Topic 10 Thermal Physics

Thermodynamics Thermodynamics is the study of heat and its transformation into mechanical energy , as heat and work. The word is derived from the Greek meaning ‘ movement of heat’. It was developed in the mid 1800’s before atomic and molecular theory was developed.

Thermodynamics Work is defined as : T he quantity of energy transferred from one system to another by ordinary mechanical processes. Heat is defined as: A transfer of energy from one body to another body at a lower temperature.

Thermodynamics From this we can see that thermodynamics describes the relation ship between heat and work. To distinguish the two: Heat is the transfer of energy due to a temperature difference. Work is the transfer of energy that is not due to a temperature difference.

Thermodynamics The foundation of this area of study is T he law of conservation of energy and the fact that heat flows from hot to cold. In discussing thermodynamics, we will refer to different systems. A system is just a group of objects we wish to consider. Everything else in the universe will be called the environment.

Thermodynamics Consider a hot gas separated from a cold gas by a glass wall. In macroscopic terms, we know that the hot gas gets cooler and the cool gas gets hotter. The molecules in the hot gas hit the glass and set those molecules in faster motion.

Thermodynamics This then sets in train a set of collisions which sees the energy being transferred to the cold gas. If we were to observe a single collision, we could analyse the energy transfer using the laws of mechanics.

Thermodynamics We could say that one molecule has transferred energy by doing work on another. Heat is therefore the work done on a molecular level.

Thermodynamics This is not the complete story. Although the cool gas contains, on average, slower molecules than in the hot gas, it does contain some fast moving molecules. L ikewise, the hot gas contains slow moving molecules.

Thermodynamics From above, it should be possible to for the cold gas to transfer energy to the hot gas S o the cool gas would get cooler and the hot gas hotter. This does not disobey any classical theory of mechanics. We do know however that this cannot occur.

Thermodynamics To explain this, we cannot look at this the effects of single molecules or even a few molecules. We must, when discussing heat, look at the overall effects of a large number of molecules and the average energies and distribution of energies and velocities.

Thermodynamics This is what is meant by a system of particles in thermodynamics. A system could be any group of atoms, molecule or particles we wish to deal with. It may be the steam in a steam engine, the earth’s atmosphere or the body of a living creature.

Thermodynamics The operation of changing the system from its initial state to a final state is called the, T hermodynamic process .

Thermodynamics During this process, heat may be transferred into or out of the system , and work may be done on or by the system. We assume all processes are carried out very slowly , so that the system remains in thermal equilibrium at all stages.

Isothermal & Adiabatic Processes Previously, we discussed the relationship between pressure and volume and found that: P  1/V

Isothermal & Adiabatic Processes We also stated that this was true, the temperature was constant. A graph of P vs V is shown below.

Isothermal & Adiabatic Processes The volume has increased from V i to V f while the pressure has decreased. The solid line is an isotherm, a curve giving the relationship between V and P at a constant temperature. This is known as isothermic expansion.

Isothermal & Adiabatic Processes The process of compression or expansion of a gas ; so that no heat enters or leaves the system , is said to be adiabatic . This comes from the Greek which means ‘impassable’.

Isothermal & Adiabatic Processes Adiabatic changes of volume can be achieved by ; performing the process so rapidly that , heat has little time to enter or leave the system , like a bicycle pump . O r by thermally insulating a system ; from its surroundings , with Styrofoam.

Isothermal & Adiabatic Processes A common example of a near adiabatic system ; is the compression and expansion of gases , in the cylinders of a car engine. Compression and expansion occur too rapidly ; for heat to leave the system.

Isothermal & Adiabatic Processes When work is done on a gas by ; adiabatically compressing it, the gas gains internal energy , and becomes warmer. When the gas adiabatically expands ; it does work on the surroundings , and gives up its internal energy , and becomes cooler.

Isothermal & Adiabatic Processes Adiabatic processes occur in the atmosphere in large masses of air. Due to their large size, mixing of different pressures and temperatures only occur at the edges of these large masses and do little to change the composition of these air masses.

