Reciprocating Compressor Experiment.

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around an experiment to determine the volumetric efficiency of a reciprocating compressor, focusing on the process type (isothermal, polytropic, or adiabatic) and the implications of temperature changes observed during the experiment.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Conceptual clarification

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the relationship between the value of n and the observed temperature change, questioning whether the small temperature variation is consistent with the calculated value of n being close to 1. There are inquiries about how to assess the significance of the temperature change in relation to the process type.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants seeking to clarify the implications of their findings and how to analyze the temperature change in relation to the value of n. Some guidance has been offered regarding the next steps in the analysis, although there is no explicit consensus on the interpretation of the results yet.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention a recent start in their studies, indicating a potential lack of familiarity with the concepts involved, which may affect their understanding and interpretation of the experiment's results.

SherlockOhms
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So, I've recently carried out an experiment to find the volumetric efficiency of a singular reciprocating compressor. During the experiment, there are sub questions asking you to find the value of n and then whether the process is isothermal, poly tropic or adiabatic. Well, n is found to be very close to 1 so the process is isothermal. However, the temperature in the receiver (where the compressed gas is stored) does change by about 3K from t= 0s until t = 180s (when the compressor switches off). Why is that? And, is this therefore not an isothermal process? Or, am I just not properly understanding what's happening? Thanks.
 
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From the information posted, it is not possible to tell whether the temperature change observed is small enough to be consistent with the measured difference between n and 1. You could try to compute that.
 
haruspex said:
From the information posted, it is not possible to tell whether the temperature change observed is small enough to be consistent with the measured difference between n (η?) and 1. You could try to compute that.

The difference between n and 1? Well, the average value of n was found to be 1.034. So, the difference between n and 1 is 0.034. Is this what you're asking? I may have misunderstood.
 
SherlockOhms said:
The difference between n and 1? Well, the average value of n was found to be 1.034. So, the difference between n and 1 is 0.034. Is this what you're asking? I may have misunderstood.
Yes, that's what I was asking, but the next step is to determine whether the observed rise in temperature is within the range consistent with that n.
 
haruspex said:
Yes, that's what I was asking, but the next step is to determine whether the observed rise in temperature is within the range consistent with that n.

How do I go about doing that? Only just began this module 3 weeks back so apologies if I'm catching on a bit slowly.
 
SherlockOhms said:
How do I go about doing that? Only just began this module 3 weeks back so apologies if I'm catching on a bit slowly.
Not my area, I'm afraid. I was just pointing out a possible explanation.
 
No problem. Thanks for the help.
 

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