Thermodynamics

Code:

L.AERO10

Acronym:

TERMO

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Fluids and Energy

Instance: 2024/2025 - 2S (of 10-02-2025 to 30-05-2025)

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Fluids and Energy Section
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Aerospace Engineering

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
L.AERO	31	Syllabus	1	-	6	52	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

Specific: understanding the diverse forms of energy (similarities and differences) as well as the basic laws of thermodynamics and their application to thermodynamic systems.

Learning outcomes and competences

Expected outcomes: Students should know how to deal with the issue of energy, should be able to apply the fundamental laws of thermodynamics to systems and must be able to perform energy balances as well as calculate the energy efficiency of systems.

 

Working method

Presencial

Program

1. Basic concepts of Thermodynamics

Thermodynamics and Energy; Importance of units and dimensions; Control systems and volumes; System properties; Density and relative density; State of balance; Processes and cycles; Temperature and the Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics; Pressure; Troubleshooting techniques.


2. First Law of Thermodynamics for closed systems

Introduction; Forms of Energy; Energy transfer due to heat; Work; Mechanical forms of work; The first law of thermodynamics; Energy conversion efficiency.


3.Properties of pure substances

Pure substance; Phases of a pure substance; Phase change process of a pure substance; Property diagrams for phase change processes; Property tables; Equation of state for perfect gases; Compressibility factor.


4. Energy analysis for closed systems

Mobile frontier work; Energy balances in closed systems; Specific heats; Internal energy, enthalpy and specific heats of ideal gases; Internal energy, enthalpy and specific heats of solids and liquids.


5. Mass and energy analysis in volumes control

Mass conservation; Flow work and the energy of a flowing fluid; Energy balance of steady-state processes; Some engineering devices with steady state flow; Energy balance of transient processes.


6. Second Law of Thermodynamics

Introduction to the Second Law of Thermodynamics; Thermal Energy Reservoirs; Thermal machines; Refrigerators and heat pumps; perpetual motion machines; Reversible and irreversible processes; Carnot Cycle; Carnot's Principles; Thermodynamic temperature scale; Carnot heat engine; Carnot fridge and heat pump; Domestic refrigerators.


7. Entropy

Entropy; Entropy increase principle; Entropy variation of pure substances; Isentropic processes; Diagrams of properties involving entropy; What is entropy; The equations Tds. Entropy variation in solids and liquids; Entropy variation in perfect gases; Reversible work of a steady state flow. Minimize the work of a compressor; Reduced cost of compressed air; Isentropic yields.

Mandatory literature

Paulo Coelho; Tabelas Termodinâmicas, FEUP, 2007

Complementary Bibliography

Çengel, Yunus A; Thermodynamics, N. ISBN: 0-07-112177-3
Sonntag/Wyley; Fundamentals of Thermodynamics, N
Howell, John R.; Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics, N
Afonso , Clito Félix Alves; Termodinâmica para engenharia. ISBN: 9789899017269

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theoretical Lessons - Classroom teaching.
Topics exposed with PowerPoint with the resolution of practical applications.

Theoretical-Practical lessons  - Classroom teaching.
Resolution of problems extracted from a book of problems.


Weekly lessons - 4h 


Students contact (timetable to be defined by each professor).

Software

EES - Engineering Equation Solver

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	60,00
Teste	40,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	110,00
Frequência das aulas	52,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

A student is considered to have completed attendance at a curricular unit if, while regularly enrolled, he or she does not exceed the maximum of absences corresponding to 25% of classes in the typologies (theoretical-practical, laboratory practices) defined as mandatory in the unit's form curriculum.

Calculation formula of final grade

The distributed evaluation of this course will be evaluated by a theoretical mini test in the Moodle platform covering the first half of the syllabus, without consultation, to be completed during the semester, and will account for 20% of the final grade.

During the exam period, the evaluation will consist of a theoretical mini test covering the second half of the syllabus, without consultation, with a weight of 20% in the exam grade and a practical test weighing 60% on the final exam grade, while maintaining the previous components of the distributed assessment (mini test (20%)).

For other exam periods, the evaluation will consist of a theoretical test, covering all topics, without consultation, with a weight of 40%, and a practical exam, covering all topics with a weight of 60%.


The theoretical tests have a 15 min. duration.
The maximum evaluation time is 105 min.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Evaluation only with a written exam on a date to be set by the course’s responsible.

Classification improvement

The final classification of the curricular unit is the highest, between the one initially obtained and the one resulting from the improvement in the classification made.

Observations

On the practical exams, students should bring the thermodynamic tables and can also bring a 4-page (A4) formulary.