TUTORIAL 3: Thermodynamics

Work Done During Volume Changes/ 1st Law of Thermodynamics.

1. One mole of an ideal gas is heated slowly so that it goes from PV state (Pi, Vi) to
(3Pi, Vi)in such a way that the pressure of the gas is directly proportional to the
volume.
(a) How much work is done in the process?
(b) How is the temperature of the gas related to its volume during this process?
2. An ideal gas is enclosed in a cylinder with a moveable piston on top. The piston has a
mass of 800 g and an area of 5.00 cm2 and is free to slide up and down, keeping the
pressure of the gas constant. How much work is done as the temperature of 0.200
mol of the gas is raised from 20.0 to 300? [Ans. 466 J]
3. A gas undergoes two processes. In the first, the volume remains constant at
0.200 m3 and the pressure increases from 2.00 105 Pa to 5.00 105 Pa. The second
process is a compression to a volume of 0.120 m3 at constant pressure of
5.00 105 Pa.
(a) Draw a PV diagram, showing both processes.
(b) Find the total work done by the gas during both processes.
[Ans. 0 J for the first process and -4.00 104 J for the second process]
4. A thermodynamic system undergoes a process in which its internal energy decreases
by 500 J. If, at the same time 200 J of work is done on the system, what is the energy
transferred to or from it by heat? [Ans. -720 J]
5. The internal energy of a system increases by 1350 J when the system gains 1150 J of
heat at a constant pressure of 1.01 105 Pa.
(a) What is the change in the volume of the gas? [Ans. -2.0 10-3 m3]
(b) Does the volume increase or decrease?
6. An ideal gas initially at 300 K undergoes an isobaric expansion at 2.50 kPa. If the
volume increases from 1.00 m3 to 3.00 m3 and if 12.5 kJ of energy is transferred to
the gas by heat, what are
(a) the change in its internal energy? [Ans. 7.50 kJ]
(b) its final temperature? [Ans. 900 K]

Thermodynamic Processes/Heat Capacities of an Ideal Gas

7. A 2.00 mol sample of helium gas initially at 300 K and 0.400 atm is compressed
isothermally to 1.20 atm. Assuming the behaviour of helium to be that of an ideal
gas, find
(a) the final volume of the gas, [Ans. 0.041 m3]
(b) the work done by the gas, [Ans. -5.48 kJ]
(c) the energy transferred by heat.[Ans. -5.48 kJ]
8. Helium gas expands slowly to twice its original volume, doing 300 J of work in the
process. Find the heat added to the gas and the change in internal energy of the gas
if the process is
(a) isothermal, [Q = 300 J; U = 0 J]
(b) adiabatic, [Q = 0 J; U = -300 J]
(c) isobaric. [Q = 750 J; U = 450 J]
9. A monatomic ideal gas has an initial temperature of 405 K. This gas expands and
does the same amount of work whether the expansion is adiabatic or isothermal.
When the expansion is adiabatic, the final temperature of the gas is 245 K. What is
the ratio of the final to the initial volume when the expansion is isothermal? [1.81]
10. The temperature of 2.5 mol of a monatomic ideal gas is 350 K. The internal energy of
this gas is doubled by the addition of heat. How much heat is needed when it is
added at
(a) constant volume? [Ans. 1.1 104 J]
(b) constant pressure? [Ans. 1.8 104 J]
11. Propane gas (C3H8) behaves like an ideal gas with = 1.127. Determine
(a) the molar heat capacity at constant volume, [Ans. 65.47 J.mol-1.K-1]
(b) the molar heat capacity at constant pressure.[Ans. 73.78 J.mol-1.K-1]
12. Gaseous ethane (C2H6) has = 1.220 and maybe treated as an ideal gas.
(a) If 2.40 mol of ethane is to be heated from 20.0oC to 25.0oC at a constant pressure
of 1.00 atm, how much heat is required? [Ans. 553 J]
(b) What will be the change in the internal energy of ethane? [Ans. 454 J]
13. One mole of neon, a monatomic gas, starts out at conditions of standard
temperature and pressure. The gas is heated at constant volume until its pressure is
tripled, then further heated at constant pressure until its volume is doubled. Assume
that neon behaves as an ideal gas. For the entire process, find the heat added to the
gas. [Ans. 2.38 104 J]

Adiabatic Processes for an Ideal Gas

14. An engine of a Ferrari sports car takes in air at 20.0 oC and 1.00 atm and compresses
it adiabatically to 0.0900 times the original volume. The air may be treated as an
ideal gas with = 1.40.
(a) Draw a PV diagram for this process.
(b) Find the final temperature and pressure. [Ans. 495oC, 29.1 atm].
15. During an adiabatic expansion the temperature of 0.450 mol of Argon (Ar) drops
from 50.0oC to 10.0oC. The Argon may be treated as an ideal gas with
= 1.67.
(a) Draw a PV diagram for this process.
(b) How much work does the gas do? [Ans. 224 J].
(c) Does heat flow into or out of the gas? If so, what is the direction and absolute
value of this heat flow? [Ans. Q = 0].
(d) What is the change in internal energy of the gas? [Ans. -224 J].
16. A quantity of sulphur dioxide gas (SO2) occupies a volume of 5.00 10-3 m3 at a
pressure of 1.10 105 Pa. The gas expands adiabatically to a volume of
1.00 10-2 m3, doing 285 J of work on its surroundings. Assume that the gas may be
treated as an ideal gas.
[For SO2 : Cv = 31.29 J.mol-1.K-1 and Cp = 40.37 J.mol-1.K-1].
(a) Find the final pressure of the gas. [Ans. 4.50 104 Pa].
(b) How much work does the gas do on its surroundings? [Ans. 345 J].
(c) What is the ratio of the final temperature of the gas to its initial temperature?
[Ans. 0.818].
17. A flexible balloon contains 0.350 mol of hydrogen sulphide (H2S). Initially the H2S has
a volume of 7.00 103 cm3 and a temperature of 27.0oC. The H2S first expands
isobarically until the volume doubles. Then it expands adiabatically until the
temperature returns to its initial value. Assume that the H2S can be treated as an
ideal gas. [ For H2S: Cv = 25.95 J.mol-1.K-1 and Cp = 34.60 J.mol-1.K-1].
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)

