Experiment 3

TITLE: Boyles Law

3.1

INTRODUCTION

Gases have various properties which can be observed with our senses including its pressure,
temperature, mass, and the volume which contains the gas. Careful, scientific observation has determined
that these variables are related to one another and that the values of these properties determine the state of
the gas.
In the mid 1600s, Robert Boyle studied the relationship between the pressure, p, and the volume, V, of
a confined gas held at a constant temperature. Boyles Law states that :
For a fixed mass of ideal gas at fixed temperature, the product of pressure and volume is a constant
Mathematical-wise:
p V = const.

(T = const.)

Where:
p is the pressure of the gas, and V is the volume of the gas
A further relationship is described by the Gay-Lussac Law. This law states that if a fixed quantity of gas
is contained in a constant volume, the pressure is proportional to the absolute temperature.
pT

(V = const.)

The combination of both laws leads to the general gas equation:

p1V 1
T1

p2V 2
T2

= const.

For a fixed quantity of gas, the expression

( p V )
T

always remains constant.

3.2

APPLICATION

There are several ways to alter the pressure inside any closed space. Air compressors use a piston and a
valve to force additional air into the tank without allowing air to escape, but the tank always maintains its
size. When we use a speaker to pressurize the air inside a cavity, like the space within a car, we pressurize
the air according to Boyles Law. When the speaker cone moves forward (into the cavity) the pressure
increases as the cavity volume decreases.
The amount of the pressure change depends upon the amount of air the woofers can displace. The
distance the cone moves forward times the area of the cone determines the displacement of the speaker.
So, how does this relate to pressurizing the cab of a car Obviously, and from Boyles Law, the greater the
reduction in volume, the greater the increase in pressure.
The action of syringe. When we draw fluids into a syringe, we increase the volume inside the syringe,
this correspondingly decreases the pressure on the inside where the pressure on the outside of the syringe
is greater and forces fluid into the syringe.
The action of the diaphragm of our body. When we inhale the diaphragm moves downward allowing the
lungs an increased volume. This decreases the pressure inside the lungs so that the pressure is less than
the outer pressure. This results in forcing air into the lungs. When we exhale the diaphragm moves
upward and decreases the volume of the lungs. This increases the pressure inside the lungs above the
pressure on the outside of the lungs so that gases are forced out of the lungs.

3.3

APPARATUS

Figure 1 shows the Boyles Law demonstration unit used in this experiment.

Temperature reading
for Isothermic Process

Temperature reading
for Isochoric Process

Pressure reading for

Isochoric Process
Pressure reading for
Isothermic Process
Heater Switch

Volume reading for

Isothermic Process

Compressor Switch

Figure 1

3.4

PROCEDURE OF THE EXPERIMENTS

3.4.1 Isochoric Heating

1) Unit at master switch was switched on.
2) Air discharge valve on the lid of the heatable cylinder was opened and the vessel to ambient
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)

pressure was set.

The air discharge valve was closed.
The required final temperature on the heating regulator was set using the arrow keys.
The heater was switched on and it is operated until final temperature is reached.
Readings of temperature and pressure at equal time intervals was took until final temperature.
The cylinder was leaved unchanged and was continued with cooling experiment.

3.4.2 Isochoric Cooling

1) Heater was switched off.
2) Air discharge valve on the lid of heatable cylinder was opened and vessel to ambient pressure was
set.
3) Air discharge valve was closed again.
4) Readings of the temperature and pressure was took at equal intervals while vessel cools to
ambient temperature.
5) Air discharge valve on the lid of the cylinder was opened and vessel to ambient pressure was set.
6) The unit at the master switch was switched off.

3.4.3 Isothermic Compression

1) Unit at the master switch was switched on.

2) Air discharge valve on the lid of the cylinder was opened halfway.
3) Both 3-way valve was placed in position 1.
4) The compressor was switched on using switch until liquid level has reached lowest mark on the
scale on the cylinder.
5) The compressor was switched off.
6) Air discharge valve on the lid of the cylinder was closed.
7) The compressor was switched on. Liquid was entering the cylinder. Readings of the pressure and
volume of air inside the cylinder was took as the cylinder was filled-up with the liquid.
8) The compressor was stopped once the liquid was filled-up to the upper most mark on cylinder.
9) The cylinder was leaved unchanged and was continued with the expansion experiment.

