MathLab Question

INTRODUCTION:

In thermodynamics, energy can be neither created nor destroyed (1^st law): it is either converted to usable work or lost as waste heat. The second law of thermodynamics states that the total entropy (disorder) of a system will never decrease over time; that is, systems can only be at constant entropy or have increasing entropy. This may be restated by saying that there is an upper limit to the efficiency of the conversion of heat to work, as in a heat engine.

From these principles of thermodynamics, it is clear that there is an upper limit to how efficient power generation can be at most power plants. Many power plants, including those fueled by fossil fuels, nuclear sources, geothermal sources, biomass, and solar thermal, operate by generating a source of heat (burning fossil fuels, reacting nuclear materials, using the sun’s rays, etc.), using this heat source to heat water to steam, and passing this steam through a turbine. When the turbine spins, power is generated.

The maximum thermodynamic efficiency of a power plant is dictated by the temperatures of the hot reservoir (that is, the steam) and the cold reservoir (the cooling fluid in place). Ideally, the thermodynamic efficiency of the plant would be based on these temperatures, as in the Carnot cycle:

?

where ? is the efficiency (unitless), T_L is the temperature of the cold stream (either in Kelvin or in Rankine), and T_H is the temperature of the hot stream, that is, the steam (either in Kelvin or in Rankine).

You have a data file called power.txt which shows the temperatures in Kelvin of the steam (T_H) and of the cooling fluid (T_C) for several different power plants. This data file has a control number and is space delimited.

ASSIGNMENT:

Write a Python script that will read the title of the program from the input file power.txt, then the remainder of the required values. Using T_H and T_C, the Carnot efficiency should be computed in a function; the rest of the code should be in the main function. The title should be printed from what was read from the input file, and the rest of the output should print as a table to the screen and to an output file called efficiency.txt.

Use the “Code Setup.py” template on Blackboard to write your code.

Your program output will look like the illustration shown below. Use your PC’s cursor to determine the horizontal and vertical spacing for the output format.

OUTPUT FORMAT:

********************************************

POWER PLANT CARNOT EFFICIENCY

STEAM TEMP COOLING TEMP EFFICIENCY

xxx.xx xxx.xx x.xx

. . .

. . .

. . .

********************************************

SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS:

Once you have your program working, exit the Python IDE that you are using. Make sure that your source program file name conforms to the following specifications:

sn_pn_first_last

where: sn is your section number (01, 02, 03 …)

pn is the program number (8)

first is your first name

last is your last name

An example for the seventh coding assignment would be 1_8_elmer_fudd.py.

Submission:

Submit both your handwritten problem-solving process and your Python source code using the Assignments button in Blackboard. Remember to submit your Python source program in Python 3 only, using code as demonstrated in class. No other format will be accepted.

If you make changes to your program and need to resubmit, rename the file such as 1_8_elmer_fudd_2.py or 1_8_elmer_fudd_3.py, etc. Then use the Assignments button in Blackboard to submit the new version. Only the most current submitted program version will be graded.

FILE LOCATION:

Files on the grader’s computer and Dr. B.’s computer will be located at:
C:Engr 200power.txt and C