Isothermal & Adiabatic Processes As it flows up the side of a mountain ; its pressure reduces , allowing it to expand and cool. The reduced pressure results in a reduced temperature.

Isothermal & Adiabatic Processes It has been shown that dry air will drop by 10 o C for every kilometre it rises. Air can flow over high mountains or rise in thunderstorms or cyclones many kilometres.

Isothermal & Adiabatic Processes If a mass was 25 o C at sea level and was lifted 6 kilometres, its temperature would become -35 o C . A n air mass that was -20 O C at 6 km , would be 40 o C at sea level.

Isothermal & Adiabatic Processes An example of this is when cold air is blown over the Mt Lofty Ranges. Warm moist air is cooled as it rises over the ranges starts to rain. On the other side, the air begins to warm as it flows down the other side causing a warm wind.

Isothermal & Adiabatic Processes As the Mt Lofty ranges are not very high ; the change in temperature is not as great , c ompare d to the Rocky Mountains in the USA. .

P – V Diagrams Thermodynamic processes can be represented by pressure - volume graphs.

P – V Diagrams In the, an ideal gas is expanding isothermally, absorbing heat  Q , and doing work  W . T he system has not been restored ; to its original state , at the end of the process.

P – V Diagrams Th e previous diagram is from a reversible heat engine. Process 1-2 takes place at a constant volume ; Isochoric process 2-3 is adiabatic , process 3-1 is at a constant pressure ; Isobaric.

P – V Diagrams In the next case ; the volume of an ideal gas is decreased , by adding weight to the piston. The process is adiabatic (  Q = 0).

P – V Diagrams The process is as shown below on a graph .

P – V Diagrams In the next case, the temperature of an ideal gas is raised from T ; to T +  T , by a constant pressure process. Heat is added ; and work is done , in lifting the loaded piston.

P – V Diagrams The process is shown below on a P-V diagram

P – V Diagrams The work ; P  V , is the shaded area under the line , connecting the initial and final states.

Work Done By a Gas To calculate the work done in a process, some Year 10 knowledge is important. Imagine the pressure is kept constant during a process.

Work Done By a Gas If the gas expands slowly against the piston ; the work done to raise the piston is the force F multiplied by the distance d . But the force is just the pressure P of the gas ; multiplied the area A of the piston, F = PA .

Work Done By a Gas W = Fd = PAd W = P  V = p(V 2 – V 1 ) The sign of the work done depends on whether the gas expands or is compressed.

Work Done By a Gas If the gas expands, V is +ive and  work is +ive. The equation also is valid if the gas is compressed.

1 st Law of Thermodynamics A long, long time ago; heat was thought to be an invisible fluid , called a caloric , which flowed like water , from hot objects , to cold objects.

1 st Law of Thermodynamics Caloric was conserved in its interactions which led to the discovery of the conservation of energy. Within any system, the less heat energy it has, the more ordered is the motion of its molecules.

1 st Law of Thermodynamics This can be seen in solids ; where the molecules all vibrate , about a mean position. As heat is added ; the more disorderly the motion until in a gas , we say that all molecules , move in random motion.

1 st Law of Thermodynamics In a sense then, heat is the disordered energy of molecules. There can be no heat in a single molecule. Heat is a statistical concept ; applies only to a large number of molecules .

1 st Law of Thermodynamics I t is only when there is a great number of molecules does the concept of random or disorderly movement have meaning.

1 st Law of Thermodynamics The discussion of heat, internal energy and temperature . H as given rise to the law of conservation of energy, and when applied to thermal systems , is often referred to as the , F irst law of thermodynamics .

1 st Law of Thermodynamics In a general form it is: Whenever heat is added to a system, it transforms to an equal amount of some other form of energy.

1 st Law of Thermodynamics The added energy does one or both of two things to the system: 1. It increases the internal energy of the system if it remains in the system. 2. It does external work if it leaves the system.

