Questions
List the 6 different steps in systematic design process and explain each step.

List the 6 different steps in systematic design process and explain each step.

In: Mechanical Engineering

Nitrogen can be liquefied using a Joule-Thomson expansioni process. This is done by rapidlyl and adiabatically...

Nitrogen can be liquefied using a Joule-Thomson expansioni process. This is done by rapidlyl and adiabatically expandign cold nitrogen gas from high pressure to a low pressure. If nitrogen at 135 K and 20 MPa undergoes a Joule-Thomson expansion to 0.4 MPa,

a. Estimate the fraction of vapor and liquid present after the expansion, and the emperature of this mixture using the pressure-enthalpy diagram for nitrogen.

b. Repeat the calculation assuming nitrogen to be an ideal gas with Cp* = 29.3 J/molK

In: Mechanical Engineering

A smooth rectangular duct 300 mm by 400 mm carries air at a rate of 1...

A smooth rectangular duct 300 mm by 400 mm carries air at a rate of 1 m3/s.

Take the density of air to be 1.204 kg/m3 and the dynamic viscosity of air to be 1.825x10-5 kg/ms.

Calculate the friction factor for the duct.

In: Mechanical Engineering

Design a Matlab program for the Brayton Cycle. The program would be for a standard air...

Design a Matlab program for the Brayton Cycle. The program would be for a standard air cycle. The program should show specific work and thermodynamic efficiency from r=1 to 50, t=1 to 5 , where r is the pressure ratio and t is the temperature ratio,

In: Mechanical Engineering

To obtain monochromatic x-rays from copper one must avoid or eliminate the Kβ to obtain only...

To obtain monochromatic x-rays from copper one must avoid or eliminate the Kβ to obtain only Kα. One possible method is to use an electron energy above the Kα critical value of ~8.0 keV, but below the Kβ critical value of ~8.9 keV. Instead a potential energy of 40-50 keV is typically used, with a filter to remove the Kβ. Explain why this might be better than the first method.

In: Mechanical Engineering

Uniform internal heat generation at  q˙⁢ = 2.00 × 107 W/m3 is occurring in a cylindrical...

Uniform internal heat generation at  q˙⁢ = 2.00 × 107 W/m3 is occurring in a cylindrical nuclear reactor fuel rod of 50-mm diameter, and under steady-state conditions the temperature distribution is of the form T(r)=a+br^2, where T is in degrees Celsius and r is in meters, while a= 800 °C and b= -4.167 × 105 °C/m2. The fuel rod properties are k= 30 W/m·K, ρ= 1100 kg/m3, and cp= 800 J/kg·K.

Please write legible.

Find the steady state temperature gradient, d⁢T/d⁢r, at the outer surface of the rod, in °C/m.

What is the steady state rate of heat transfer at the outer surface, in W/m?

Immediately after the sudden increase in reactor power level (at t= 0 sec), what is the temperature at the centerline?

Immediately after the sudden increase in reactor power level (at t= 0 sec), what is the time rate of temperature change, d⁢T/d⁢t, at the centerline, in °C/s?

In: Mechanical Engineering

Which of the following is NOT one of the four criteria by which the size of a hydraulic reservoir is determined?


Which of the following is NOT one of the four criteria by which the size of a hydraulic reservoir is determined?

  1. It must make allowance for dirt and chips to settle and air to escape

  2. Its inner surface must be covered with a layer of stainless still to avoid corrosion

  3. It must maintain oil level high enough to prevent a whirlpool effect at the pump inlet

  4. It must have a surface area large enough to dissipate heat

  5. All of the above


Which of the following is the main advantage of the piston type accumulator over other gas type accumulators?

  1. Its ability to handle very high or low temperature system fluids

  2. Its small weight-to-volume ratio

  3. A positive sealing between the gas and oil chambers

  4. Its exclusive use of nitrogen

  5. None of the above

In: Mechanical Engineering

Please describe the value associated with momentum and heat transfer analogies and the role of the...

Please describe the value associated with momentum and heat transfer analogies and the role of the Prandtl number

In: Mechanical Engineering

Why it is important to study the cost implications of any energy saving measures in industry?...

Why it is important to study the cost implications of any energy saving measures in industry? What are the ways and means by which it is carried out?

In: Mechanical Engineering

After full analysis of a solid steel shaft considering deflection, strength and vibrations, we come to...

After full analysis of a solid steel shaft considering deflection, strength and vibrations, we come to know that the shaft design is limited by deflection, which option as a designer would you pursue, provide reasoningfor your choice.

(a)Increase the shaft diameter but make the shaft hollow while keeping the weight constant

(b)Keep the shaft diameter constant and select a shaft with higher strength

(c)Increase the shaft diameter to increase the critical speed and select a steel with higher strength

(d)Increase the shaft diameter and use a cheaper steel

(e)Increase the shaft diameter to increase the critical speed and reduce deflection as well as selecting a steel

with higher strength to improve the strength.

