Chapter 12

The Laws of
Thermodynamics

1
Work in Thermodynamic
Processes – State Variables
 State of a system
 Description of the system in terms of state
variables
 Pressure
 Volume

 Temperature

 Internal Energy

 A macroscopic state of an isolated system

can be specified only if the system is in
internal thermal equilibrium 2
Work in Thermodynamic
Processes
 Work is an important energy transfer
mechanism in thermodynamic systems
 Heat is another energy transfer
mechanism

3
Work in a Gas Cylinder
 The gas is contained in a
cylinder with a moveable
piston
 The gas occupies a volume
V and exerts pressure P on
the walls of the cylinder
and on the piston

4
Work in a Gas Cylinder, cont.
 A force is applied to
slowly compress the
gas
 The compression is
slow enough for all
the system to remain
essentially in thermal
equilibrium
 W = - P ΔV
 This is the work
done on the gas
5
More about Work on a Gas
Cylinder
 When the gas is compressed
 ΔV is negative
 The work done on the gas is positive

 When the gas is allowed to expand

 ΔV is positive
 The work done on the gas is negative

 When the volume remains constant

 No work is done on the gas
6
Notes about the Work
Equation
 The pressure remains constant during
the expansion or compression
 This is called an isobaric process
 If the pressure changes, the average
pressure may be used to estimate the
work done

7
PV Diagrams
 Used when the pressure
and volume are known at
each step of the process
 The work done on a gas
that takes it from some
initial state to some final
state is the negative of
the area under the curve
on the PV diagram
 This is true whether or not
the pressure stays constant

8
PV Diagrams, cont.
 The curve on the diagram is called the path taken
between the initial and final states
 The work done depends on the particular path
 Same initial and final states, but different amounts of work
are done

9
Other Processes
 Isovolumetric
 Volume stays constant
 Vertical line on the PV diagram

 Isothermal
 Temperature stays the same
 Adiabatic
 No heat is exchanged with the
surroundings

10
Processes for Transferring
Energy
 By doing work
 Requires a macroscopic displacement of the point of
application of a force
 By heat
 Occurs by random molecular collisions
 Results of both
 Change in internal energy of the system
 Generally accompanied by measurable macroscopic
variables
 Pressure
 Temperature
 Volume
11
First Law of Thermodynamics
 Terms in the equation
 Q
 Heat
 Positive if energy is transferred to the system
 W
 Work
 Positive if done on the system
 U
 Internal energy
 Positive if the temperature increases

12
First Law of Thermodynamics,
cont
 The relationship among U, W, and Q
can be expressed as
 ΔU = Uf – Ui = Q + W
 This means that the change in internal
energy of a system is equal to the sum
of the energy transferred across the
system boundary by heat and the
energy transferred by work
13
Applications of the First Law –
Isolated System
 An isolated system does not interact
with its surroundings
 No energy transfer takes place and no
work is done
 Therefore, the internal energy of the
isolated system remains constant

14
Applications of the First Law –
Cyclic Processes
 A cyclic process is one in which the
process originates and ends at the
same state
 Uf = Ui and Q = -W
 The net work done per cycle by the gas
is equal to the area enclosed by the
path representing the process on a PV
diagram
15
Cyclic Process in a PV Diagram
 This is an ideal
monatomic gas confined
in a cylinder by a
moveable piston
 A to B is an isovolumetric
process which increases
the pressure
 B to C is an isothermal
expansion and lowers the
pressure
 C to A is an isobaric
compression
 The gas returns to its
original state at point A
16
Applications of the First Law –
Isothermal Processes
 Isothermal means constant
temperature
 The cylinder and gas are in
thermal contact with a large
source of energy
 Allow the energy to transfer
into the gas (by heat)
 The gas expands and
pressure falls to maintain a
constant temperature
 The work done is the
negative of the heat added
17
Applications of the First Law –
Adiabatic Process
 Energy transferred by heat is zero
 The work done is equal to the change in the
internal energy of the system
 One way to accomplish a process with no
heat exchange is to have it happen very
quickly
 In an adiabatic expansion, the work done is
negative and the internal energy decreases

18
Applications of the First Law –

Isovolumetric Process
 No change in volume, therefore no
work is done
 The energy added to the system goes
into increasing the internal energy of
the system
 Temperature will increase

19
Additional Notes About the
First Law
 The First Law is a general equation of
Conservation of Energy
 There is no practical, macroscopic,
distinction between the results of
energy transfer by heat and by work
 Q and W are related to the properties of
state for a system

20
The First Law and Human
Metabolism
 The First Law can be applied to living
organisms
 The internal energy stored in humans goes
into other forms needed by the organs and
into work and heat
 The metabolic rate (ΔU / ΔT) is directly
proportional to the rate of oxygen
consumption by volume
 Basal metabolic rate (to maintain and run organs,
etc.) is about 80 W
21
Various Metabolic Rates

Fig. T12.1, p. 369 22

Slide 11
Aerobic Fitness
 One way to measure
a person’s physical
fitness is their
maximum capacity
to use or consume
oxygen

Fig. T12.2, p. 370

Slide12

23
Efficiency of the Human Body
 Efficiency is
the ratio of
the
mechanical
power
supplied to
the
metabolic
rate or total
power input F ig . T 1 2 .3 , p . 3 7 0
S lid e 1 3

24
Heat Engine
 A heat engine is a device that converts
internal energy to other useful forms,
such as electrical or mechanical energy
 A heat engine carries some working
substance through a cyclical process

25
Heat Engine, cont.
 Energy is transferred
from a source at a
high temperature
(Qh)
 Work is done by the
engine (Weng)
 Energy is expelled to
a source at a lower
temperature (Qc)
26
Heat Engine, cont.
 Since it is a cyclical
process, ΔU = 0
 Its initial and final
internal energies are the
same
 Therefore, Qnet = Weng
 The work done by the
engine equals the net
energy absorbed by the
engine
 The work is equal to the
area enclosed by the
curve of the PV diagram 27
Thermal Efficiency of a Heat
Engine
 Thermal efficiency is defined as the
ratio of the work done by the engine to
the energy absorbed at the higher
temperature
Weng Qh  Q c Qc
e   1
Qh Qh Qh
 e = 1 (100% efficiency) only if Qc = 0
 No energy expelled to cold reservoir
28
Second Law of
Thermodynamics
 It is impossible to construct a heat
engine that, operating in a cycle,
produces no other effect than the
absorption of energy from a reservoir
and the performance of an equal
amount of work
 Kelvin – Planck statement
 Means that Q cannot equal 0
c
 Some Qc must be expelled to the environment
 Means that e cannot equal 100% 29
Heat Pumps and Refrigerators
 Heat engines can run in reverse
 Send in energy
 Energy is extracted from the cold reservoir
 Energy is transferred to the hot reservoir
 This process means the heat engine is
running as a heat pump
 A refrigerator is a common type of heat pump
 An air conditioner is another example of a heat
pump
30
Summary of the First and
Second Laws
 First Law
 We cannot get a greater amount of energy
out of a cyclic process than we put in
 Second Law
 We can break even

31
Reversible and Irreversible
Processes
 A reversible process is one in which every
state along some path is an equilibrium state
 And one for which the system can be returned to
its initial state along the same path
 An irreversible process does not meet these
requirements
 Most natural processes are irreversible
 Reversible process are an idealization, but some
real processes are good approximations

32
Carnot Engine
 A theoretical engine developed by Sadi
Carnot
 A heat engine operating in an ideal, reversible
cycle (now called a Carnot Cycle) between
two reservoirs is the most efficient engine
possible
 Carnot’s Theorem: No real engine operating
between two energy reservoirs can be more
efficient than a Carnot engine operating
between the same two reservoirs
33
Carnot Cycle

34
Carnot Cycle, A to B
 A to B is an isothermal
expansion
 The gas is placed in
contact with the high
temperature reservoir
 The gas absorbs heat
Qh
 The gas does work WAB
in raising the piston

