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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.
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.
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.
A Carnot cycle is an ideal thermodynamic cycle proposed by French physicist Sadi Carnot in 1824 and expanded upon by others in the 1830s and 1840s. By Carnot's theorem, it provides an upper limit on the efficiency of any classical thermodynamic engine during the conversion of heat into work, or conversely, the efficiency of a refrigeration system in creating a temperature difference through ...
This article uses the physics sign convention for work, where positive work is work done by the system. Using this convention, by the first law of thermodynamics, The yellow area represents the work done = + where W is work, U is internal energy, and Q is heat. [1] Pressure-volume work by the closed system is defined as: