1

The United Nations (UN) estimates that by 2050, ____ of the World’s population will live in nations that are short of Water.

Answer: Half

2

Shortage of Water = Demand for Water - Availability of Water

3

What do you mean by the term 'Water footprint' of an individual?

Water footprint of an individual is the sum of one's direct and indirect freshwater use.

[Water footprint = Direct water usage + Indirect water usage].

4

Direct water usage:

The direct water use is the volume of freshwater used by an individual, at home.

5

Indirect water usage:

Indirect water use relates to the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed.

6.

Water availability scenario for India:

The per capita availability of water at national level has been reduced from about 5177 cubic meters in 1951, to the estimated level of 1,820 cubic meters in 2001, with the variation in water availability in different river basins.

Given the projected increase in population by the year 2025, the per capita availability is likely to drop to below 1,000 cubic meters, which could be labeled as a situation of water scarcity.

7

Can the Municipal Treated Sewage Water, used as make up water for CW system, in Thermal power plants?

Yes. However, the extent of re-treatment before utilization in a thermal power plant, would depend on the quality of municipal treated sewage water that is being made available for utilization.

8

A Steam Thermal power plant operates on _____ Cycle.

Answer: Rankine

9

What is a Thermodynamic Cycle?

A Thermodynamic Cycle is a series of thermodynamic processes which returns a system to its initial state.

10

What is Thermodynamics?

Thermodynamics is a branch of physics concerned with heat and temperature, and their relation to energy and work.

11

What is a Process?

The operation by which a system changes form one state to another is called a Process.

12

What is a Thermodynamic Process?

A Thermodynamic Process is an operation by which a thermodynamic system changes from one state to another (i.e. from an initial state to a final state).

Whenever a thermodynamic system changes from one state to another, it is accompanied by change in energy.

In case of open systems, in addition to the change in energy of the final state of the system, there would also be a change of matter/ mass to the system.

13

What is a Thermodynamic State?

A Thermodynamic State is the macroscopic condition of a thermodynamic system, as described by its particular thermodynamic properties or variables.

For fluid systems, typical thermodynamic properties or variables, are pressure, volume and temperature, etc.,

The thermodynamic state of a system is fully defined or identified, by values of a suitable set of measurable properties, known as thermodynamic state properties or variables.

14

What is a Thermodynamic System?

A thermodynamic system is the content of a macroscopic volume in space, along with its walls and surroundings, in which thermodynamic processes takes place, according to the principles of thermodynamics.

A thermodynamic system is a quantity of matter of fixed identity, around which we can draw a boundary.

The boundaries may be fixed or moveable.

Work or heat can be transferred across the system boundary.

15

What is an 'open thermodynamic system'?

When either Work or Heat, or both along with mass can be transferred across the system boundary, it is called an open thermodynamic system or an 'open system'.

16

What is a 'closed thermodynamic system'?

When either Work or Heat or both, can be transferred across the system boundary and not the mass, it is called a closed thermodynamic system or a 'closed system'.

17

What is an 'isolated thermodynamic system'?

When nothing can be transferred (neither Work nor Heat nor mass) across the system boundary, it is called an isolated thermodynamic system or an 'isolated system'.

18

What is called the 'Surroundings' to a system?

Everything outside the boundary of the system, is called the 'surroundings' of the system.

19

What is an 'Universe'?

The 'system' and the 'surroundings' together constitutes the 'Universe'.

20

What is a 'Thermodynamic property'?

A quantity or a variable or a parameter, which is an attribute of an entire system, and which defines the state of the system is called a 'Thermodynamic property'.

Examples are temperature, pressure, volume, concentration, surface tension, and viscosity etc.,

21

Thermodynamic properties are divided into two broad types: _______ & _______.

Answer: Intensive properties and Extensive properties.

22

What is an 'Extensive property'?

An 'Extensive property' is any thermodynamic property, that depends on the size (or extent) of the system under consideration.  

Example: volume, mass, energy etc.,

23

What is an 'Intensive property'?

An 'Intensive property' is any thermodynamic property, that can exist at a point in space, and which does not depend on the size of the system under consideration.    

Example: temperature, pressure, density etc.,

24

What is Acid rain?

Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, and is  a result of air pollution.

It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals and infrastructure.

25

How is Acid rain formed?

Acid rain is caused by release of SOX and NOX from combustion of fossil fuels, which then mix with water vapour in atmosphere to form sulphuric and nitric acids respectively.