Practical 2: Experimental Determination of γ using Clement and Desormes

Method

Objective:
To determine the ratio of specific heat of gas at constant volume and temperature.

Introduction
By definition Cv(or Cp) denotes the amount of heat energy which must be absorbed by one mole
of a gas at constant volume (or pressure) to raise the temperature of the gas by one degree. The
absorbed heat energy causes the molecules to move faster (increase in translational energy), to
rotate faster (increase in rotational energy) and to vibrate faster (increase in vibrational energy).
Thus the knowledge of heat capacities plays a role in understanding the complexity of gaseous
molecules. Unfortunately the easiest method for determining the individual heat capacities of
gases is beyond the capability of an undergraduate laboratory. The heat capacity ratio, γ = Cp/Cv,
is just as useful in understanding the structure of gaseous molecules and is more accessible
experimentally.
Clement and Desormes devised a simple method for the determination of the ratio of specific
heat of gas, γ. In this experiment, the Clement and Desormes approach will be used to determine
the ratio of specific heats of air at constant pressure and constant volume.

Method
The gas is enclosed in a vessel of badly conducting material at a pressure slightly higher than the
external atmospheric pressure. The vessel is fitted with a stopcock or tap, giving good
communication with the outer air, so that on opening the stopcock the gas undergoes a sudden
change of volume, which under the conditions is approximately adiabatic. If the variation in the
pressure and volume can be found, then from the relation <PV = constant>, the value of γ can be
obtained.
Experimental Apparatus

• A vessel stuffed with badly conducting material fitted with a tap

• A U-tube manometer
• Metre Rule
• Hand-pump
• Pipe

Fig.1
Experimental procedure
Procedures:

• The initial reading of the water level of both arms of the U-tube manometer is noted.
• Then air is pumped into the vessel using the hand-pump until an appreciable difference is
noted between the levels of water in the two arms of the manometer.
• As soon as the required pressure is reached, the pump is immediately disconnected and
the apparatus is given some time for the pressure and the meniscus of the manometer to
adjust at a stable condition.
• The height of the water level in both arms of the manometer is read and the values are
tabulated.
• The tap is opened for a very short fraction of time so as to allow contact with the
atmosphere.
• The pressure is awaited to become stable again. The readings of the water level in both
arms of the manometer are noted.
• The experiment is repeated eight times, each time varying the pressure injected into the
vessel by the hand-pump.

Precautions:

• The experiment must be performed in a conditioned room suitable for the success of the
experiment. Example: the room must be drought so as there is almost no change in
temperature which might affect the pressure and hence the experimental values.
• Enough time must be allowed for the pressure and level of water in the manometer to be
stabilized.
• Two white sheets of paper is placed behind the manometer where the level of water is to
be read for a better contrast and to avoid parallax error.
• The hand-pump must be removed as soon as after injecting air to prevent loss of pressure.
• The tap is opened for a very short fraction of time to minimize any heat loss to the
surrounding (so as to ensure the quasi-static adiabatic expansion simulation).
• Caution is taken when pumping air into the vessel so as the water in the manometer does
not overflow.
Experimental results

Raw Data:

Inserting air inside vessel using pump

Experimental Height of Height of Difference in

No. water water height of
column, column, water
hA/cm hB/cm columns,h1/cm

1 25.5 28.5 3.0

2 8.4 45.0 36.6

3 24.2 29.8 5.6

4 23.5 30.5 7.0

5 20.2 33.7 13.5

6 18.0 35.8 17.8

7 14.4 39.3 24.9

8 11.0 42.4 31.4

Table 1.1
Release of pressure in vessel (letting air out of stopcock)

Experimental Height of Height of Difference in

No. water water height of
column, column, water
hC/cm hD/cm columns,h2/cm

1 26.8 27.5 0.7

2 16.3 37.5 21.2

3 28.6 27.6 1.0

4 25.2 28.9 3.7

5 25.5 28.6 3.1

6 24.4 29.8 5.4

7 24.2 29.9 5.7

8 22.1 31.9 9.8

Table 1.2

Analysis

Calculated results:

Since water (H2O) is used in this experiment:

P0 = Patm = 756mm X Hg
= (756mm X 1.36) mm H2O
= 1028mm H2O

P1/mm logP1 P2/mm logP2 logP0

 1058 3.024 1098 3.041 3.012

1394 3.144 1240 3.093 3.012

1084 3.035 1038 3.016 3.012

1098 3.041 1065 3.027 3.012

1163 3.066 1059 3.025 3.012

1206 3.011 1082 3.034 3.012

1277 3.106 1085 3.035 3.012

1342 3.128 1126 3.052 3.012

Table 1.3

From the ‘Theory’ section,

γ = log(Po / P1)/log(P2/ P1) ………..(8)

= logPo – logP1
log P2 – logP1

Using values from Table 1.3 and equation 8,the average for the specific heat of air, γ, is found to
be 1.359.

