Engineering Thermodynamics - GATE

Engineering thermodynamics is a branch of science and engineering that explores the principles governing energy and its transformation within engineering systems. This course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental concepts and laws of thermodynamics, enabling them to analyze and design energy-related systems efficiently. Topics covered in this course include:

1. **Introduction to Thermodynamics:** An overview of the scope and importance of thermodynamics in engineering, including the basic definitions, concepts, and historical developments.

2. **Properties of Pure Substances:** Examination of properties such as pressure, temperature, volume, internal energy, and enthalpy, with a focus on steam and refrigerants.

3. **Work and Heat Transfer:** Analysis of the principles of work and heat transfer in various processes, including compression, expansion, and heat exchange.

4. **First Law of Thermodynamics:** Application of the conservation of energy principle to engineering systems, including energy balances, closed and open systems, and control volumes.

5. **Second Law of Thermodynamics:** Introduction to the second law and its applications, including the concepts of entropy, reversible and irreversible processes, and the Carnot cycle.

6. **Availability and Exergy Analysis:** Study of the availability (exergy) of energy and its importance in assessing the performance of engineering systems.

7. **Gas Mixtures and Psychrometrics:** Analysis of gas mixtures and the psychrometric properties of air, essential for air conditioning and refrigeration systems.

8. **Thermodynamic Cycles:** Exploration of various thermodynamic cycles, including the Rankine cycle, Brayton cycle, and Refrigeration cycle, with an emphasis on efficiency and performance analysis.

9. **Power and Refrigeration Systems:** Detailed examination of power generation systems (e.g., steam power plants, gas turbines) and refrigeration systems (e.g., vapor compression refrigeration).

10. **Thermodynamic Relations:** Utilization of equations of state, thermodynamic property tables, and diagrams to solve engineering problems.

11. **Ideal and Real Gases:** Study of ideal gas behavior and deviations from ideal behavior, leading to the compressibility factor and the Van der Waals equation.

12. **Applications:** Practical applications of thermodynamics principles to engineering systems, including combustion engines, heat exchangers, and thermal comfort analysis.

**Laboratory Work and Hands-on Applications:** Many engineering thermodynamics courses include laboratory experiments and hands-on projects to reinforce theoretical concepts and enhance practical skills.

**Prerequisites:** Typically, students are expected to have a strong foundation in calculus, physics, and basic engineering principles.

**Assessment:** Assessment methods may include quizzes, exams, homework assignments, laboratory reports, and a final project.

**Course Goals:** The primary goals of this course are to equip students with the knowledge and analytical skills necessary to analyze and design energy systems efficiently, understand the thermodynamic behavior of materials and substances, and apply thermodynamic principles to real-world engineering problems.