Scribd
Upload
45 views12 pages

Second Law Chapter 18 of Thermodynamics and Heat Engines

The document discusses the second law of thermodynamics and heat engines. It explains that the second law states that the entropy or randomness of a closed system always increases over time, never decreases. This is why reverse processes, like heat flowing from cold to hot, do not occur naturally. Several examples are given of entropy increasing, like two gases mixing or a block sliding to a stop. Heat engines and refrigerators are also discussed in relation to the second law. The most efficient heat engine is the Carnot cycle. Other engines described include the Stirling and Otto cycles used in automobiles.

Uploaded by

John Anthony Amaba
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
45 views12 pages

Second Law Chapter 18 of Thermodynamics and Heat Engines

The document discusses the second law of thermodynamics and heat engines. It explains that the second law states that the entropy or randomness of a closed system always increases over time, never decreases. This is why reverse processes, like heat flowing from cold to hot, do not occur naturally. Several examples are given of entropy increasing, like two gases mixing or a block sliding to a stop. Heat engines and refrigerators are also discussed in relation to the second law. The most efficient heat engine is the Carnot cycle. Other engines described include the Stirling and Otto cycles used in automobiles.

Uploaded by

John Anthony Amaba
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
You are on page 1/ 12

Second law Chapter 18 of Thermodynamics and Heat Engines

Describe what happens to the energy in the following situations.


What is the reverse process?

1. A hot gas is thermally connected to a cold gas.

2. A block slides on a table and stops?

3. Two containers of an ideal gas at pressures p1 and p2 and the same


temperature are connected.

Why do the reverse processes not occur in nature?


Experimentally the degree of disorder or randomness in a closed system never
decreases with time. The quantitative measure of randomness is called entropy.
The greater the randomness the greater the entropy. The most general statement
of the 2nd law of thermodynamics is that entropy or randomness always increases.
There are other equivalent statements having to do with heat engines (see below)
In the 3 examples above how is the randomness (entropy) increased?
What about ice freezing? It is more ordered after it freezes!
Heat Engines

A heat engine is a device which converts heat into mechanical energy i.e. does work.
The working substance of a heat engine is what absorbs heat and does the work.
e.g. In a steam engine the working substance is the steam.The steam absorbs the
heat from burning fuel, expands and does work on a piston. What is the working
substance is a car engine?

Usually the working substance is carried through a cycle


or closed thermodynamic path in which initial and final
states are equal. Thus U=Q-W=0 and the net heat
absorbed by the engine equals the work done per cycle.

In each cycle of an idealized heat engine an amount


of heat QH flows from a hot reservoir where the
temperature is assumed to be constant at TC.
Only some of the thermal energy can be converted
to mechanical work W. The remainder of the heat
QC is exhausted to a cold reservoir at temperature TC
Since QH is transferred ito the engine it is +ve whereas
QC is -ve.
According to the 1st law W QH QC QH QC .
The efficiency of a heat engine is ratio of the work done to heat input:

W QC QC
e 1 1
QH QH QH

Nuclear or Coal Power Plant


QH
Boiler (nuclear or coal)

A 750 MW power plant with


operating with an efficiency
of 30% has a heat input
water
Turbine (W)
pump
W 750 MW
QH 2500 MW
e 0.30
QC QH W 1750 MW
QC Condenser
e.g river or lake
Refrigerators and Heat Pumps

It is also possible to operate a heat engine in reverse and thereby take


heat from the cold reservoir and move it to the hot reservoir. However
one must also do some work for this to be consistent with the 2nd law of
thermodynamics.

applying 1st law QH QC W 0


and W are Since QH both negative QH QC W
QC QC
Coefficient of performance K
W QH QC
Equivalent Statements of 2nd Law of Thermodynamics

A It is impossible for any process to have its sole result to transfer heat
from a cooler body to a hotter body.
or
B It is impossible for any process to absorb heat from a hot reservoir
and convert it completely to work

These statements are equivalent as may be seen below. If A is not true


and W=0 (what is K?). Such a workless refrigerator may be combined
with a regular heat engine and convert heat from a reservoir completely
to work. Similarly if B is false then such an engine could be combined
with a regular fridge to make A false.
Carnot Cycle (after French Engineer Sadi Carnot (1796-1832))

The most efficient heat engine is based on the Carnot cycle


Vb
QH Wab nRTH ln
Va

Q=0 Q=0

Vd Vc
QC Wcd nRTC ln nRTC ln
Vc Vd
QC TC ln(Vc / Vd )
Taking the ratio
QH TH ln(Vb / Va )

However we can eliminate know Vc and Vd using results from


last chapter since :

1 1
For the adiabatic process b c TH Vb TCVc (1)
1 1
and for adiabatic process d a TH Va TCVd (2)
1 1

Dividing (1) by (2) one obtains Vb Vc Vb Vc


or
Va Vd Va Vd

QC TC TC
Then the ratio or the efficiency ecarnot 1
QH TH TH
Stirling Engine (Minister Robert Stirling 1816)

Regenerator R made of packed steel


wool or metal baffles allows gas
exchange while maintaining the
temperature gradient. Expansion piston
on right and compression piston on
left both connected to same shaft but
out of phase

1 2 isothermal compression, cold


piston moves up and QC released to the
cold reservoir.
2 3 hot piston goes down, cold piston
so no volume change.
regenerator transfers QR to the gas.
3 4 isothermal expansion, hot piston
down and cold piston stationary as QH
transferred in from hot reservoir.
(working part of the cycle)
4 1 hot piston up, cold piston down so
no volume change. Gas
releases QR to the regenerator.
Stirling Engine (Minister Robert Stirling 1816)

Efficiency of an idealized Stirling engine

QC nRTC ln(V2 / V1 ) TC
estirling 1 1 1 ecarnot
QH nRTH ln(V2 / V1 ) TH
Four Stroke Automobile Engine
heat of combustion
for gasoline
Lc=5.0X104J/g

Compression
ratio
r=Vmax/Vmin

typically less than


10 due to
preignition problems
due to the high
temperature of the air fuel
mixture for r>10
Efficiency of Otto Cycle (an idealized Cycle for Internal Combustion Engine)

QH Qbc nCv (Tc Tb ) since Wbc 0


QC Qda nCv (Td Ta ) since Wda 0
QC Ta Td
e 1 1
QH Tc Tb

Since for an adiabatic process


1 1 1
TcV Td (rV ) or Tc Td r
1
and similarly Tb Ta r

Ta Td 1
Thus e 1 1
Td r 1 Ta r 1
r 1

Note higher compression ratio improves efficiency r=8 gamma=1.4


gives e=0.56
This document was created with Win2PDF available at http://www.daneprairie.com.
The unregistered version of Win2PDF is for evaluation or non-commercial use only.

You might also like