Thermodynamics I

Lecture 6: Work and Heat

Prof: Dr. P.Q. Gauthier

Work

Work is usually defined as a force F acting through a

displacement x, the displacement being in the direction of the
force. That is:
2

W Fdx
1

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Work

In thermodynamics, work is defined as an energy interaction

between a system and its surroundings.

A rising piston ,

a rotating shaft

an electric wire crossing the system boundaries

are all associated with work interactions

Work has energy units: kJ, kJ/kg

Power has Energy per seconds units: kJ/s =Watts

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Work

Work is a directional quantity.

Work done on a system is negative,

Work done by the system is positive

System possess energy, but not work,

Work is associated with a process, not a state

Unlike properties, work has no meaning at a state

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Work

Work is a path function

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Mechanical Forms of Work

If F is constant

W F*s

If F is not constant

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kJ

Fds

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Mechanical Forms of Work

Moving Boundary work:

This type of work is associated with the expansion or
compression of a gas in a piston-cylinder device. This is the
primary form of work involved in automobile engines

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Quasi-equilibrium process

Quasi-equilibrium process is a process during which the system

remains in equilibrium at all times

Figure:

differential

gas

does

amount

a
of

work Wb as it force the

piston

to

move

by

differential amount ds

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Quasi-equilibrium process

Boundary work in differential form

Wb Fds PAds PdV

The total work done during the entire process 12 is

2

Wb Wb PdV
To integrate P=f(V) should be available

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Quasi-equilibrium process

Figure: The area under

the process curve on a
P-V diagram represents
the boundary work

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Boundary Work during a Constant

Volume Process

Example 1: A rigid tank contains air at 500 kPa and 150C. As a

result of heat transfer to the surroundings, the temperature
and pressure inside the tank drop to 65C and 400 kPa,
respectively. Determine the boundary work done during this
process

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Boundary Work during a Constant

Volume Process

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Solution

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Boundary Work for a ConstantPressure Process

Example 2: A frictionless piston-cylinder device contains 10lbm

of steam at 60 psia and 320F. Heat is now transferred to the
steam until the temperature reaches 400F. If the piston is not
attached to a shaft and its mass is constant, determine the
work done by the steam during this process

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Example 2

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Solution

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Solution

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Polytropic Process

During expansion and compression processes of real gases,

n

pressure and volume are often related by PV = C, where n and C

are constants. A process of this kind is called a polytropic
process

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Boundary Work during Isothermal

Process

Example: A piston cylinder device initially contains 0.4 m 3 of air

at 100 kPa and 80C. The air is now compressed to 0.1 m 3 in such
a way that the temperature inside the cylinder remains
constant. Determine the work done during this process

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Polytropic Process

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Solution

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Polytropic Process

Figure: Schematic of P-v diagram for a polytropic process

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Polytropic Process

Wb for a polytropic process

Wb

PdV

n 1
n 1
2
V

V
C
n
2
1
dV

C
V
dV

C
1
n 1
Vn

n 1 n
CV21n CV11n P2V2nV21n PV
V
P2V2 PV
1 1 1
1 1

1 n
1 n
1 n

For an ideal gas PV=nRT, thus

P2V2 PV
mR(T2 T1 )
1 1
Wb

for n 1
1 n
1 n
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Problem

Argon is compressed in a polytropic process with n= 1.2 from 120

kPa and 30C to 1200 kPa in a piston cylinder device. Determine
the work produced and heat transferred during this compression
process, in kJ/kg

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Solution

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Solution

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