Thermodynamic Processes

• States of a thermodynamic system can be changed by

interacting with its surrounding through work and heat. When
this change occurs in a system, it is said that the system is
undergoing a process.

• A thermodynamic cycle is a sequence of different processes that

begins and ends at the same thermodynamic state.

• Some sample processes:

 Isothermal process: temperature is constant T=C
 Isobaric process: pressure is constant, P=C
 Isentropic process: entropy is constant, s=C
 Constant-volume process, v=C
 Adiabatic process: no heat transfer, Q=0
 Process-1
• Use ideal gas assumption (closed system):
 Isothermal process: T=constant
Energy balance U=Q-W, for ideal gas U=H=0
since both are functions of temperature only
mRT 2 dV
Q=W, W=  PdV   dV  mRT 
V 1 V

 V2   P1 
 mRT ln    mRT ln  
 V1   P2 
 Isobaric process: P=constant
2
U=Q-W, W=  PdV=P  dV=P(V2  V1 )
1

Q  U  P (V2  V1 )  (U 2  U1 )  P (V2  V1 )
 (U 2  PV2 )  (U1  PV1 )  H 2  H1  H
 Process-2
 Constant volume process: V=constant
Q-W=U, W=  PdV  0, no work done
Q=U=mu=m  c dT v

 Adiabatic process: Q=0

Q-W=U, -W=U
- W=dU (infinitesimal increment of work and energy)
 mRT 
dU+PdV=0, mc v dT    dV  0
 V 
 RT  cv dT dV
cv dT    dV  0,  , integrate and assume
 V  R T V
c v =constant
Rc k 1
cv  T2   V2  T2  V1  v  V1 
ln     ln   ,    
R  T1   V1  T1  V2   V2 
 Process-3
k 1
T2  V1 
  , from ideal gas relation
T1  V2 
 V1   T1  P2
PV=RT,      , substitute
 V2   T2  P1
k 1 k 1
T2   T1   P2    T2 
    , multiply   from both sides
T1   T2   P1    T1 
( k 1) k
T2  P2  k  P2   V1 
  , and   
T1  P1   P1   V2 
k k
k  cons tan t
Also PV
1 1  PV
2 2 and pV
For an ideal gas undergoing adiabatic process
 Process-4
Polytropic Process: its P-V relation can be expressed as
PVn = constant, where n is a constant for a specific process
 Isothermal, T=constant, if the gas is an ideal gas then
PV=RT=constant, n=1
 Isobaric, P=constant, n=0 (for all substances)
 Constant-volume, V=constant, V=constant(P)(1/n), n=
(for all substances)
 Adiabatic process, n=k for an ideal gas
PV
1 1
n
 PV
2 2
n
 PV n

2 2
W   PdV   ( PV
1 1
n
)V n
dV
1 1

2 2  PV
2 n
( PV
1 1 ) PV
1 1 
n 1 n 1 n
 ( PV n
) V dV  (V  V )  1 1

 1 n
2 1
1
1 n