Academic management

The subject belongs to the module “Common to Industrial Branch”, within the field “Energy and Environment”. The classes are given along the first semester of the second year of the studies. It is mandatory since the concepts and skills presented are necessary for the training of engineers, not only during their study of future subjects, but also in their professional career. Thus, the study of the subject will provide the students a solid theoretical and experimental foundation, based on analysis, design and laboratory experiences attractive for the industry. The acquired knowledge is fundamental in matters such as power generation plants, vehicles, heating and refrigeration systems, alternative energy sources, environmental engineering, etc.

The subject consists of 150 hours of personal work from the students, about 40% of them being taught at the university (lectures, practices, seminars and assessment), and the remaining 60% of them requiring individual work (not at the university).

The contents of the subject are divided in two parts:

Part I: Applied Thermodynamics

Application of First and Second Law of Thermodynamics to common engineering devices.

Vapor power cycles. Gas power cycles. Refrigeration cycles.

Part II: Basic concepts on Heat Transfer

Analysis of steady-state conduction. Convection. Radiation.

Simultaneous heat transfer modes.

In order to enrol of the subject it is strongly advisable that students have previously passed the subject “Mechanics and Thermodynamics” that belongs to the first year of the degree. It is also essential that they have acquired basic knowledge in “Calculus”, “Linear Algebra” and “Mathematical Methods”, subjects taught also in the first year of the degree. Specifically, they will have to master basic mass and heat balances, as well as the application of the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics to closed systems and simple thermodynamics cycles.

The general skills that the students will acquire after passing the subject are the following:

• Knowledge of basic and technological matters which will qualify them to learn new methods and theories, as well as provide them with the versatility required to fit for new situations (CG3)
• Capacity of solving problems with leadership, decisiveness, creativity and critical reasoning (CG4)
• Capacity of communication and transmission of knowledge and skills in the field of Mechanical Engineering, not only orally, but also in writing, to every kind of audience (CG5)
• Knowledge required to carry out measuring, calculations, estimations, valuations, studies, expert’s reports, and other similar work (CG6)
• Capacity of analyzing and estimating the social and environmental impacts of technical solutions (CG8)
• Capacity for understanding work risk prevention, as well as health and security protection of workers and users (CG13)
• Honesty, responsibility, ethical commitment and solidarity (CG14)
• Team working skills (CG15)

As a specific skill of this subject, the students will acquire knowledge on applied thermodynamics and heat transfer. Basic principles and their application to engineering problems solving (CC1)

The learning results that the students will obtain if they pass this subject are the following:

• Relating the fields of study of Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer and learning the most important applications of both disciplines in the field of “Thermal Engineering” (RIT-1)
• Applying mass, energy and entropy balances to several systems, among which the most common industrial plant equipment can be found (engines, turbines, compressors, boilers, condensers, etc.) (RIT-2)
• Knowing the equipment that form part of the power production cycles (vapor, gas and combined) and refrigeration cycles that are commonly used in the industry, as well as being able to analyse them from a thermodynamic point of view in order to evaluate their efficiency (RIT-3)
• Knowing the main characteristics and the fundamental physical laws in which the three basic modes of heat transfer (conduction, convection and radiation) are based on (RIT-4)
• Expressing the mathematical equations that describe heat transfer in a physical problem by means of fundamental balances (mass, momentum and energy), and also applying the laws in which the basic modes are based on (RIT-5)

PART I. APPLIED THERMODYNAMICS

Chapter 1. Properties and process in thermodynamic systems

Lesson 1: Basic concepts: Measuring units. Gases: ideal, real and Van der Waals. State equations. Pure substances: phases and diagrams. State properties: estimation from property tables and/or state equations.

Chapter 2. Laws of Thermodynamics

Lesson 2. The First Law of Thermodynamics. Formal sign convention. Application to steady-flow closed and open systems.

Lesson 3. The Second Law of Thermodynamics. Entropy definition and applications. Entropy generation. Isentropic efficiency of steady-flow devices.

Chapter 3. Thermal machines

Lesson 4. Thermal machines: types and thermal efficiency. The Carnot cycle and its efficiency.

Lesson 5. Gas power cycles. Analysis of the Brayton cycle.

Lesson 6. Vapor power cycles. Analysis of the Rankine cycle. Combined gas-vapor power cycles.

Lesson 7. Refrigeration cycles. Analysis of the inverse Rankine cycle. Analysis of heat pumps.

