ENEM13014 - Thermodynamics

General Information

Unit Synopsis

The unit will introduce the laws of thermodynamics, energy, work, and heat transfer in liquids and gasses. You will learn how to analyse and solve problems on heat engines, refrigeration, heat pumps as well as Rankine and Brayton cycles. You will develop the capacity to work, learn, and communicate ethically and professionally, as individuals and in teams, to investigate, solve problems, prepare technical and laboratory reports, and evaluate uncertainties and the results of your work. In this unit, you must complete compulsory practical activities. Refer to the Engineering Undergraduate Course Moodle site for proposed dates.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 3
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisites: MATH11218 Applied Mathematics and ENEG11009 Fundamentals of Energy & Electricity.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

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Residential School Compulsory Residential School
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Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2024

Term 2 - 2024 Profile
Bundaberg
Cairns
Gladstone
Mackay
Mixed Mode
Rockhampton

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Written Assessment 15%
2. Written Assessment 15%
3. Practical Assessment 20%
4. Examination 50%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 2 - 2021 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 4.2 (on a 5 point Likert scale), based on a 37.5% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: Unit evaluation
Feedback
The Lecturer tried to involve students during lecturers and tutorials. I felt free to ask questions at anytime.
Recommendation
Appropriate engagement with students will be maintained.
Action Taken
Better engagement was maintained.
Source: Unit evaluation
Feedback
The laboratory reports need to have a peer contribution assessment so students can review their peers and their effort into the report.
Recommendation
It's a good suggestion. We will attempt to adapt peer contribution assessment.
Action Taken
The peer contribution was assessed this time.
Source: Unit evaluation.
Feedback
The lab documents needs revision and emphasis should be given to outcomes.
Recommendation
The lab sheet will be revised to make it more clear to students.
Action Taken
The lab sheet was revised and improved, however, we had to supply data for some groups who could not do the experiments due to set-up issues and the timing of labs. Still, the refrigeration equipment is different in regional campuses compared to Rockhampton. It's an ongoing issue that we should solve ASAP.
Source: Unit evaluation.
Feedback
If lab videos are required in the future the sound and video quality should be better.
Recommendation
The video will be re-made to improve the sound and quality.
Action Taken
The video was re-made, however, the audio was not consistent during recording by different staff.
Source: Student evaluation
Feedback
Tutorial/example questions should be done from start to finish instead of explaining the concept only.
Recommendation
More time will be taken to go through the start to finish of tutorial/example questions and clear explanations will be provided in the coming years.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: Student evaluation.
Feedback
There were some issues with understanding the goal of some questions, though it is non-critical.
Recommendation
Some more background information will be provided to make the students understand the goal of the questions.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: Student evaluation
Feedback
Unit Coordinator's understanding and delivery of the content made this unit enjoyable and engaging.
Recommendation
A similar or improved standard will be maintained in the coming years.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: Student evaluation.
Feedback
The exam was difficult and needed more time/ resources.
Recommendation
The exam was open book. These comments will be taken into consideration in the coming years during setting up the question paper.
Action Taken
Nil.
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Analyse the flow and non-flow processes using tables of properties of fluids, P-v-T, P-v, and T-v diagrams
  2. Explain the first and second law of thermodynamics and their limitations
  3. Analyse the heat energy cycles for a variety of heat engine, refrigeration, and heat pump cycles
  4. Analyse Rankine and Brayton cycles including their T-s diagrams and practical applications
  5. Prepare technical and laboratory reports with a thorough evaluation of experimental uncertainties and results obtained in an ethical and professional manner both individually and in teams.

The Learning Outcomes for this unit are linked with the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standards for Professional Engineers in the areas of 1. Knowledge and Skill Base, 2. Engineering Application Ability and 3. Professional and Personal Attributes at the following levels:

Intermediate
1.5 Knowledge of engineering design practice and contextual factors impacting the engineering discipline. (LO: 2I 3I 4I 5I)
2.2 Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools, and resources. (LO: 1N 2N 3N 4N 5I)
2.3 Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes. (LO: 1N 2N 3N 4N 5I)
2.4 Application of systematic approaches to the conduct and management of engineering projects. (LO: 1N 2N 3N 4I 5I)
3.3 Creative, innovative, and pro-active demeanour. (LO: 1N 2I 3I 4I 5I)
3.4 Professional use and management of information. (LO: 1N 2I 3I 4I 5I)
Advanced
1.1 Comprehensive, theory-based understanding of the underpinning natural and physical sciences and the engineering fundamentals applicable to the engineering discipline. (LO: 1N 2A 3A 4A 5A)
1.2 Conceptual understanding of the mathematics, numerical analysis, statistics, and computer and information sciences which underpin the engineering discipline. (LO: 1N 2A 3A 4A 5A)
1.3 In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the engineering discipline. (LO: 1I 2I 3A 4A 5A)
1.4 Discernment of knowledge development and research directions within the engineering discipline. (LO: 1I 3I 4A 5I)
1.6 Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities, and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline. (LO: 2I 3A 4I 5A)
2.1 Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem solving. (LO: 1A 2N 3A 4A 5A)
3.1 Ethical conduct and professional accountability. (LO: 5A)
3.2 Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains. (LO: 5A)
3.5 Orderly management of self, and professional conduct. (LO: 1N 2N 3I 4N 5A)
3.6 Effective team membership and team leadership. (LO: 5A)

Note: LO refers to the Learning Outcome number(s) which link to the competency and the levels: N – Introductory, I – Intermediate, and A - Advanced
Refer to the Engineering Undergraduate Course Moodle site for further information on the Engineers Australia's Stage 1 Competency Standard for Professional Engineers and course level mapping information https://moodle.cqu.edu.au/course/view.php?id=1511

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Written Assessment
2 - Written Assessment
3 - Practical Assessment
4 - Examination
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Communication
2 - Problem Solving
3 - Critical Thinking
4 - Information Literacy
5 - Team Work
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10