On-Demand Water Heaters. Conventional hot-water heaters consist of a tank of water maintained at a fixed temperature. The hot water is to be used when needed. The drawbacks are that energy is wasted because the tank loses heat when it is not in use and that you can run out of hot water if you use too much. Some utility companies are encouraging the use of on-demand water heaters (also known as flash heaters ), which consist of heating units to heat the water as you use it. No water tank is involved, so no heat is wasted. A typical household shower flow rate is 2.5 gal/min (9.46 L/min) with the tap water being heated from 50°F (10°C) to 120°F (49°C) by the on-demand heater. What rate of heat input (either electrical or from gas) is required to operate such a unit, assuming that all the heat goes into the water?
On-Demand Water Heaters. Conventional hot-water heaters consist of a tank of water maintained at a fixed temperature. The hot water is to be used when needed. The drawbacks are that energy is wasted because the tank loses heat when it is not in use and that you can run out of hot water if you use too much. Some utility companies are encouraging the use of on-demand water heaters (also known as flash heaters ), which consist of heating units to heat the water as you use it. No water tank is involved, so no heat is wasted. A typical household shower flow rate is 2.5 gal/min (9.46 L/min) with the tap water being heated from 50°F (10°C) to 120°F (49°C) by the on-demand heater. What rate of heat input (either electrical or from gas) is required to operate such a unit, assuming that all the heat goes into the water?
On-Demand Water Heaters. Conventional hot-water heaters consist of a tank of water maintained at a fixed temperature. The hot water is to be used when needed. The drawbacks are that energy is wasted because the tank loses heat when it is not in use and that you can run out of hot water if you use too much. Some utility companies are encouraging the use of on-demand water heaters (also known as flash heaters), which consist of heating units to heat the water as you use it. No water tank is involved, so no heat is wasted. A typical household shower flow rate is 2.5 gal/min (9.46 L/min) with the tap water being heated from 50°F (10°C) to 120°F (49°C) by the on-demand heater. What rate of heat input (either electrical or from gas) is required to operate such a unit, assuming that all the heat goes into the water?
An electric generator at a power plant produces energy by passing superheated steam from a high temperature container (reservoir), through a pipe connected to a series of fans, and then into a low temperature reservoir. As the steam passes across the blades of the fans some of the heat energy of the steam is transformed into mechanical energy, which turns the fans which in turn are connected to a generator, which in turn converts the mechanical energy into electrical energy.
If the high temperature steam has a temperature of 376 K and the low temperature reservoir has a temperature of 101.9 K, what is the Carnot efficiency of this process?
You observe a grasshopper eating a blade of grass. You know that each blade of grass contains 100 units of energy. You then measure the energy level of the grasshopper using a fancy device. You notice that the grasshopper only has 20 units of Energy after eating two blades of grass. Based on what you have learned about thermodynamics, where did the rest of the energy go?
The “Energy Guide” label on a washing machine indicates that the washer will use $85 worth of hot water per year if the water is heated by an electric water heater at an electricity rate of $0.113/kWh. If the water is heated from 12 to 55°C, determine how many liters of hot water an average family uses per week. Disregard the electricity consumed by the washer, and take the efficiency of the electric water heater to be 91 percent.
Chapter 17 Solutions
University Physics with Modern Physics (14th Edition)
College Physics: A Strategic Approach (3rd Edition)
Knowledge Booster
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, physics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.