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4c Lab3 Heat Engines

This lab experiment uses a heat engine to experimentally verify thermodynamic processes and calculate work. Students will (1) identify the engine's isothermal and isobaric processes by predicting and measuring changes, (2) create a pressure-volume diagram of the engine's cycle by measuring pressures and volumes at key points, and (3) calculate the work done experimentally and from the diagram area to compare to theoretical work. The heat engine compresses gas isothermally by adding mass, expands gas isobarically by heating, expands gas isothermally by removing mass, and compresses gas isobarically by cooling.

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Aiza Ali
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60 views4 pages

4c Lab3 Heat Engines

This lab experiment uses a heat engine to experimentally verify thermodynamic processes and calculate work. Students will (1) identify the engine's isothermal and isobaric processes by predicting and measuring changes, (2) create a pressure-volume diagram of the engine's cycle by measuring pressures and volumes at key points, and (3) calculate the work done experimentally and from the diagram area to compare to theoretical work. The heat engine compresses gas isothermally by adding mass, expands gas isobarically by heating, expands gas isothermally by removing mass, and compresses gas isobarically by cooling.

Uploaded by

Aiza Ali
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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LAB 3

Heat Engines
OBJECTIVES
1. Identify real isothermal and isobaric thermodynamic processes using a real heat engine.
2. Create a cyclic process using a real heat engine and associate it with a p-V diagram.
3. Predict and experimentally measure the work done through an entire cyclic process.
EQUIPMENT
Heat Engine/Gas Law Apparatus, Absolute Pressure Sensor, container of hot and cold
water, masses, and ruler.
THEORY
A gas may exchange energy with its surroundings through work. The amount of work W
done by a gas as it expands or contracts from an initial volume to a final volume is given
by
W = pdV
The integration is necessary because the pressure p varies during the volume change
according to the ideal gas law. If the volume change occurs while the temperature T of
the gas is constant, such a process, at constant temperature, is called an isothermal
process. On the other hand, if the pressure does not change, it is called an isobaric
process. In this experiment we would like to verify experimentally that the useful
mechanical work done in lifting a mass, m, through a vertical distance, y, is equal to the
net thermodynamic work done during a cycle as determined by finding the enclosed area
of a p-V diagram. Essentially you are comparing useful mechanical work (mgy) with the
work performed in an engine cycle as a function of pressure and volume changes.
Although you can prove mathematically that this relationship holds, the experimental
verification will allow you to become familiar with the operation of a real heat engine.
PROCEDURE
Operation of a Heat Engine
The heat engine consists of a hollow cylinder with a graphite piston that can move along
the axis of the cylinder with very little friction. The piston has a platform attached to it
for lifting masses. A short length of flexible tubing attaches the cylinder to an air
chamber (consisting of a small can sealed with a rubber stopper that can be placed
alternately in the cold reservoir and the hot reservoir). A diagram of this mass lifter is
shown below.

cold bath

hot bath

If the temperature of the air trapped inside the cylinder, hose, and air chamber is
increased, then its volume will increase, causing the platform to rise. Thus you can
increase the volume of the trapped air by moving the air chamber from the cold to the hot
reservoir. Then, when a mass has been raised through a distance y, it can be removed
from the platform. The platform should then rise a bit more as the pressure on the
cylinder of gas decreases a bit. Finally, the volume of the gas will decrease when the air
chamber is returned to the cold reservoir. This causes the piston to descend to its original
position once again.
Before taking data (Part 2) on the pressure, air volume, and height of lift with the heat
engine, you should set it up and run it through a few cycles to get used to its operation.
Note:
The heat engine cycle is much easier to describe if you begin with the piston
resting a few centimeters above the bottom of the cylinder.
If a large mass is being lifted, the leakage rate increases, so limit the added mass
to 100 grams.
Fill one container with ice water and another with hot tap or preheated water at
about 60 70C .
Part 1: Identifying Real Physical Processes
After observing a few engine cycles, you should be able to describe each of the points a,
b, c, and d of a cycle carefully, indicating which of the transitions between points are
approximately isothermic and which are isobaric. For each of the transitions, follow the
two-step process in analyzing each transition:

predict what you expect to occur during the transition


perform the necessary experimental task to achieve the stated transition

Heat Engine Preparation


This is to get the heat engine ready for a thermal cycle. It is not part of the cycle we
will consider but a means to setup for the cycle under consideration. Place the air
chamber in the ice bath and allow it to come to thermal equilibrium. Open the shutoff
valve, raise the piston a few centimeters above the bottom of the cylinder, and reclose
the valve. Then connect the pressure sensor and open the shutoff valve.
1. Isothermic Compression Transition a b
Add a 100 g mass to the platform to compress the gas inside the piston. What should
happen to the height of the platform when you add mass? Explain the basis of your
prediction.
2. Isobaric Expansion Transition b c
Remove the air canister from the cold-water bath and place it in the hot-water bath.
What do you expect to happen when you place the air chamber in the hot reservoir?
3. Isothermic Expansion Transition c d
With the air chamber still in the hot-water bath, remove the mass. What do you
predict will happen when the added mass is removed from the platform?
4. Isobaric Compression Transition d a
Remove the air canister from the hot-water bath and place it in the cold-water bath.
What do you predict will happen when the air chamber is placed back in the cold
bath and left there for several minutes?
Questions
How does the volume of the gas the beginning of the cycle compare to the volume
of gas at the end of the cycle? Is it the same or has some of the air leaked out?
Theoretically, the pressure of the gas should be the same once you cool the system
back to its original temperature. Why?

Part 2: Creating a Real p-V Diagram & Calculating the Work


In order to calculate the thermodynamic work done during a cycle of this engine, you will
need to be able to plot a pV diagram for the engine based on determinations of the
volumes and pressures of the trapped air in the cylinder, tubing, and air chamber at the
points a, b, c, and d in the cycle.
(a) Repeat Part 1 and take any measurements needed to determine the volume and
pressure of air in the system at all four points in the engine cycle. Make sure you
write down the initial height of the cylinder. You will need this to calculate the
volume. You should do this rapidly to avoid air leakages around the piston and
summarize the measurements with units. Use DataStudio to help with the pressure
measurements.
(b) Use your measurements to calculate the volume of the system for points a, b, c, and d.
Dont forget to take the volume of the air in the tubing and air canister into account!

(c) The transitions from a b and from c d are approximately isotherms while the
transitions from b c and d a are isobaric processes. Verify that the transitions
from a b and from c d are approximately isothermal using the ideal gas law.
(d) Draw a p-V diagram for your cycle and label each of the points on the cycle. Be sure
to use the following units for pressure and volume: p ( Pa ) and V ( m3 ) . Indicate on the
graph which of the transitions are isotherms and isobaric.
(e) Calculate the work W1 done by the heat engine by analyzing the work done during
each transition.
(f) Calculate the area under the p-V diagram (assuming it is a parallelogram). Call this
value W2. Use a percent difference to compare W1 and W2. How do they compare?
% difference =

W1 W2
(W1 + W2 )

(g) Use a percent difference to compare the net thermodynamic work done (W2) with the
useful mechanical work (mgy) done in lifting the mass from point A to point C. How
do they compare? Why might they be different?

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