimensional homogeneity, Overview of ideal gases and real gases.

Forms of energy – internal, kinetic, potential, chemical, mechanical, electrical, Work transfer – isothermal, polytropic, adiabatic, and isobaric processes, Heat transfer and thermodynamic sign conventions, First Law for closed systems – application to various processes, First Law for open systems – control volume formulation, Steady Flow Energy Equation (SFEE), Applications of SFEE – turbines, compressors, nozzles, diffusers, pumps, heat exchangers, throttling valves, Enthalpy, specific heats of solids, liquids and gases, Perpetual Motion Machine of the First Kind (PMM-I) and its violation, Thermodynamic definition of boundary work and displacement work

Pure substances and phase-change phenomena – subcooled liquid, saturated liquid, saturated mixture, superheated vapour, P–V, T–S, and H–S diagrams for water and refrigerants, Use of steam tables and Mollier charts, Calculation of properties using interpolated data, Concept of dryness fraction and measurement using throttling and separating calorimeters, Ideal and real gas behaviour, Van der Waals and other equations of state, Compressibility factor, generalized compressibility charts, Mixtures of ideal gases – molar and mass fractions, Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressures, Amagat’s Law of Partial Volumes, Gas laws – Boyle’s Law, Charles’s Law, Avogadro’s Law, Specific heats and Mayer’s relation for gases. Thermodynamic Relations: Maxwell relations, Clapeyron equation, Joule-Thomson effect.

Limitations of the First Law – need for Second Law, heat engines and heat pumps – efficiency and COP, Kelvin–Planck and Clausius statements, equivalence and implications, concepts of reversible and irreversible processes, Carnot cycle – theoretical heat engine and refrigerator, Carnot efficiency, Carnot theorems and thermodynamic temperature scale. Clausius inequality and entropy – concept and property, Entropy change during processes for pure substances and ideal gases, Entropy generation and principle of increase of entropy, T–DS equations, entropy– enthalpy and entropy–internal energy relations, Second Law analysis of systems and control volumes, Numerical problems using entropy balance and irreversibility estimation.

Concept of exergy (availability), available and unavailable energy, Exergy for closed and open systems, Dead state and ambient conditions, Irreversibility and Gouy–Stodola theorem, Exergy destruction, exergy balance for steady flow systems, Second-Law (rational) efficiency, Basic concepts of atmospheric air and psychometrics, specific humidity, relative humidity, dew point temperature, dry bulb and wet bulb temperature, adiabatic saturation temperature, Use of psychrometric charts, Psychrometric processes – sensible heating, sensible cooling, humidification, dehumidification, mixing of air streams, Applications to air-conditioning systems and cooling towers.