Question

Steam is stored inside an industrial vessel of 4.2 m3. After compression, the volume of steam reduces to 1.1 m3. Assuming the temperature to be constant, find the initial pressure if the final pressure is 4 bar?

Answer 1

Using Boyle's Law for gases at constant temperature, the initial pressure of the steam was found to be approximately 1.048 bar, given the final pressure of 4 bar and volume changes from 4.2 m3 to 1.1 m3.

Step-by-step explanation:

The subject of this question is Physics, specifically the application of the ideal gas law under the assumption of constant temperature, referred to as Boyle's Law. The law states that the product of pressure and volume for a given amount of an ideal gas is constant if the temperature is kept constant. This relationship is mathematically expressed as P1V1 = P2V2, where P1 and V1 are the initial pressure and volume, and P2 and V2 are the final pressure and volume, respectively.

In the given scenario, we are looking to find the initial pressure of steam in an industrial vessel. The final pressure (P2) after compression is given as 4 bar, and the volume before (V1) and after (V2) compression are 4.2 m3 and 1.1 m3, respectively. Applying Boyle's Law:

P1V1 = P2V2

`P1 * 4.2 m3 = 4 bar * 1.1 m3`

To find the initial pressure (P1), we rearrange the equation to solve for P1:

P1 = (P2V2) / V1

`P1 = (4 bar * 1.1 m3) / 4.2 m3`
P1 = 4.4 bar / 4.2 m3
P1 ≈ 1.048 bar

Therefore, the initial pressure of the steam before compression was approximately 1.048 bar.