Equilibrium temperature of some ice and steam

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SUMMARY

The equilibrium temperature of a system containing 120 g of ice at 0°C and 20 g of steam at 100°C is calculated using the principles of thermodynamics. The relevant equations include the heat of fusion (Q_fus), heat of vaporization (Q_vap), and the specific heat capacity of water (c_water). The final temperature, after correcting for potential computational errors and using accurate values for latent heats, is approximately 22°C. Discrepancies in results may arise from variations in the latent heat of vaporization, which can significantly affect the outcome.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of thermodynamic principles, specifically heat transfer.
  • Familiarity with phase changes and associated latent heats (L_fus and L_vap).
  • Proficiency in algebraic manipulation of equations.
  • Knowledge of specific heat capacity, particularly for water (c_water = 4.184 kJ/kgK).
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the impact of varying latent heat values on phase change calculations.
  • Learn about the significance of significant figures in scientific calculations.
  • Explore the concept of energy conservation in closed systems.
  • Investigate the differences between using Celsius and Kelvin in thermodynamic equations.
USEFUL FOR

Students in physics or chemistry, educators teaching thermodynamics, and anyone involved in calorimetry or heat transfer calculations.

ElPimiento
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Homework Statement


"A well-insulated bucket of negligible heat capacity contains 120 g of ice at 0°C. If 20 g of steam at 100°C is injected into the bucket, what is the final equilibrium temperature of the system?"

Homework Equations


$$Q_{fus} = m_{water}L_{fus}$$
$$Q_{vap} = m_{steam}L_{vap}$$
$$Q = mc_{water}\Delta T$$
Where ##L_{fus} = 334 \frac{kJ}{kg}##, ##L_{vap} = -2230 \frac{kJ}{kg}## (since the phase change is from gas to liquid), and ##c_{water} = 4.184 \frac{kJ}{kgK}##

The Attempt at a Solution


(I'm beginning to suspect the error is a computational one, or that I've given some term the wrong sign)

Since the container is well-insulated I can write that no heat is lost:

$$\begin{align*}
\sum Q & = 0 \\
Q_{fus} + m_1c_{water}\big(T_f - (273K)\big) + Q_{vap} + m_2c_{water}\big(T_f - (373K)\big) & = 0 \\
\end{align*}$$

Where ##m_1## refers to the ice and ##m_2## refers to the steam. Some algebra,

$$\begin{align*}
\big(m_1c_{water}T_f - m_1c_{water}(273K)\big) & \\
+ \big(m_2c_{water}T_f - m_2c_{water}(373K)\big) & = -(Q_{fus} + Q_{vap}) \\ \\
\big(m_1c_{water}T_f + m_2c_{water}T_f\big) & \\
- \big(m_1c_{water}(273K) + m_2c_{water}(373K)\big) & = -(Q_{fus} + Q_{vap}) \\ \\
T_fc_{water}(m_1 + m_2) & = -(Q_{fus} + Q_{vap}) \\
&\ \ \ \ + \big(m_1c_{water}(273K) + m_2c_{water}(373K)\big) \\ \\
T_f & = \frac {-(Q_{fus} + Q_{vap}) + \big(m_1c_{water}(273K) + m_2c_{water}(373K)\big)} {c_{water}(m_1 + m_2)}.
\end{align*}$$

Numerically, this becomes,

$$\begin{align*}
T_f & \approx \frac {-(-4.52 kJ) + \big((137 kJ) + (31.2 kJ)\big)} {0.586 \frac{kJ}{K}} \\
& \approx 294 K.
\end{align*}$$

or 21.7°C; but this is incorrect.

Thanks,
Andrew
 
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ElPimiento said:
21.7°C; but this is incorrect.
I make it nearer 22. It looks like you used 273K converting to K but 272.7 converting back. Or maybe you accumulated some rounding errors.
There's no need to work in K here, easier in C:
((4.52/4.184 + 100 * 0.020)/(0.120+0.020).
 
I'm submitting the question online so here are the values I know are incorrect: 21.7°C, 21.8°C, 22°C, and 8.998°C.
So, I hope it is not the case that the margin of error is crazy small, I also hope there is nothing fishy going on with the answer to the question that the website is using...

Thanks for the suggestion about using C.
 
ElPimiento said:
I'm submitting the question online so here are the values I know are incorrect: 21.7°C, 21.8°C, 22°C, and 8.998°C.
So, I hope it is not the case that the margin of error is crazy small, I also hope there is nothing fishy going on with the answer to the question that the website is using...

Thanks for the suggestion about using C.
I got 22.00, so either the app is wrong or it is being very picky about significant digits. Maybe it wants 22.0, but I cannot see why that would be preferred to 22. The masses are not given as 20.0 etc.
 
haruspex said:
I got 22.00, so either the app is wrong or it is being very picky about significant digits. Maybe it wants 22.0, but I cannot see why that would be preferred to 22. The masses are not given as 20.0 etc.
I'm going to bring it to my professor's attention. Thanks for the second opinion!
 
I got 23.15 C but perhaps I made an error somewhere.
 
CWatters said:
I got 23.15 C but perhaps I made an error somewhere.
No, I think you may be right. I suspect a sign error in the handling the f the latent heats. Will check.
 
haruspex said:
No, I think you may be right. I suspect a sign error in the handling the f the latent heats. Will check.
Edit: no, I still get 22:
Heat left over from conversion of all to water = 20x2230-120x334=4520J.
(4520/4.184+100*120)/(120+20)=22.00218..
 
Think I might have found the problem. The calculation appears sensitive to the exact value used for the latent heat of vaporization.

If I use the figure from here..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latent_heat
..which has the latent heat of vaporization as 2264.76 kJ/kg then I get a figure of around 23C.
 
  • #10
CWatters said:
Think I might have found the problem. The calculation appears sensitive to the exact value used for the latent heat of vaporization.

If I use the figure from here..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latent_heat
..which has the latent heat of vaporization as 2264.76 kJ/kg then I get a figure of around 23C.
Ah.. I didn't check those data. Online I see 2230, 2257, 2260, 2.3 x 103. 2230 is rather an outlier.
 

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