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A PV diagram plots the change in pressure P with respect to volume V for some process or processes. Typically in thermodynamics, the set of processes forms a cycle, so that upon completion of the cycle there has been no net change in state of the system; i.e. the device returns to the starting pressure and volume.
Because the net variation in state properties during a thermodynamic cycle is zero, it forms a closed loop on a P-V diagram. A P-V diagram's abscissa, Y axis, shows pressure (P) and ordinate, X axis, shows volume (V). The area enclosed by the loop is the net work done by the processes, i.e. the cycle:
The net work produced is also represented by the area enclosed by the cycle on the p–V diagram. The net work is produced per cycle and is also called the useful work, as it can be turned to other useful types of energy and propel a vehicle (kinetic energy) or produce electrical energy. The summation of many such cycles per unit of time is ...
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.
Isotherms of an ideal gas for different temperatures. The curved lines are rectangular hyperbolae of the form y = a/x. They represent the relationship between pressure (on the vertical axis) and volume (on the horizontal axis) for an ideal gas at different temperatures: lines that are farther away from the origin (that is, lines that are nearer to the top right-hand corner of the 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.
Some specific values of n correspond to particular cases: = for an isobaric process, = + for an isochoric process. In addition, when the ideal gas law applies: = for an isothermal process,
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.