1ST Law of Thermodynamics
1ST Law of Thermodynamics
On this topic, we are going to tackle about the 1st law of thermodynamics, also terms such
as system, surroundings, universe, open, closed, and isolated systems, as well as reversible and
irreversible processes will be encountered. But first we will talk about thermodynamics and its
first law. Thermodynamics is the study of heat energy and other types of energy, such as work,
and the various ways energy is transferred within chemical systems. “Thermo” refers to heat,
while “dynamics” refers to motion. It literally means “moving or evolving heat”. Sadi Carnot is
considered as one of the founders of thermodynamics. No work has been done if the object does
not move. Work is a measure of energy expended by moving an object, usually considered to be
force times distance. The object or collection of objects is called a system. For example, a system
Everything around the system is referred to as surroundings. The system and the
surroundings constitute the universe. A system is considered closed when no mass enters or
leaves the system. However, energy may be exchanged with surroundings. An example of a
closed system is a balloon as it is being heated so that the gas inside it expands. An open system
is one where mass and energy may be added or removed from the system. Plants and animals are
open systems because mass enters them in the form of food and oxygen. Mass also leaves these
systems in the form of waste products. A system is isolated if neither mass nor energy enters or
leaves the system. This law of thermodynamics compacts with the total amount of energy in the
universe. A version of the law of conservation of energy, specialized for thermo dynamical
systems, that states that the energy of an isolated system is constant and can neither be created
nor destroyed. Just like many power plants and engines operates by turning heat energy into
work. A heated gas can do work on mechanical turbines or pistons, causing them to move. This
law may also be considered as a restatement of the law of conservation of energy. This law of
thermodynamics applies the conservation of energy principle to systems where heat transfer and
doing work are the methods of transferring energy in and out of the systems. The first law may
be written as Q = ΔU + W, where Q is the heat added to the system. Heat, change in internal
energy, and work are expressed in Joules. Using this equation, the following sign conventions
must be applied. First, Q is positive (+) when heat is added to the system and negative (-) when
heat is removed from the system. Second, W is positive (+) when work is done by the system and
negative (-) when work is done on the system. This law also states that this total amount of
energy is constant. In other words, there has always been, and always will be, exactly the same
amount of energy in the universe. Energy exists in many different forms. Energy can be
transferred from place to place or changes between different forms, but it cannot be created and
destroyed. The transfers and transformations of energy take place around us all time. Now, we
are going to talk about the processes, A reversible process is one in which the system and its
surroundings can be returned to their initial state before undergoing a process. The opposite of
this process is called irreversible. Examples of irreversible processes are growing old, breaking a
glass, and burning pieces of paper. A cycle is a series of processes that states and ends at the
same conditions. Examples of a cycle are water cycle, refrigeration cycle, and carbon cycle.
Internal energy is the sum of the kinetic and potential energies possessed by the molecules of an
object due to their motions and positions relative to each other. The change in the internal energy
(ΔU) of a gas can be obtained using the formula ΔU = nCv ΔT, where n is the number of moles,
Cv is the molar specific heat at constant volume, and ΔT is the change in temperature. Any
thermodynamic system possesses a state variable called the internal energy (E). This picture
below shows between any two equilibrium states, the change in internal energy is equal to the
difference of heat transfer into the system and work done by the system. Work is the total
amount
amount of work done by a varying force may be solved graphically and analytically by calculus.
Given a graph of force versus displacement along the direction of force, the work done is the
area bounded by the graph and the x-axis. Getting the area under a curve is actually performing
integration. Work, therefore, is W = f x1x2 Fdx. However, the force F can be expressed as the
product of pressure and area. But Adx = change in volume = dV. Therefore, W = fv1v2PdV. A
graph called PV diagram, is a graph of pressure versus volume as being used instead of graph of
force versus displacement. When a system changes from it initial to final state, it may undergo a
series of intermediate states. This series of intermediate states between the initial and final states
is commonly termed as path in thermodynamics. Variables that depend only on the initial and
final states and not on the path taken are called state variables. Variables that depend on the path
are called process variables. The change in internal energy is a state variable. Heat and work are
process variables. Next, we will we talking about thermodynamics processes and PV diagrams, a
thermodynamic process is a change from an initial state to a final state of a system that usually
involves a change in its pressure, volume, or temperature. These processes are isochoric,
isobaric, isothermal and adiabatic. An isochoric process is also called a constant volume process.
Since, volume is constant there is no work done during an isochoric process. All the heat added
to the system goes into increasing its internal energy. A vertical line in a PV diagram represents
an isochoric process. This vertical line is called an isochor. Heating in a closed rigid container is
process. The work done by the system, change in its internal energy, and the heat added to the
system are not zero in this process. The work done during isobaric process is equal to the product
of the constant pressure and the change in volume. A horizontal line called an isobar represents
constant pressure process. An isothermal process is also called a constant temperature process.
Here, the change in internal energy is equal to zero. An adiabatic process is a process where
there is no transfer occurring between the system and it surroundings. This could be achieve if
the system is well-insulated or that the process takes place very fast, leaving no time for heat to
flow between the system and the environment. Since heat is equal to zero, then the change in
internal energy is equal to the negative of work. Here are the different diagrams of
thermodynamics processes.
Now, we will try to solve for PV diagrams and thermodynamics processes. The problem
is two moles of an ideal gas are taken around the cycle as shown in the PV diagram. Calculate
the (a) temperature at states A, B, and C, (b) change in internal energy of the gas, (c) total heat,
and (d) total work done by the gas for the entire cycle.
Solution:
a. To solve for the temperature at each state, the ideal gas law,
PV = nRT, is used.
Ta = 24.06 K =24 K
Tc = 9.14K K = 9.1K
Recall that internal energy is a state variable. Hence, the change in internal energy depends only
on the initial state and final state. Since for a cycle, the initial and final states are identical.
Work for the cycle = ΔU of the cycle + Q for the cycle = 0 + Q = -343 J.
This first law of thermodynamics states that the change in the internal energy ΔU of a
closed system is equal to the amount of heat Q supplied to the system, minus the amount of work
W done by the system on its surroundings. An equivalent statement is that perpetual motion
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