1.

THERMODYNAMICS

Introduction

The discovery of heat engines led to the formulation of the second law of

thermodynamics. Heat engine is a device that continuously converts heat into

work. Anyway al the heat supplied to a heat engine can not be converted into

work. Only a part of it can be converted into work. This means that in any heat

engine, the work output will be less than the heat input. That is efficiency is

always less than one.

2. First law of thermodynamics

Work and heat are different forms of energy, one can be converted into

another.

AQ = AW + Au

Isothermal and adiabatic changes

Isothermal change

Any change occurring in the pressure and volume of a gas at constant

temperature is known as Isothermal change.

Let us consider a gas enclosed in a cylinder made with perfect conducting

materials. When the piston moves down slowly, work is done on the gas and the

temperature of the gas increases. As the compression is slow, the heat

developed in the gas is conducted to the surroundings and so the constant. Such

a change is known as isothermal compression.

When the piston moves up slowly, work is done by the gas and the heat energy

flows to the gas from the surrounding and the temperature remains constant.

Such a change is known as isothermal expansion.

The equation governing an isothermal change is

PV = constant

P1 V1 = P2 V2

Adiabatic change

Any change occurring in the pressure and volume of a gas under thermally

isolated condition is known as adiabatic change.

Let us consider a gas enclosed in a cylinder made with perfect insulators. When

the piston moves down suddenly work is done on the gas and so the temperature

of the gas increases.

Similarly when the piston moves up, suddenly work is done by the gas and so

the temperature of the gas decreases.

Thus an adiabatic compression causes a rise in temperature and an adiabatic

expansion causes fall in temperature.

In actual practice, any sudden change in the pressure of a gas can be taken as

adiabatic change.

The equation governing an adiabatic change is constant where y is the ratio of

the specific heat PV = capacities of a gas.

i.e..

P1 V1γ = P2 V2γ