Examples On 2nd Law For A Process
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Maria SarwatExamples On 2nd Law For A Process
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Maria SarwatEXAMPLE 7–1 Entropy Change during an Isothermal Process
A piston–cylinder device contains a liquid–vapor mixture of water at 300 K.
During a constant-pressure process, 750 kJ of heat is transferred to the
water. As a result, part of the liquid in the cylinder vaporizes. Determine the
entropy change of the water during this process.
Solution Heat is transferred to a liquid–vapor mixture of water in a piston–
cylinder device at constant pressure. The entropy change of water is to be
determined.
Assumptions No irreversibilities occur within the system boundaries during
the process.
Analysis We take the entire water (liquid _ vapor) in the cylinder as the
system (Fig. 7–4). This is a closed system since no mass crosses the
system boundary during the process. We note that the temperature of the
system remains constant at 300 K during this process since the temperature
of a pure substance remains constant at the saturation value during a phase
change process at constant pressure.
The system undergoes an internally reversible, isothermal process, and thus
its entropy change can be determined directly from Eq. 7–6 to be
EXAMPLE 7–2 Entropy Generation during Heat Transfer
Processes
A heat source at 800 K loses 2000 kJ of heat to a sink at (a) 500 K and (b)750 K.
Determine which heat transfer process is more irreversible.
Solution Heat is transferred from a heat source to two heat sinks at different
temperatures. The heat transfer process that is more irreversible is to be determined.
Analysis A sketch of the reservoirs is shown in Fig. 7–9. Both cases involve heat
transfer through a finite temperature difference, and therefore both are irreversible.
The magnitude of the irreversibility associated with each process can be determined
by calculating the total entropy change for each case.
The total entropy change for a heat transfer process involving two reservoirs
(a source and a sink) is the sum of the entropy changes of each reservoir since the
two reservoirs form an adiabatic system. Or do they? The problem statement gives
the impression that the two reservoirs are in direct contact during the heat transfer
process. But this cannot be the case since the temperature at a point can have only
one value, and thus it cannot be 800 K on one side of the point of contact and 500 K
on the other side. In other words, the temperature function cannot have a jump
discontinuity. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the two reservoirs are
separated by a partition through which the temperature drops from 800 K on one
side to 500 K (or 750 K) on the other. Therefore, the entropy change of the partition
should also be considered when evaluating the total entropy change for this process.
However, considering that entropy is a property and the values of properties depend
on the state of a system, we can argue that the entropy change of the partition is zero
since the partition appears to have undergone a steady process and thus experienced
no change in its properties at any point. We base this argument on the fact that the
temperature on both sides of the partition and thus throughout remains constant
during this process. Therefore, we are justified to assume that = 0 since the
entropy (as well as the energy) content of the partition remains constant during this
process.
The entropy change for each reservoir can be determined from Eq. 7–6 since each
reservoir undergoes an internally reversible, isothermal process.
(a) For the heat transfer process to a sink at 500 K:
Therefore, 1.5 kJ/K of entropy is generated during this process. Noting that both
reservoirs have undergone internally reversible processes, the entire entropy
generation took place in the partition.
(b) Repeating the calculations in part (a) for a sink temperature of 750 K, we obtain
The total entropy change for the process in part (b) is smaller, and therefore it is less
irreversible. This is expected since the process in (b) involves a smaller temperature
difference and thus a smaller irreversibility.
Discussion The irreversibilities associated with both processes could be eliminated
by operating a Carnot heat engine between the source and the sink. For this case it
can be shown that
