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Generalized PV diagram. A key feature of the diagram is that the amount of energy expended or received by the system as work can be measured because the net work is represented by the area enclosed by the four lines. In the figure, the processes 1-2-3 produce a work output, but processes from 3-4-1 require a smaller energy input to return to ...
PV work is often measured in units of litre-atmospheres where 1 L·atm = 101.325 J. However, the litre-atmosphere is not a recognized unit in the SI system of units, which measures P in pascals (Pa), V in m 3, and PV in joules (J), where 1 J = 1 Pa·m 3. PV work is an important topic in chemical thermodynamics.
The net work equals the area inside because it is (a) the Riemann sum of work done on the substance due to expansion, minus (b) the work done to re-compress. Because the net variation in state properties during a thermodynamic cycle is zero, it forms a closed loop on a P-V diagram.
There are then two types of work performed: 'flow work' described above, which is performed on the fluid in the control volume (this is also often called ' PV work'), and 'shaft work', which may be performed by the fluid in the control volume on some mechanical device with a shaft. These two types of work are expressed in the equation:
The work done in a process is the area beneath the process path on a P-V diagram. Figure 2 If the process is isobaric, then the work done on the piston is easily calculated. For example, if the gas expands slowly against the piston, the work done by the gas to raise the piston is the force F times the distance d .
The PV diagram is a particularly useful visualization of a quasi-static process, because the area under the curve of a process is the amount of work done by the system during that process. Thus work is considered to be a process variable , as its exact value depends on the particular path taken between the start and end points of the process.
Figure 1: A Carnot cycle illustrated on a PV diagram to illustrate the work done. Figure 2: A Carnot cycle acting as a heat engine, illustrated on a temperature-entropy diagram. The cycle takes place between a hot reservoir at temperature T H and a cold reservoir at temperature T C. The vertical axis is temperature, the horizontal axis is entropy.
Quantity (common name/s) (Common) symbol/s Defining equation SI unit Dimension General heat/thermal capacity C = / J⋅K −1: ML 2 T −2 Θ −1: Heat capacity (isobaric)