MEC2405: Thermodynamics

Exam - 70% (Hurdle next year)
Mid semester test - 10%
3 Labs 5% in total 7 tutorials 5% in total

I will be doing a lot of comparison between the aero version of this unit as I failed that unit last year. After switching my degree to mechanical engineering I had to do this unit. The unit is taught by Meng Woo from the Chemical Engineering department in first semester, who also teaches the aero version. I won't comment on him here but if you ask me you should take this unit in second semester rather than first semester as there is a huge difference between Daniel and Meng. Daniel explains the conceptions very well that thermodynamics has been my favourite unit this semester and I appreciate the physics behind it very well now. The aero version doesn't dive into the heart of thermodynamics which is the second law so that makes the first law useless anyway. And this even makes things worse in the third year as aerodynamics II feels very dry without the complete understanding of the second law.

Lectures

We had a 2 hour and an hour lectures in total. The one hour lecture was in 8:00 AM and there was no recording for it. This was deliberate to encourage the amount of attendance. The 2 hour lecture was more on conceptual understanding and the one hour was on solving questions. The lectures were delivered very well by Daniel. He was so enthusiastic and made sure we understood the topics by interactive learning. These topics include the zeroth, first and second law. There was a heavy emphasis on the second law as this was the foundation of the conceptual part of this unit. Applications of these laws such as gas and vapour-steam engines/cycles were presented too.

Combustion Lecture

Yes, you've heard it right. Combustion lecture. Get some popcorn and take your seat. This will be fun. In the last lecture of w12, Daniel will demonstrate a series of combustions of various fuels. The most crazy one was the shush bottle where he combusted methanol in a big water battle (19L). Ok no more spoilers. And safety was number one priority here so don't worry.

Tutorials

In these 3 hour tutorials, you'll work on a set of problems. Again, I have to compare this with the aero version. Daniel made sure that everyone actually uses his methodology of solving questions which is tedious but the correct way of solving thermo questions. The aero version was a mess. There was no emphasis on it whatsoever. At the end of the session, you'll get marked on your solutions. These questions get very tedious so you need to start early.

Labs

There were 3 labs in this unit.
1- Refrigeration cycle lab
2- Stirling engine lab
3- Petrol and diesel engine lab

You have 2 days to submit a page of report after completing the lab. It is easily manageable except for the refrigeration cycle lab which was a bit tedious.

Mid Semester Test

This test was held in week 8. It consisted of 3 main questions and its subparts. The last question was on entirely on the second law of thermodynamics. It is essentially free marks if you know your stuff. However, please don't underestimate the second law as it is always counterintuitive at the beginning.

Overall, this unit was fun. I thought thermo was going to be very painful for the second time. With consistent working and reading, this unit is very manageable and fun.

Daniel Mitchell

Plenty of past exams are available and no solutions are provided.

4.5 out of 5

No, the reason behind this is to increase the amount of attendance and it's been very successful and helpful.

Thermodynamics: an engineering approach by Yunus Cengel. Purchase the book! This unit examines a lot of conceptual understandings and you need to be constantly reading the book.

1x2 and 1 hour lectures and 7 tutorials and 3 labs.

2015, Semester 2

70 - D