3.4.4 Isothermic Expansion

1) The air discharge valve and the 3-way valve was opened and closed interchangeably until
ambient pressure was reached in the cylinder. The level of liquid in the cylinder at this time was
adjusted to be at the upper mark of the cylinder.
2) The air discharge valve was closed.
3) The compressor was switched on and the gas volume was expanded until the lowest mark on the
scale of the cylinder was reached. The readings of the pressure and volume of the air was took
throughout this process at regular intervals.

3.5

RESULTS

3.5.1

Isochoric Heating and Cooling

Heating
No.
1

Time, t (min)
1

Temperature, T ( C)
22.3

Pressure, p (bar)
1.06

28.5

1.12

37.9

1.18

p (bar) / T (K)
3.59

103

3.71

10

3.80

103

49.2

1.22

61.5

1.26

71.9

1.27

79.5

1.27

No
1

Time, t (min)
1

Temperature, T ( C)
85.4

Pressure, p (bar)
0.99

84.4

0.97

82.9

0.96

80.8

0.95

78.5

0.95

76.0

0.94

73.2

0.93

70.8

0.92

68.1

0.92

10

10

65.6

0.91

11

11

63.3

0.91

12

12

61.1

0.90

13

13

58.9

0.90

14

14

57.0

0.89

15

15

55.1

0.89

3.79

103

3.77

103

3.68

103

3.60

103

Cooling

3.5.2

p (bar) / T (K)
2.76

103

2.71

103

2.70

10

2.69

103

2.70

10

2.69

103

2.69

103

2.68

10

2.70

103

2.69

10

2.71

103

2.69

103

2.71

103

2.70

103

2.71

10

Isothermic Compression and Expansion

Compression
NO

Volume, V ( m

Pressure, p (bar)

p V (Nm)

.
1
2
3
4
5

2.76
2.31
1.76
1.23
0.67

1.08
1.29
1.61
2.17
3.25

298080
297990
283360
266910
217750

Pressure, p (bar)

p V (Nm)

0.79
0.54
0.41
0.33
0.27

47400
62100
69700
74910
73980

Expansion
No.
1
2
3
4
5

Volume, V ( m
0.60
1.15
1.70
2.27
2.74

Isochoric Heating

Pressure, P against Temperature, T

1.3
1.25
1.2
1.15
Pressure, P

1.1
1.05
1
0.95
10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Temperature, T

Pressure Over Temperature, P/T against time, t

0
0
0
0
P/T

0
0
0
0
0
0

4
Time, t

Isochoric cooling

Pressure, P against Temperature, T

1
0.98
0.96
0.94
0.92

Pressure, P

0.9
0.88
0.86
0.84
50

55

60

65

70

75

80

85

90

Temperature, T

Pressure over Temperature, P/T against Time,t

0
0
0
0
P/T 0
0
0
0
0

8
Time, t

10

12

14

16

Isothermic compression

Pressure, P Against Volume, V

3.5
3
2.5
2
Pressure, P

1.5
1
0.5
0
0.5

1.5

2.5

Volume, V

Isothermic Expansion

Pressure, P against Volume, V

0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
Pressure, P

0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0

0.5

1.5
Volume, V

2.5

3.6

REFERENCES
1. Thermodynamics, An Engineering Approach (7th Edition) SI Version, Yunus A. Cengel;
Michael A. Boles. McGraw Hill.
2. Fundamentals of Thermodynamics(7th Edition) SI Version, Claus Borgnakke; Richard E.
Sonntag. Wiley Publications
3. Principles of Engineering Thermodynamics (7th Edition) SI Edition, Michael J. Moran;
Howard N. Shapiro; Daisie D. Boettner; Margaret B. Bailey. Wiley Publications.