THERMODYNAMICS
Basic Thermodynamics principles.
Ever wondered how engines work, why refrigerator cool, or how power plans generate electricity? It’s all
about THERMODYNAMICS!
What is thermodynamics?
The science of heat, energy and work.
Explains how energy is transferred and converted.
Used in engines, HVAC, power plants, and refrigeration!
The 4 laws of thermodynamics:
1) Zeroth Law
If two systems are in thermal equilibrium with a third, they are in equilibrium with each other. (Basis
of temperature measurement)
2) First Law
Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another. (Energy
Conservation)
3) Second Law
Heat always moves from hot to cold, increasing entropy (disorder)
4) Third Law
At absolute zero (−273.15 ℃), entropy is zero
Energy Input Useful Energy output
Useful energy output
Efficiency=
Energy Input
First Law – Conservation of Energy
Formula: ∆ Q=∆ U + ∆ W
o Heat energy (Q) is either stored as internal energy (U) or used to do work (W).
o Example: A battery stores energy (U) vs. a motor using energy to do work (W).
Second Law – Entropy and Heat Flow
Heat moves from HOT to COLD, never the other way around.
Why can’t a refrigerator cool a room? They remove heat from the inside but dump it outside
Entropy = Disorder – The universe moves towards chaos!
Third Law – Absolute zero & No Entropy
At −273.15 ℃ (Absolute zero), all molecular motion stops.
Entropy is zero because there is no energy disorder
Used in cryogenics and superconductors!
Where is (Applications) Thermodynamics used
Power plant (steam turbines convert heat to electricity)
Engines (Fuel burns to produce motion)
Refrigerator & Air Conditioner (Heat transfer cools spaces)
Factories (Heat exchangers for efficiency)
Entropy
Recall from the chapter introduction that it is not even theoretically possible for engines to be 100 percent
efficient. This phenomenon is explained by the second law of thermodynamics, which relies on a concept
known as entropy. Entropy is a measure of the disorder of a system. Entropy also describes how much
energy is not available to do work. The more disordered a system and higher the entropy, the less of a
system's energy is available to do work.
Although all forms of energy can be used to do work, it is not possible to use the entire available energy for
work. Consequently, not all energy transferred by heat can be converted into work, and some of it is lost in
the form of waste heat—that is, heat that does not go toward doing work. The unavailability of energy is
important in thermodynamics; in fact, the field originated from efforts to convert heat to work, as is done by
engines.
The equation for the change in entropy, ΔSΔS, is
ΔS=QT, ΔS=QT,
where Q is the heat that transfers energy during a process, and T is the absolute temperature at which the
process takes place.
Q is positive for energy transferred into the system by heat and negative for energy transferred out of the
system by heat. In SI, entropy is expressed in units of joules per kelvin (J/K).
