Overview
This unit will introduce you to the fundamentals of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. You will start with gas laws and laws of thermodynamics for open and closed systems. You will further work on the physics of phase change processes using T-v and P-v diagrams for pure substances. This will allow you to move on to energy analysis of closed systems, and mass and energy analysis of control volumes. In this unit, you will learn how to classify fluids and determine different forces on submerged objects. You will later work on two most commonly used equations in fluid mechanics: Bernoulli and energy equations in the context of pressure, velocity, and energy conservation. This unit will allow you to work on problems related to heat transfer such as heat conduction, and forced and natural heat convection. Students enrolled in distance mode must have access to a computer, and make frequent use of the internet. In this unit, you must complete compulsory practical activities. Refer to the Engineering Undergraduate Course Moodle site for proposed dates.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
MATH11219 Applied Calculus AND ENEG11009 Fundamentals of Energy and Electricity AND [ENEG11006 Engineering Statics OR ENEM12007 Statics & Dynamics]
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).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2026
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).
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.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
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.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
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.
Feedback from Class discussion
The weekly quizzes provided an excellent way to support the week's study, self-check progress, and understanding.
This practice should be continued.
Feedback from Class discussion
The assessments, particularly the project, offered a good challenge that encouraged the students to further their understanding of the content.
This practice should be continued.
Feedback from Class discussion
A variety of assessments-(Project, lab report, quizzes) included in the unit provided an effective learning experience
This practice should be continued.
- Describe fundamental and key concepts of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics
- Apply energy equations and laws of thermodynamics and evaluate the performance of thermodynamic systems
- Analyse various phase change processes, heat transfer mechanisms, and thermal cycles
- Develop solutions for problems related to flow rates, pressures, and forces for fluid systems
- Communicate professionally using relevant technical terminology, symbols, and diagrams and effectively document calculations and solutions
- Work autonomously and as a team to analyse problems and present solutions.
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:
Note: LO refers to the Learning Outcome number(s) which link to the competency and the levels: N – Introductory, I – Intermediate and A - Advanced.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 15% | ||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 20% | ||||||
| 3 - Practical Assessment - 20% | ||||||
| 4 - Online Test - 45% | ||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||||
| 10 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 15% | |||||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 20% | |||||||||||
| 3 - Practical Assessment - 20% | |||||||||||
| 4 - Online Test - 45% | |||||||||||
Textbooks
Fundamentals of Thermal-Fluid Sciences (in SI Units) 5th (2016)
- Edition: 5 (2016)
- Authors: Authors: Cengel, YA, Turner, RH & Cimbala, JM,
- McGraw HIll
- Sydney Sydney , NSW , Australia
- ISBN: ISBN: ISBN: 978-1-119-24898-9
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
r.narayanan@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 13 Jul 2026Module/Topic
Unit Information, Introduction, Basics of Thermodynamics
Chapter
Chapter 1 & 2 of Textbook of the unit.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture and Tutorial.
Week 2
Begin Date: 20 Jul 2026Module/Topic
Energy, Properties of pure substances
Chapter
Chapter 3 & 4
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture, Tutorial and Weekly Quiz.
Week 3
Begin Date: 27 Jul 2026Module/Topic
Closed systems, Control Volumes
Chapter
Chapters 5 & 6
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture, Tutorial and Weekly Quiz.
Week 4
Begin Date: 03 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Second Law of Thermodynamics
Chapter
Chapters 7 & 8
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture, Tutorial and Weekly Quiz.
Week 5
Begin Date: 10 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Power cycles
Chapter
Chapter 9
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture, Tutorial, Weekly Quiz
Week 6
Begin Date: 17 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Refrigeration cycles
Chapter
Chapter 9
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture, Tutorial and Weekly Quiz
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 24 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Vacation
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 7
Begin Date: 31 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Properties of fluids, Fluid statics
Chapter
Chapter 10 & 11
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture, Tutorial and Weekly Quiz.
Residential school and Lab Experiments
Week 8
Begin Date: 07 Sep 2026Module/Topic
Bernoulli’s equations, Momentum analysis of flow
Chapter
Chapters 12 & 13
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture, Tutorial and Weekly Quiz.
Laboratory reports Due: Week 8 Wednesday (9 Sept 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 9
Begin Date: 14 Sep 2026Module/Topic
Internal flow
Chapter
Chapter 14, 15 Sections.1-.2.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture, Tutorial and Weekly Quiz.
Week 10
Begin Date: 21 Sep 2026Module/Topic
Heat Transfer
Chapter
Chapter 16 &17
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture, Tutorial and Weekly Quiz.