PART II: BASIC CONCEPTS ON HEAT TRANSFER

Chapter 4. Heat Transfer fundamentals

Lesson 8: Fundamental concepts, modes of heat transfer and basic laws.

Chapter 5. Conduction

Lesson 9. Simple geometries: plane walls, cylinders, spheres. Critical radius of insulation.

Lesson 10. Extended surfaces: concept, effectiveness and efficiency. Heat transfer from finned surfaces.

Lesson 11. Heat transfer in common configurations: conduction shape factor.

Chapter 6. Convection

Lesson 12. Analysis methods in forced and natural convection.

Lesson 13. Empirical correlations in forced and natural convection.

Chapter 7. Radiation

Lesson 14. Fundamentals of thermal radiation. Radiative properties. Blackbody and greybody. Radiation heat transfer between two bodies. Simultaneous heat transfer modes.

The subject’s teaching methodology includes assistance to the university as well as individual work from the students.

Sessions at the university are divided into:

1. One-hour lectures and blackboard practices, in which a general outlook of each topic’s contents is presented, completed by problem solving (28 hours of theory and 14 hours for practice).
2. Two-hour computer and laboratory practices. Each student will make a total of 7 sessions of this kind as part of continuous assessment. For the realization of these is imperative that each student brings the laboratory notebook printed which will be available in the Virtual Campus.
3. Two-hour tutorial in small groups, dedicated to solving doubts, reviewing and complementary activities related to the contents of the subject, being part of continuous assessment.

On the other hand, students must spend a number of self-study hours to improve their comprehension on the subject. This work will consist in activities from the Virtual Campus (theoretical fundamentals’ reading, online tests, participation in debate forum, additional material, etc.), as well as autonomous work.

The table below shows the estimated number of hours that students must dedicate to the study of each part of the subject, as well as the assistance and non-assistance percentage on the total number of hours. At the end of the course, every student will have devoted 150 hours for the subject’s preparation.

Exceptionally, if sanitary conditions require it, online teaching activities can be included. In that case, the students will be informed of the changes made.

Ordinary assessment (January) consists of:

1. A written exam that will take 3-4 hours. The minimum mark will be 3.5 out of 10. Failure to reach this threshold, the final grade for the subject will be the one obtained in the written exam.  It is strictly forbidden to use programmable calculators in written examinations. This part will represent 70% of the final mark. The assessment will correspond to the learning results RIT-1 to RIT-5.
2. Computer, laboratory practices and tutorials will represent 30% of the final mark. The activities carried out by the students in the practice room as well as in the Virtual Campus will be assessed. Such assessment also corresponds to the learning results RIT-1 to RIT-5.

Extraordinary assessments (May and July):

The students that will not have passed the subject in the ordinary assessment will be able to do the extraordinary written exam that will take 3-4 hours. The minimum mark will be 3.5 out of 10, and it will represent 70% of the final mark. Failure to reach this minimum mark, the final grade for the subject will be the one obtained in the written exam. It is strictly forbidden to use programmable calculators in written examinations. The mark obtained during the computer and laboratory practices will be valid for the extraordinary assessments within the present academic year (May and July), and it will represent 30% of the final mark. The assessment will correspond to the learning results RIT-1 to RIT-5.

Differentiated evaluation

The differentiated evaluation in Thermal Engineering course consists of the following parts:

1. A final written exam to be held at the official date that the EPI program to other students of the subject. This test represents 70% of the final grade for the course.
2. A final exam of practices that replaces the continuous assessment. This test will consist of two parts, one corresponding to the evaluation of computer practices and other corresponding to the evaluation of the laboratory practices. It will take place at the same date as the official final written exam and will last for four hours. It represents 30% of the final grade of the subject.

(*) If the written exam is in the morning, the practical exam will be in the afternoon, and vice versa.

Exceptionally, if sanitary conditions require it, online assessment methods can be included. In that case, the students will be informed of the changes made.

The students will have in the Virtual Campus specific teaching material for the lectures and blackboard practices, as well as the necessary material for the computer and laboratory practices. Besides, they must look up some of the following references:

 Basic references:

• Thermodynamics, an engineering approach. Çengel and Boles. Mc Graw Hill.
• Fundamentals of heat and mass transfer. Incropera, De Witt, Bergman and Lavine. John Wiley and Sons.

Additional references:

• Principles of engineering thermodynamics SI version. Moran and Shapiro. John Wiley and Sons
• Transmisión de Calor. Apuntes. Prieto M.M., Suárez I. Ediuno