Department if Mechanical Engineering
Introduction to Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics
Individual Coursework
Release date: March 10th. Deadline: March 21st at 2pm
This is the only piece of coursework for MECH0005. You will need to read the information below and answer all the questions which cover both thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. This coursework is worth 30% of your final grade.
You need to explain your answers (using full sentences) and pay attention to the way they are presented, with proper descriptions and diagrams where appropriate. Please see the guidance and marking rubric at the end of this document for more information on this assessment and how you will be assessed. Your submission should be no longer than four pages. NOTE: If your coursework is over 4 pages, any content that is on the additional pages will not be marked. You should not copy out the questions again within your submitted answer. We expect this assessment to take you approximately 8 hours. Submissions in pdf format are to be made through the “Coursework submission portal” under the “Assessments” tab.
This coursework is designed to help you apply the knowledge gained in MECH0005 to the design of a wind turbine - refrigeration set up. In real-world engineering, system design is often subject to constraints, and not all parameters are known in advance. Unlike the purely analytical approach you have taken so far in MECH0005, this coursework will introduce you to handling and analyzing real data, which is a crucial skill in engineering practice. Additionally, the strict page limit encourages you to prioritize and present key information concisely—an essential skill that will benefit you in your third-year project and beyond
This coursework is an individual effort and any collaboration is not authorised. If you don’t acknowledge the work or ideas of others, you could be penalised for Academic Misconduct.
Figure 1: Photograph of a wind turbine and a medical refrigeration unit in a remote region.
Background
You are an engineer working for a medical centre in a remote location. A key component of this medical centre are its refrigeration units which are essential for storing medicine at an appropriate temperature. To reduce the reliance of the medical centre on fossil fuels you have been tasked to ensure that a wind turbine will be able to provide a significant the electricity required to run the units.
Useful information
In this coursework you will be required to carry out calculations. Below are the equations which are given explicitly however you will be expected to search the internet for variables which are not given explicitly.
Wind turbine performance
The power, P, extracted by a wind turbine is given by
P = FD UT , (1)
where FD is the drag on the wind turbine and the velocity of the fluid at the wind turbine UT is given by
(2)
where ¯U is the average horizontal velocity between 0 < r < 7 m at x = 10 m. The available power for the refrigeration units is then given by
Pavail = Pηm ηg , (3)
where ηm and ηg are the mechanical and generator efficiencies respectively.
Wind turbine parameters
• Rotor diameter; D = 2 m
• Tower height; h = 5 m
• Air density; ρ = 1.225 kg/m3
• Upstream wind speed; U∞ = 12 m/s
• Mechanical efficiency; ηm = 0.95
• Generator efficiency; ηg = 0.9
Refrigerator parameters and constraints
• Refrigerant: Ammonia
• Condensor temperature range: 32oC to 40oC
• Evaporator temperature range: -18 oC to -10 oC
• Compressor work rate: 1 kW
• Evaporator cooling capacity: 4.44 kW
Power generation with wind turbine
For this wind turbine set up, the Reynolds Transport Theorem applied to momentum is
(4)
where F={Fx , Fy , Fz }, are the forces on the turbine (with the drag force, FD , acting along the positive x—axis and the lift forces acting along the y—axis and z—axis). Note that the rotor is facing the incident wind head-on and the centre of the wind turbine (i.e. the hub) is the location of the origin with the positive x-direction coincident with the incident flow. The force due to pressure is given by Fp = {Fpx , Fpy , Fpz }.
The time averaged velocity in the cross stream direction, r where r2 = y2 + z2 , is determined using an anemometer. At a location 10m upstream of the wind turbine the wind speed is uniform (U∞ ) while 10m down stream of the wind turbine the velocity is non-uniform and is given by the functions
u = U∞ f(r) for 0 < r < 7m, (5)
and
u = U∞ for r > 7m (6)
where r is measured from the centre of the wind turbine in the y — z plane. The function f(r) is provided in the attached excel file with the two columns giving (i) radial location (r) and (ii) the function f(r). Pressure can be assumed to be equal at the inlet and outlet section at which the velocity and pressure measurements were taken.
Question 1
(a) Apply the methodology that was taught in the lectures for Reynolds Transport Theorem, to obtain an integral expression for the drag force on the wind turbine, in terms of the ρ , U∞ and f(r). State and justify any simplifications to equation (4). Any variables that are used must be backed up by references. [5 marks]
(b) Plot the radial variation for the term ρu(u .n(ˆ)) at x = 10 m. Copy and paste the Matlab code for this plot into your submission. [1 marks]
(c) Use numerical integration of the function f(r) (using the Matlab function ’trapz’) and the profile in (b), to calculate the velocity ¯U, the drag force on the wind turbine, the power extracted by the wind turbine, the associated coefficient of performance and the available power (to run the refrigeration units). Copy and paste the Matlab code for these calculations into your submission. [5 marks]
(d) What phenomena, essential for rotating the wind turbine, is not explicitly considered in this analysis? How is this phenomena incorporated into the modelling? [2 marks] Note: marks will be lost if no Matlab code is given for (b,c).
Question 2
(a) Starting with the kinetic energy of the wind, produce an energy flow diagram which shows how energy is converted from one form to another in this wind turbine and refrigeration set up. [2 marks]
(b) Sketch the main components of a simple vapour compression cycle and plot the cycle on a T - s diagram. [1 mark]
(c) Briefly articulate the differences between the real cycle and the idealised cycle. [2 marks]
(d) Starting from the steady flow energy equation applied to the evaporator and the compressor, formulate two expressions for the mass flow rate in terms of the other parameters. [1 marks]
(e) By considering the refrigerator and parameter constraints on page 3 and starting with the matlab code provided, choose an appropriate evaporator and condensor temperature such that the mass flow rates in (d) match. State the final refrigerant mass flow rate. To score full marks in this question a figure showing the design space and accompanying calculations verifying your design choice are required. Copy and paste the Matlab code for this plot into your submission. [5 marks]
(f) Calculate (i) the COP of the ideal cycle and (ii) the COP of a reversed Carnot engine operating between the minimum and maximum temperatures of the idealised cycle. Comment on your findings. [2 marks]
Note: marks will be lost if no Matlab code is given for (e).
Sustainability considerations
Wind energy is widely regarded as a key solution in the fight against climate change. By har- nessing the power of the wind, turbines generate electricity without the direct emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) associated with fossil fuel-based power generation. As a result, wind power has seen significant global investment and is often promoted as a cornerstone of a sustainable energy future.
However, while wind turbines produce clean energy during operation, their full environmental impact extends beyond just electricity generation. The manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, and eventual decommissioning of wind turbines all require energy—much of which is still derived from fossil fuels. This raises an important question: how much CO2 is emitted over the entire life cycle of a wind turbine, and how does this compare to the emissions avoided by its operation?
In this question, you will have to read through the journal paper ”Comprehensive life cycle assessment of large wind turbines in the US” by Ali Alsaleh and Melanie Sattler, which is available online and is included in the brief on Moodle.
Question 3
For a wind turbine with a twenty year horizon calculate:
(a) List the five stages of the wind turbine life cycle in increasing quantity of CO2 produced.
(b) Calculate the tonnes of CO2 emitted during a wind turbine’s life cycle.
(c) Estimate the ratio of kg-CO2-eq/MWh for a wind turbine to a coal fired (with carbon capture and storage facilities) and a natural gas fired power plant. Comment on these results.
(d) Calculate the energy payback time and energy return ratio. Give a brief comment on these results. [4 marks]
Note: marks will be lost if calculations are not clearly explained/justified including any as- sumptions made.
Guidance on completing this coursework
1. This coursework falls under AI category 1. There should be no AI tools used for this course- work.
2. Equations should be appropriately formatted. Be careful of notation; vectors are bold and scalars are not.
3. Solutions need to be explained in words (e.g. stating conservation laws or stating/justifying simplifications). Show all your working. Just the solution will get no marks. Please refer to the marking rubric under ‘technical analysis’.
4. Always re-read your answers, look again at the question, and ask yourself whether you have answered the specific question that was asked.
5. Hand drawn figures: be clear to indicate control volumes (using dashed lines), control sur- faces, unit normal vectors, components in the cycle etc. Labels should be in good handwriting with a fontsize that is easily readable.
6. Choose an appropriate and consistent method of referencing the scientific journals.
7. Do not use Wikipedia. Also, websites should not be used as they can be taken down or moved. Researchgate, Scopus, pubmed etc. are not journal references.
8. In technical reports there should be no use of ”I”, ”we”, ”us” etc.
9. If you are taking a figure from the web, this needs to be referenced. The figure also needs to be annotated by you, it is not good enough to just copy a figure into your coursework.
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0-50
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50-70
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70-100
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Technical
analysis
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Figures are too small and not clearly labelled. Con- servation laws, performance metrics, simplifications and assumptions not stated and/or justified. Working and supplied code difficult to follow.
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Some parts of the figure unclear with some labels missing. Some conserva- tion laws, performance met- rics, simplifications and as- sumptions not clearly stated and justified. Solution steps sometimes difficult to fol- low. Supplied code is at time difficult to follow.
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Figures are clear and well labelled, highlighting all key features. Conservation laws and performance met- rics are stated when used. Simplifications and assump- tions are stated and justified when used. Solution steps are easy to follow with fi- nal solution given in units where appropriate. Sup- plied code is annotated and easy to follow. Full parame- ter space of design variables is explored.
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