Draw a PV diagram for this process.

What is the total heat supplied to the H2S in the process? [Ans. 3.60 103 J].
What is the total change in the internal energy of the H2S? [Ans. 0 J].
What is the total work done by the H2S? [Ans. 3.60 103 J].
What is the final volume? [Ans. 0.114 m3].
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Heat Engines
18. A diesel engine performs 2200 J of mechanical work and discards 4300 J of heat each
cycle.
(a) How much heat is must be supplied to the engine in each cycle? [Ans. 6500 J].
(b) What is the thermal efficiency of the engine? [Ans. 0.34 = 34%].
19. A petrol engine takes in 16100 J of heat and delivers 3700 J of work per cycle. The
heat is obtained by burning petrol with a heat of combustion of 4.60 104 J.g-1.
(a) What is the thermal efficiency of the engine? [Ans. 0.23 = 23%].
(b) How much heat is discarded in each cycle? [Ans. 12400 J].
(c) What mass of fuel is burned in each cycle? [Ans. 0.350 g].
(d) If the engine goes through 60.0 cycles per second, what is its power output in
kilowatts? [Ans. 222 kW].
20. A certain nuclear-power plant has a mechanical power output (used to drive an
electric generator) of 330 MW. Its rate of heat input from the nuclear reactor is
1300 MW.
(a) What is the thermal efficiency of the system? [Ans. 0.25 = 25%].
(b) At what rate is heat discarded by the system? [Ans. 970 MW].
Refrigerators and Air Conditioners
21. A refrigerator has a coefficient of performance of 2.10. Each cycle it absorbs
3.40 104 J of heat from the cold reservoir.
(a) How much mechanical energy is required each cycle to operate the refrigerator?
[Ans. 1.62 104 J].
(b) During each cycle, how much heat is discarded to the high-temperature
reservoir? [Ans. 5.02 104 J].
22. A refrigerator does 2500 J of work in order to remove 8500 J of heat from a cold
reservoir.
(a) Determine the coefficient of performance of the refrigerator. [Ans. 3.4].
(b) How much heat is deposited into the kitchen (the hot reservoir)? [1.10 104 J].
23. The temperature indoors and outdoors are 299 K and 312 K, respectively. A Carnot
air conditioner deposits 6.12 105 J of heat outdoors. How much heat is removed
from the house? [Ans. 5.86 105 J].
24. A window air conditioner unit absorbs 9.80 104 J of heat per minute from the room
being cooled and in the same time period deposits 1.44 105 J of heat into the
outside air.
(a) What is the power consumption of the unit in watts? [Ans. 767 W].
(b) What is the energy efficiency rating of the unit? [Ans. 7.27].

The Carnot Cycle

25. A Carnot engine whose high-temperature reservoir is at 620 K takes in 550 J of heat
at this temperature in each cycle and gives up 335 J to the low-temperature
reservoir.
(a) How much mechanical work does the engine perform during each cycle?
[Ans. 215 J].
(b) What is the temperature of the low-temperature reservoir? [Ans. 378 K].
(c) What is the thermal efficiency of the cycle? [Ans. 0.391 = 39.1%].
26. An ice-making machine operates in a Carnot cycle. It takes heat from the water at
0.0oC and rejects heat to a room at 24.0oC. Suppose that 85.0 kg of water at 0.0oC
are converted to ice at 0.00C.
(a) How much heat is rejected to the room? [Ans. 3.09 107 J].
(b) How much energy must be supplied to the device? [Ans. 2.49 106 J].
27. A Carnot device extracts 5.00 kJ of heat from a body at -10.0oC. How much work is
done if the device exhausts heat into the environment at
(a) 25.0oC? [Ans. -665 J].
(b) 0.0oC? [Ans. -190 J].
(c) -25.0oC? [Ans. 285 J].
In each case, is the device acting as an engine or as a refrigerator?
Entropy
28. On a cold day, 24500 J of heat leaks out of a house. The inside temperature is 21C,
and the outside temperature is 15 C. What is the increase in the entropy of the
universe that this heat loss produces? [Ans. 11.6 J.K-1]
29. Heat Q flows spontaneously from a reservoir at 394 K into a reservoir that has a
lower temperature T. Because of the spontaneous flow, thirty percent of Q is
rendered unavailable for work when a Carnot engine operates between the reservoir
at temperature T and a reservoir at 248 K. Find the temperature T. [Ans. 267 K]
30. A process occurs in which the entropy of a system increases by 125 J.K-1. During the
process, the energy that becomes unavailable for doing work is zero.
(a) Is this process reversible or irreversible? Give your reasoning.
(b) Determine the change in the entropy of the surroundings. [Ans. -125 J.K-1].
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