35
Carnot Cycle, B to C
 B to C is an adiabatic
expansion
 The base of the cylinder
is replaced by a
thermally
nonconducting wall
 No heat enters or
leaves the system
 The temperature falls
from Th to Tc
 The gas does work WBC
36
Carnot Cycle, C to D
 The gas is placed in
contact with the cold
temperature reservoir
 C to D is an isothermal
compression
 The gas expels energy
QC
 Work WCD is done on
the gas
37
Carnot Cycle, D to A
 D to A is an adiabatic
compression
 The gas is again placed
against a thermally
nonconducting wall
 So no heat is exchanged
with the surroundings
 The temperature of the
gas increases from TC to
Th
 The work done on the
gas is WCD
38
Carnot Cycle, PV Diagram
 The work done by
the engine is shown
by the area enclosed
by the curve
 The net work is
equal to Qh - Qc

39
Efficiency of a Carnot Engine
 Carnot showed that the efficiency of the
engine depends on the temperatures of
the reservoirs
TC
ec  1 
Th
 Temperatures must be in Kelvins
 All Carnot engines operating between
the same two temperatures will have
the same efficiency 40
Notes About Carnot Efficiency
 Efficiency is 0 if Th = Tc
 Efficiency is 100% only if T = 0 K
c
 Such reservoirs are not available
 The efficiency increases at Tc is lowered
and as Th is raised
 In most practical cases, T is near room
c
temperature, 300 K
 So generally Th is raised to increase
efficiency 41
Real Engines Compared to
Carnot Engines
 All real engines are less efficient than
the Carnot engine
 Real engines are irreversible because of
friction
 Real engines are irreversible because they
complete cycles in short amounts of time

42
Entropy
 A state variable related to the Second
Law of Thermodynamics, the entropy
 The change in entropy, ΔS, between
two equilibrium states is given by the
energy, Qr, transferred along the
reversible path divided by the absolute
temperature, T, of the system in this
interval
43
Entropy, cont.
 Mathematically, S  r
Q
T
 This applies only to the reversible path, even
if the system actually follows an irreversible
path
 To calculate the entropy for an irreversible
process, model it as a reversible process
 When energy is absorbed, Q is positive and
entropy increases
 When energy is expelled, Q is negative and
entropy decreases 44
More About Entropy
 Note, the equation defines the change in
entropy
 The entropy of the Universe increases in all
natural processes
 This is another way of expressing the Second Law of
Thermodynamics
 There are processes in which the entropy of a
system decreases
 If the entropy of one system, A, decreases it will be
accompanied by the increase of entropy of another system, B.
 The change in entropy in system B will be greater than that of
system A.
45
Perpetual Motion Machines
 A perpetual motion machine would operate
continuously without input of energy and without
any net increase in entropy
 Perpetual motion machines of the first type would
violate the First Law, giving out more energy than
was put into the machine
 Perpetual motion machines of the second type
would violate the Second Law, possibly by no
exhaust
 Perpetual motion machines will never be invented

46
Entropy and Disorder
 Entropy can be described in terms of
disorder
 A disorderly arrangement is much more
probable than an orderly one if the laws
of nature are allowed to act without
interference
 This comes from a statistical mechanics
development
47
Entropy and Disorder, cont.
 Isolated systems tend toward greater disorder, and
entropy is a measure of that disorder
 S = kB ln W

 kB is Boltzmann’s constant
 W is a number proportional to the probability that the
system has a particular configuration
 This gives the Second Law as a statement of what is
most probably rather than what must be
 The Second Law also defines the direction of time of
all events as the direction in which the entropy of the
universe increases
48
Grades of Energy
 The tendency of nature to move toward a
state of disorder affects a system’s ability to
do work
 Various forms of energy can be converted
into internal energy, but the reverse
transformation is never complete
 If two kinds of energy, A and B, can be
completely interconverted, they are of the
same grade
49
Grades of Energy, cont.
 If form A can be completely converted to
form B, but the reverse is never complete, A
is a higher grade of energy than B
 When a high-grade energy is converted to
internal energy, it can never be fully
recovered as high-grade energy
 Degradation of energy is the conversion of
high-grade energy to internal energy
 In all real processes, the energy available for
doing work decreases
50
Heat Death of the Universe
 The entropy of the Universe always increases
 The entropy of the Universe should ultimately
reach a maximum
 At this time, the Universe will be at a state of
uniform temperature and density
 This state of perfect disorder implies no energy
will be available for doing work
 This state is called the heat death of the
Universe
51