00430 - Technical Physics

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student is able to: - Know the conversion and energy control systems, - Know the basic principles of thermodynamics, - Know how to perform energy balances for the most basic processes of technological interest.

Course contents

• Applied thermodynamics (about 15 hours)
  • Closed systems: definition of system and environment, closed system, open system, isolated system, properties and status, process and cycle, thermodynamic equilibrium, thermal equilibrium, temperature scales, extensive, intensive and specific properties, work and heat, first law of thermodynamics, adiabatic process, enthalpy, examples and exercises.
  • Open systems: control volume, energy of a moving fluid, steady state energy balance on an open system, examples: boiler and condenser, turbine and compressor, valves, nozzles, exercises.
  • One-component systems: phase, phase rule and examples, specific heat capacity at constant volume, specific heat capacity at constant pressure, ideal gas law, Joule's second law with experiment, specific enthalpy of an ideal gas, examples and exercises.
  • Ideal gas mixture: Dalton's law, moist air, absolute humidity and relative humidity of the air, moist air enthalpy, dew temperature, dry bulb temperature and wet bulb temperature, psychrometric chart, examples and exercises.
• Fluid mechanics (about 9 hours)
  • Fluid statics: pressure, Pascal's law, Stevin's law and consequences, U-tube manometer, Archimedes’ principle, examples and exercises.
  • Fluid dynamics: volume flow rate and mass flow rate, continuity equation, Bernoulli’s equation and applications, real fluids and viscosity, Reynolds number, laminar flow and turbulent flow, head loss, Moody chart, examples and exercises.
• Heat transfer (about 12 hours)
  • Conduction: thermal conductivity, heat flux, Fourier’s law, thermal resistance, thermal resistances in series and in parallel, examples and exercises.
    
  • Convection: forced, natural and mixed convection, heat transfer coefficient, Nusselt number, thermal resistance, examples and exercises.
  • Heat radiation: black body, emissivity, examples and exercises.

At the end of the course there will be a visit to the Technical Physics Labs of the Department of Industrial Engineering (via Terracini 34, Bologna), equipped with precision instrumentation for the measurement of temperature, pressure and fluid velocity.

Readings/Bibliography

• Lecture notes (slides), in Italian, contain all the needed theory elements and exercises. You can download the learningmaterial from https://iol.unibo.it/ , where also sample exam questions and tests are available.

  For further information:

• Y. A. Çengel and M. A. Boles, Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach, McGraw-Hill, 2015

• S. Lazzari, B. Pulvirenti, E. Rossi di Schio, Esercizi Risolti di Termodinamica, Moto dei Fluidi e Termocinetica, Progetto Leonardo, 2006

Teaching methods

The teaching method is given by lectures presented in classroom, for theory and for exercises. Lectures are presented in Italian at the blackboard, with the aid of slides and a video projector.

Assessment methods

The assessment method is based on a report relating to a topic of the course and on a written exam.

The report is made by small groups of students and is agreed in class with the teacher.

The written test has 3 questions: 2 on theory + 1 exercise. Each of the 3 questions relates to a different area of course (Applied thermodynamics, Fluid mechanics, Heat transfer) and weighs 1/3 in the determination of the mark.

60 minutes are allocated for the test. During the test, a calculator is required.

On the website https://iol.unibo.it/ you can download examples of questions and tests.

The student can consult the list of exam dates on the website https://almaesami.unibo.it/

The mark of the written exam can be: not sufficient (rejected) if the score is less than 18; sufficient if the score is between 18 and 30; 30 cum laude if the student answered all the questions correctly.

If the mark resulting from the written test is at least 18, the written test score is increased by a bonus (ranging from 0 to 2) resulting from the report on a topic of the course.

The student can do the written test again if the mark does not satisfy her/him, but every time she/he takes a new exam the previously mark loses all values.

The bonus obtained from the report remains valid.

The final mark of the course FISICA (C.I.) is given by the arithmetic average of the marks obtained in the tests of Applied Physics and Technical Physics.

Teaching tools

Use of the blackboard and slides. Presentation of theory contents and exercises. The learning material is available on the website https://iol.unibo.it/

Office hours

See the website of Claudia Naldi