1 st Law of Thermodynamics Heat added = increase in internal energy + external work done by the system. It can also be described mathematically:  Q =  U +  W Q = heat energy U = internal energy W = work For an isolated system ; W = Q = 0 and  U = 0

1 st Law of Thermodynamics This can apply to a number of cases: 1. Adiabatic Processes. In this case, no heat enters or leaves the system, ie  Q = 0. Substituting this into the 1 st Law;

1 st Law of Thermodynamics 0 =  U +  W or,  U = -  W . This means that if work is done ; there must be a decrease , in the internal energy of the system.

1 st Law of Thermodynamics Constant Volume Processes . ( Isovolumetric or Isochoric Process ) If the volume of a system is held constant ; the system can do no work, ie  W =0. Substituting this into the 1 st Law;

1 st Law of Thermodynamics  Q =  U . If heat is added to the system ;  Q is + ive, the internal energy of the system increases. The converse is also true.

1 st Law of Thermodynamics 3 . Cyclical Processes . There are processes in which ; after certain interchanges of heat and work , the system is returned to its initial state. N o property of the system can change, including the internal energy, ie  U =0.

1 st Law of Thermodynamics Substituting this into the 1 st Law;  Q =  W . The net work done must exactly ; equal the net amount of heat transferred.

1 st Law of Thermodynamics 4. Free Expansion . This is an adiabatic process ; no work is done on or by the system, ie Q = W = 0.

1 st Law of Thermodynamics Substituting this into the 1 st Law;  U =0. An example of this is given below.

1 st Law of Thermodynamics A gas confined in an insulated container ; is released into another container , that originally was a vacuum and then waiting until an equilibrium is established . as shown below.

1 st Law of Thermodynamics No heat is transferred because ; of the insulation N o work is done because ; the expanding gas rushes into an evacuated space, its motion unopposed by any counteracting pressure.

1 st Law of Thermodynamics A summary is given:  U = 0  Q =  W = 0 Free Expansion  Q =  W  U = 0 Closed Cycle  U =  Q  W = 0 Const V  U = -  W  Q = 0 Adiabatic Consequence Restriction Process

Thermodynamic Cycles A thermodynamic cycle is ; where heat may be transferred into (or out of) , a system , or work may be done on or by the system. It is assumed that all transfers are done ; very slowly so , the system remains essentially , in thermodynamic equilibrium at all stages.

Thermodynamic Cycles An engine is a device that changes heat into mechanical work. Example s include : T he steam engine external combustion P etrol & diesel internal combustion engines. I t is impossible to convert all the heat energy into mechanical work.

Thermodynamic Cycles Consider the internal combustion engine. Once the fuel is injected into the cylinder ; the piston moves up , compresses the gas ,  Q = 0 .

Thermodynamic Cycles S park plug fires , temperature increases. Adiabatic expansion pushes the piston down , burnt gases are pushed out.

Thermodynamic Cycles A heat engine is a device that changes internal energy into mechanical work. Examples include ; S team engine , I nternal combustion engine , J et engine.

Thermodynamic Cycles The mechanical work can only be obtained when ; heat flows from a high to low temperature , only some of the heat is transferred into work.

Thermodynamic Cycles Every heat engine will: absorb internal energy from a reservoir of higher temperature . convert some of this energy into mechanical work expel the remaining energy to some lower temperature reservoir , often called a sink.

Thermodynamic Cycles Sadi Carnot ; a French engineer , In 1924 , A nalysed the compression and expansion of in a heat engine M a de a fascinating discovery when he examined the ideal engine , now called a Carnot engine.

Thermodynamic Cycles The upper fraction of heat that can be converted to useful work ; even under ideal conditions, depends on the temperature difference between , the hot reservoir and the cold sink. The cycle starts at a in the diagram below.

Thermodynamic Cycles a  b The gas expands isothermally by adding heat Q H at temp T H . b  c Gas then expands adiabatically no heat is exchanged but temp drops to T L

Thermodynamic Cycles c  d Compressed at const temp T L and heat Q L flows out. d  a Gas then compressed adiabatically to its original sta t e.

