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Isolated System: Thermodynamic Equilibrium

An isolated system is defined as one that does not interact or exchange mass or energy with its surroundings. Within an isolated system, differences in pressure, temperature, and density will even out over time as the system reaches thermodynamic equilibrium. While closed systems can exchange energy, isolated systems cannot exchange any mass or energy, making them theoretical constructs rather than real systems. An isolated system's total energy and mass remain constant, and its entropy will only increase if not at equilibrium.

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39 views

Isolated System: Thermodynamic Equilibrium

An isolated system is defined as one that does not interact or exchange mass or energy with its surroundings. Within an isolated system, differences in pressure, temperature, and density will even out over time as the system reaches thermodynamic equilibrium. While closed systems can exchange energy, isolated systems cannot exchange any mass or energy, making them theoretical constructs rather than real systems. An isolated system's total energy and mass remain constant, and its entropy will only increase if not at equilibrium.

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abdul azeem
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Isolated System

An isolated system is more restrictive than a closed system as it does not interact with its
surroundings in any way. Mass and energy remains constant within the system, and no energy
or mass transfer takes place across the boundary. As time passes in an isolated system,
internal differences in the system tend to even out and pressures and temperatures tend to
equalize, as do density differences. A system in which all equalizing processes have gone
practically to completion is in a state of thermodynamic equilibrium.
It is important to note that isolated systems are not equivalent to closed systems. Closed
systems cannot exchange matter with the surroundings, but can exchange energy. Isolated
systems can exchange neither matter nor energy with their surroundings, and as such are only
theoretical and do not exist in reality.
Thermodynamically isolated system
The internal energy of a thermally isolated system may therefore change due to the exchange
of work energy. The entropy of a thermally isolated system will increase in time if it is not at
equilibrium, but as long as it is at equilibrium, its entropy will be at a maximum and constant
value and will not change, no matter how much work energy the system exchanges with its
environment. To maintain this constant entropy, any exchange of work energy with the
environment must therefore be quasistatic in nature, in order to assure that the system
remains essentially at equilibrium during the process.
An isolated system obeys the conservation law that its total energymass stays constant.

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