Assignment Due: Week 10 Wednesday (23 Sept 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 11
Begin Date: 28 Sep 2026Module/Topic
Heat Transfer/Revision
Chapter
Lecture notes
Events and Submissions/Topic
Lecture, Tutorial and Weekly Quiz.
Week 12
Begin Date: 05 Oct 2026Module/Topic
Revision
Chapter
All chapters
Events and Submissions/Topic
Exam Week
Begin Date: 12 Oct 2026Module/Topic
End of Term Online Test
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation/Exam Week
Begin Date: 19 Oct 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Online Quiz(zes)
The weekly quizzes assess the content from each week. There will be 10 quizzes starting in week 2 and extending through week 11; together, they will account for 20% of the unit's weighting. The assessment task can be accessed weekly on the unit Moodle site. Each quiz will be open for a week, and students must attempt it during that period. Weekly due dates will be given in Moodle.
AI ASSESSMENT SCALE - NO AI
You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
This assessment is exempted from the 72-hour submission grace period and must be completed by the stated submission date/time.
You need to score 50% on all quizzes combined to pass this assessment.
10
Weekly
Weekly due dates will be given in the Moodle
Students will be getting feedback immediately after the submission of the quizzes.
The correct answer will get full marks and the incorrect answer will be given zero marks.
- Describe fundamental and key concepts of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics
- Apply energy equations and laws of thermodynamics and evaluate the performance of thermodynamic systems
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Technology Competence
2 Written Assessment
This assignment assesses content from Week 1 to Week 9. The assessment task will be available on the unit Moodle site. You must provide detailed solutions to the problems given in the assignment in order to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the concepts and processes, incorporating any assumptions made, relevant sketches, a clear step-by-step solution and a conclusion/judgement on the answer.
AI ASSESSMENT SCALE - NO AI
You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
You need to score 50% to pass this assessment.
Week 10 Wednesday (23 Sept 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 12 Wednesday (7 Oct 2026)
Two weeks after the submission
Your submission will be graded based on the report, the solution method, the appropriate explanation, and the completeness of the solution. A complete solution should include any assumptions made, relevant sketches, a clear step-by-step solution and a conclusion/judgment on the answer. More information will be available on Moodle.
You need to score 50% to pass this assessment.
- Analyse various phase change processes, heat transfer mechanisms, and thermal cycles
- Communicate professionally using relevant technical terminology, symbols, and diagrams and effectively document calculations and solutions
- Work autonomously and as a team to analyse problems and present solutions.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
3 Practical Assessment
Attend the residential school, complete all the laboratory tasks and learning activities and complete related reports. Details of the laboratory activities will be available in Moodle.
AI ASSESSMENT SCALE - AI PLANNING
You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.
This assessment is exempted from the 72-hour submission grace period and must be completed by the stated submission date/time.
You need to score 50% to pass this assessment.
Week 8 Wednesday (9 Sept 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
Details of the laboratory activities will be available in Moodle.
Week 10 Wednesday (23 Sept 2026)
Two weeks after the submission
Students will be assessed on participation, reports, test results, presentation skills, discussions, and tasks specified in the lab information sheets in Moodle.
- Apply energy equations and laws of thermodynamics and evaluate the performance of thermodynamic systems
- Develop solutions for problems related to flow rates, pressures, and forces for fluid systems
- Communicate professionally using relevant technical terminology, symbols, and diagrams and effectively document calculations and solutions
- Work autonomously and as a team to analyse problems and present solutions.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Team Work
- Information Technology Competence
4 Online Test
This online assessment will be held during the exam week at the specified date and time. All students need to complete this assessment at the same time. Students will receive the assessment via Moodle and have to provide the answers via Moodle. Details will be provided on the unit website.
AI ASSESSMENT SCALE - NO AI
You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
This assessment is exempted from the 72-hour submission grace period and must be completed by the stated submission date/time.
Exam Week Thursday (15 Oct 2026) 10:00 am AEST
It will be held in Exam week.
Feeback for this final assessment item will be provided after the grades are released.
This test assesses content from Week 1 to Week 12. You must provide detailed solutions to the problems given in the assessment in order to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the concepts and processes, incorporating any assumptions made, relevant sketches, clear step-by-step solutions and conclusion/judgement on the answer.
- Describe fundamental and key concepts of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics
- Analyse various phase change processes, heat transfer mechanisms, and thermal cycles
- Develop solutions for problems related to flow rates, pressures, and forces for fluid systems
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Technology Competence
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
