WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE

ES3001 – INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING THERMODYNAMICS

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Instructor: Prof. Aswin Gnanaskandan, Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Email:[email protected]

Office: Higgins Labs 208

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Textbook:
Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics
Moran, Shapiro, Boettner and Bailey - 9th edition

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Course Description:
Thermodynamics is one of the most fundamental fields of study in engineering
and sciences. It plays a major role in a wide range of applications that include energy
systems, heating and cooling of buildings, power generation and all types of heat engines,
manufacturing and materials processing, refineries, even in cooking and food production.
Many everyday equipment such as automobile engines, jet engines as well as power
stations operate on various thermodynamic principles. This course emphasizes system
and control volume modeling using conservation of mass and the First and Second Laws
of Thermodynamics. Topics include an introduction to heat, work, energy, and power,
properties of simple substances, and cycle analysis for power production and
refrigeration.

Recommended background: basic physics, (PH 1110, PH 1111) elementary differential

and integral calculus (MA 1021, MA 1022) or equivalents.

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Course Times and Locations:

This course is delivered as in-person lectures during the allotted class time (2 PM
- 2.50 PM (EST) Monday – Thursday. There will be a problem-solving session conducted
by the TA every Friday 2PM- 2.50PM). In case of cancelled classes, video lectures will
be posted on Canvas to cover the necessary content.

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Instructor Office Hours:
Thursday: 3 PM - 4 PM

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Teaching Assistants:
1. Diego Vaca Revelo, Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Email: [email protected]
Office hours: Tuesday 10 AM – 11 AM
2. Anurag Bhattacharjee, Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Email: [email protected]
Office hours: TBD

Grader: Atharva Pandhare

Email: [email protected]

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Course Learning Objectives:

✓ To understand Conservation of Mass and Energy and to be able to analyze open
and closed systems.
✓ To be able to apply the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
✓ To be prepared to use thermodynamics in engineering practice and design
✓ Gain physical insight into valves, compressors, turbines, pumps, heat exchange
equipment, mixing, nozzles and diffusers
✓ Apply cycle efficiencies and isentropic efficiencies to engineering systems

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Grading Policy:
The final course grades are based on a student’s performance as follows:
Letter
Percentage
Grade
A 90 - 100
B 80 - 89
C 70 - 79
NR < 70
Exams: Three exams will be given, and the lowest score will be dropped. If a student
misses an exam, that missed exam will be the exam dropped. Each retained exam is
worth 35% of the total score summing to 70% of the final score.
Homework: 4 Homeworks will be assigned through the offering. All homeworks will
have a due date. Selected homework problems will be graded for credit. Details on online
homework submissions will be provided. Homeworks are worth 30% of the total score.

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Notes:

1. The instructor reserves the right to modify the course outline and policies
mentioned in this syllabus. Students will be informed in advance, should any
changes be necessary.
2. Student Disability Services: If you need course adaptations or accommodations
because of a disability, or if you have medical information to share with the
instructor, please make an appointment with your instructor within the first week
of classes. If you have not already done so, students with disabilities, who believe
that they may need accommodations in this class, are encouraged to contact the
Disability Services Office (DSO), as soon as possible to ensure that such
accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. The DSO is located in
Daniels Hall, (508) 831-5235.
3. Both individual peer tutoring and Math and Science Help (MASH, group drop-in
tutoring) will be offered in person in the Academic Resources Center (ARC),
located on the 5th floor of Unity Hall. Some MASH sessions that occur after 6pm
may take place in the Exam Proctoring Center (EPC, UH 505). Tutoring sessions
are 50 minutes long and are facilitated by peer undergraduate students. Tutoring
availability is dependent on tutor’s schedules within the ARC hours of operation.
Students should use tutortrac.wpi.edu to sign up for individual tutoring
appointments that fit their schedule. Students are encouraged to schedule 1-on-1
appointments in advance. No appointments are needed for MASH group drop-in
sessions. If a student has a scheduling conflict, they can submit an ARC Tutoring
Inquiry Form (Bit.ly/ARCTutor) to seek an appointment that aligns with their
schedule. Students should only submit this form if all available tutoring slots do
not work with their schedule. The form is not intended for the purpose of to
request next day tutoring. While we work to accommodate an alternative tutoring
time, alternative availability is not guaranteed. D Term 2024 tutoring will begin
on Wednesday March 13,2024 and end on Monday April 29, 2024. There will be
no tutoring on March 26, 2024; April 15, 2024; and April 19, 2024. Further
information about MASH and tutoring offered by the ARC are located on the
Academic Resources Center Canvas Page and on the Academic Resources Center
WPI Webpage.
Schedule of Weekly Classes and Recommended reading:

Week 1:

Topics: Introduction to Thermodynamics, Systems and their behavior, Basic

thermodynamic properties, Concepts of Work and Energy, First law of thermodynamics

Suggested Reading from textbook: Chapter 1, Chapter 2

Week 2:

Topics: Evaluating properties, Reading and interpolating from vapor-liquid tables,

Introduction to specific heats, Ideal gas equation of state, Polytropic processes

Suggested Reading from textbook: Chapter 3

Week 3:

Topics: Control volume analysis, Mass and energy conservation for a control volume,
Applications of control volume analysis to nozzles, diffusers, turbines, compressors, heat
exchangers and throttling devices.

Suggested Reading from textbook: Chapter 4

Week 4:

Topics: Second law of thermodynamics, Reversible and Irreversible processes,

Application of second law to cycles, Carnot cycle

Suggested Reading from textbook: Chapter 5

Week 5:

Topics: Entropy, Introducing Tds equations, Entropy change of an incompressible

substance, entropy change of ideal gas, Entropy balance for closed systems,
Directionality of processes, Isentropic processes, Isentropic efficiencies

Suggested Reading from textbook: Chapter 6

Week 6:

Topics: Vapor power systems, Rankine cycle, Improving performance of cycles

Suggested Reading from textbook: Chapter 8

Week 7:
Topics: Gas power systems, Otto cycle, Diesel Cycle, Brayton cycle

Suggested Reading from textbook: Chapter 9

*Please note that the weekly schedule is tentative and subject to change.

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Library Access:

As a student at WPI, you have access to a variety of resources through the library. Use
the link here to access databases, e-journals, and/or e-books. You will be required to log
in with your WPI username and password to access materials.

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POLICIES

Academic Integrity:

You are expected to be familiar with the Student Guide to Academic Integrity at WPI that
is downloadable from here. Consequences for violating the Academic Honest Policy
range from earning a zero on the assignment, failing the course, or being suspended or
expelled from WPI.

Common examples of violations include:

• Copying and pasting text directly from a source without providing appropriately
cited credit
• Paraphrasing, summarizing, or rephrasing from a source without providing
appropriate citations
• Collaborating on individual assignments
• Turning in work where a good portion of the work is someone else’s, even if
properly cited