Thermodynamic Cycles His equation gives the ideal or Carnot efficiency of a heat engine.

Thermodynamic Cycles The efficiency of the cycle only depends on ; the absolute temperature of the high and , low temperature reservoirs. The greater the difference between them ; the greater the efficiency.

Entropy Heat flows naturally from a hot object to a cold object; heat will not flow spontaneously from a cold object to a hot object. Clausius introduced the word entropy ; from the Greek words meaning , transformation content.

Entropy Entropy is a function of ; the state of the system. Entropy can be interpreted as ; a measure of of the order or disorder of a system.

Entropy No device is possible whose sole effect is to transform a given amount of heat completely into work. This is the Kelvin-Planck formulation of the Second Law.

Entropy The second law suggests that everything ; is tending to disorder. Heat is a lower form of energy ; so when heat is given off, it suggests that the system is tending to disorder. When your parents ask you to clean your room, you might like to suggest that you are only obeying entropy

Entropy Entropy can only remain the same ; for an idealised (reversible) process. For any real process ; the change in entropy is greater than zero. The general statement of the second law of thermodynamics becomes :

Entropy According to Clausius, the change in entropy S of a system ; when an amount of heat Q is added to it , by a reversible process , at constant temperature, is given by:  S = Q/T The units of entropy are J K -1

Entropy In the example, although one part of the system decreased in entropy ; the total entropy for the system increased. The second law stated in terms of entropy becomes: The entropy of an isolated system never decreases. It can only stay the same or increase.

Entropy Although the entropy of one part of the universe may decease in any process ; the entropy is some other part of the universe increases by a greater amount, the total entropy always increases.

Entropy The total entropy of any system plus that of its environment increases as the result of any natural process.

2 nd Law of Thermodynamics A coin, when put flat on a table ; cannot spontaneously rise into the air, suddenly get too hot to touch , flatten out to something twice its diameter. These phenomena can easily be explained.

2 nd Law of Thermodynamics Each of these situations requires energy to be added to the system and so violate the conservation of energy.

2 nd Law of Thermodynamics We also know that coffee in a cup cannot ; s pontaneously cool down and start to swirl around, one end of a spoon gets hot while the other end cools down . molecules of air in the room do not move to one corner of the room and stay there.

2 nd Law of Thermodynamics These events however do obey the conservation of energy and the first law of thermodynamics.

2 nd Law of Thermodynamics The coffee could get its energy from the cooling process, the hot end of the spoon could get its energy from the cool end molecules of air do not need to change their kinetic energy, only their position.

2 nd Law of Thermodynamics These events , however, do not happen although the reverse does happen. There are many other cases where an event will happen in one direction but not the other.

2 nd Law of Thermodynamics The direction in which natural events happen is D etermined by the Second Law of Thermodynamics . It can be described on a macroscopic and microscopic base:

2 nd Law of Thermodynamics In the process of heat conduction from a hot body to a cold one ; entropy increases and order goes to disorder. Useful work can be obtained while there is a temperature difference but ; when the two heat reservoirs reach the Vale temperature, no work can be obtained from them.

2 nd Law of Thermodynamics No energy is lost, it instead becomes less useful ; the energy becomes degraded. The natural outcome of this is that as time goes on ; the universe will reach a state of maximum disorder.

2 nd Law of Thermodynamics The whole universe will be at one temperature ; no work can be done. All the energy will have become degraded ; to thermal energy. All change will cease. This is known as heat death .

Refrigerators & Heat Pumps Heat flows from the inside of warm houses in winter to the cold outside. The reverse can happen, but only by imposing external effort as do heat pumps. Air conditioners or refrigerators use these.

Refrigerators & Heat Pumps The second form of the 2 nd law of thermodynamics states: It is not possible for heat to flow from one body to another body at a higher temperature, with no other change taking place.

Topic 10 Thermal Physics

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