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A corresponding expression for the difference in specific heat capacities (intensive properties) at constant volume and constant pressure is: = where ρ is the density of the substance under the applicable conditions.
In the first, constant-volume case (locked piston), there is no external motion, and thus no mechanical work is done on the atmosphere; C V is used. In the second case, additional work is done as the volume changes, so the amount of heat required to raise the gas temperature (the specific heat capacity) is higher for this constant-pressure case.
Many thermodynamic equations are expressed in terms of partial derivatives. For example, the expression for the heat capacity at constant pressure is: = which is the partial derivative of the enthalpy with respect to temperature while holding pressure constant.
Under these conditions, p 1 V 1 γ = p 2 V 2 γ, where γ is defined as the heat capacity ratio, which is constant for a calorifically perfect gas. The value used for γ is typically 1.4 for diatomic gases like nitrogen (N 2) and oxygen (O 2), (and air, which is 99% diatomic).
The left-hand side is the specific heat capacity at constant volume of the material. For the heat capacity at constant pressure, it is useful to define the specific enthalpy of the system as the sum (,,) = (,,) +. An infinitesimal change in the specific enthalpy will then be
The Mayer relation states that the specific heat capacity of a gas at constant volume is slightly less than at constant pressure. This relation was built on the reasoning that energy must be supplied to raise the temperature of the gas and for the gas to do work in a volume changing case.
The volumetric heat capacity of a substance, especially a gas, may be significantly higher when it is allowed to expand as it is heated (volumetric heat capacity at constant pressure) than when is heated in a closed vessel that prevents expansion (volumetric heat capacity at constant volume).
The ratio of the constant volume and constant pressure heat capacity is the adiabatic index γ = c P c V {\displaystyle \gamma ={\frac {c_{P}}{c_{V}}}} For air, which is a mixture of gases that are mainly diatomic (nitrogen and oxygen), this ratio is often assumed to be 7/5, the value predicted by the classical Equipartition Theorem for ...