In: Mechanical Engineering

Please show steps 2.54 Using the ASHRAE Psychrometric Chart complete the following table: Dry Bulb, °F...

Please show steps

2.54 Using the ASHRAE Psychrometric Chart complete the

following table:

Dry Bulb, °F

Wet Bulb, °F

Dew Point, °F

Humidity Ratio, lbv/lba

Relative Humidity, %

Enthalpy, Btu/lbair

Specific Volume, ft3/lbair

80

13.8

70

55

100

70

40

40

0.01

13.8

60

40

40

20

60

30

85

0.012

80

80

In: Mechanical Engineering

Do some internet or library research on the water towers in Bryan/College Station area to estimate:...

Do some internet or library research on the water towers in Bryan/College Station area to estimate: a) maximum municipal water supply pressure (based on water tower dimensions, not water pressure), b) average number of residents served per water tower, c) if the lowest pressure at the inlet to a home is 30 psig, estimate the friction losses associated with transporting municipal water through underground pipelines in terms of psig lost per mile of transport.

In: Mechanical Engineering

This TED talk was not only interesting and eye-opening but also scary and thought-provoking.

 

This TED talk was not only interesting and eye-opening but also scary and thought-provoking. I believe that Sam Haris is doing a great job at introducing these kind of talks within our society because many people forget to look at the bad things and negative consequences that could arise from creating a machine or robot that exceeds human intelligence. In many ways, this topic can seem very appealing when you first hear about it. Think about it, we would have the help of machines that are much more intelligent than us and that can work and understand things at a speed that we would be unable to achieve. But this can also cause several problems. For instance, Haris mentions that if these machines were to start working at the same time as a Stanford or MIT group, they would be able to get more than 20,000 years of human level intellectual work. This would not be able to last long as the machines would realize that we cannot keep up and they might decide to "eliminate us", in the same way that Haris says we "annihilate ants when they are in our way". I also like the fact that he shows us how short 50 years is actually because many people use the excuse that it might not affect them because they won't be alive. However, this seems to be a very selfish approach since if it doesn't affect you directly, it will at some point affect your children, or grandchildren.

In topics that create so much controversy I think it is difficult to see what will be the outcome. Nonetheless, I do believe that it is necessary to bring up difficult topics such as these so that we are really aware of what all the outcomes are. For example, I had never even imagined the fact that these machines could be so superior to us that it ends up being a problem and could lead to a war between humans and machines. These thoughts can seem ironical or even surreal but it could happen because as Haris mentions, " we hvae no idea how long it will take us to create the conditions to create these machines safely".

In: Mechanical Engineering

As technology rapidly progresses, the issue with artificial intelligence overwhelms us with many questions.

 

As technology rapidly progresses, the issue with artificial intelligence overwhelms us with many questions. Proponents believe it is the solution to society's most complex challenges but critics argue that it threatens to fundamentally alter the human way of life in such a way that poses an "existential threat" to mankind. In the TED Talk, Sam Harris does bring up the potential danger of AI acting independently of our control and may acquire the ability to refine themselves. To deal with this situation is tricky because there is always the doubts of the unknown and the fear to conquer them. In my personal opinion, there is no definite possibility or impossibility. AI could have the tendency to overpower the human race. For a fact, they are the manifestation of society's intelligence and innovation. In the essence, what is the nature of humanity versus the nature of AI? In many ways, we as humans are superior to artificial machinery. For example, we have the ability to learn from past experiences, adapt to new circumstances and change our own environments based on our accumulated knowledge. AI, on the other hand, is simply a tool of study and design that produces actions to maximize our success. In the essence, AI is being programmed to mimic human behavior while human intelligence is the real creator of artificial intelligence.   

It is true that in some aspects AI can outsmart human intelligence but our fear of the unknown should not be an excuse to prevent the next wave of technological and human progression. In the similar way that we utilize eco-friendly resources for the benefit of the society, we can manage to employ the adequate precautions and regulations necessary to create human- friendly AI that could be developed to serve humans rather than threaten them. In the bottom line, we need to be careful about the decisions we make and prepare for the consequences of our own actions. Always be better safe than sorry.

In: Mechanical Engineering

Superheated steam at 20 MPa, 640°C enters the turbine of a vapor power plant. The pressure...

Superheated steam at 20 MPa, 640°C enters the turbine of a vapor power plant. The pressure at the exit of the turbine is 0.5 bar, and liquid leaves the condenser at 0.4 bar at 75°C. The pressure is increased to 20.1 MPa across the pump. The turbine and pump have isentropic efficiencies of 81 and 85%, respectively. Cooling water enters the condenser at 20°C with a mass flow rate of 70.7 kg/s and exits the condenser at 38°C. For the cycle, determine: (a) the mass flow rate of steam, in kg/s. (b) the percent thermal efficiency.

In: Mechanical Engineering