Calculated valuesof γ from table 1.3 : 0.706, 2.588, 1.211, 2.071, 1.317, 0.043, 1.324, 1.526

(excluding 2nd and 3rd readings due to possible errors during measurement)

Average = 8.155 / 6 = 1.359

Possible sources of errors:

• Insufficient time may have been allowed for steady conditions to be obtained during
experimental steps such as pumping of air, release of pressure.
 • There may have been lost of air due to the wearing of the apparatus used for the
experiment.
• There may have changes in temperature while the experiment has been performed.
• Heat may have been lost to the surroundings while opening stopcock to release pressure
in vessel.
• The time during which the vessel is kept open to the atmosphere will also affect the
results: if the time is too short, the gas will not drop to atmospheric pressure and the value
of γ will be high; if the time is too long, the gas will exchange thermal energy with the air
in the room and value of γ will be low.

Appendices
Theory

Consider a mass of gas enclosed in a vessel at a pressure P1 which is slightly greater than
atmospheric pressure Po(shown below in Fig.2)

(Fig. 2)

The pressure P1 is measured by the difference in the heights h1 of the two columns of a
manometer containing water of density d grams per cubic centimeter so that

P1 = Po + h1dg ………..(1)

where both P1 and Po are measured in newton per square meter. The initial temperature of the gas
is T°C, i.e., the temperature of the laboratory. Suppose that by momentarily opening a valve the
gas is allowed to attain atmospheric pressure Po. The change in pressure takes place so rapidly
that there is no transfer of heat to or from external sources and the expansion is said to be purely
adiabatic. The compressed gas in the vessel has to do some work in forcing some of the gas out
of the vessel during the expansion. Consequently immediately after closing the valve the
temperature of the gas remaining in the vessel is below room temperature. If the gas is now
allowed to warm up to room temperature, the pressure increases to some value p2 given by

P2 = Po + h2dg ……….(2)

where h2 is the difference in the heights of the manometer columns.

Let V1, V0, and V2 denote the initial, intermediate and final volumes of unit mass of the gas in the
vessel, so that in each case the same mass of gas is considered. If the expansion from the initial
state, pressure P1 volume V1, to the intermediate state, pressure Po volume V0, is adiabatic, the
pressure and volumes are related by the equation

P1V1γ = PoVoγ ……..(3)

where γ is the ratio of the specific heats of the gas at constant pressure and constant volume
respectively.

Since the gas in the initial and final states is at the same temperature, the relation between the
pressures and volumes is given by Boyle’s law, or

P1V1 = P2V2 ……….(4)

Now V2 = Vo since there is the same mass of gas in the vessel in the intermediate and final states.
To find the relationship existing between γ and the various pressures it is necessary to eliminate
the various volumes V0, V1, V2 in Equations (3) and (4).

From Eq. (4), raising both sides of the equation to the same power γ, it follows that

(V1/V2)γ = (P2/ P1)γ ……….(5)

From Eq. (3) and the fact that V2 = Vo

(V1/V2)γ = Po / P1 ……….(6)

Thus

(P2/ P1)γ = Po / P1 ……….(7)

or
γ = log(Po / P1)/log(P2/ P1) ………..(8)

If the various pressures do not differ greatly from atmospheric, then the expression for γ may be
further simplified which becomes

γ = (Po- P1)/(P2 - P1) approximately

In the Clement & Desormes experiment, the expansion is quasi-adiabatic, as the heat transfer
from external source is very small (for the vessel is a good insulator of heat) and is neglected.
Thus the initial temperature is equal to the final temperature. The graph below (Fig. 3) visually
explains what happens in the experiment.

Fig. 3

Conclusion:

From the experimental results, it can be deduced that the specific heat ratio of air can be used as
an ideal-gas property.

Applications
1. The specific heat of a gas is important to the process modeler (the control engineers)for
industrial processes.

2. It also helps engineers better understand and design diesel or jet or any other engines whereby
adiabatic processes take place.

3. This research also eventually led others to invent the process of photography.
4. The specific heat ratio also helps engineers solve a number of problems encountered in
Thermodynamics (like for isentropic – quasi-static, adiabatic process, reversible – process).

Bibliography
Sargen-Welch Scientific Company, 2003, ‘Selective Experiments in Physics’, viewed 11
December 2010
http://sargentwelch.com/info.asp?ii=505

orca.phys.uvic.ca/~tatum/thermod/thermod8.pdf, viewed 13 December 2010

http://www.google.mu/search?q=clement+and+desormes+experiment&hl=en&client=firefox-
a&rls=org.mozilla:en-
US:official&channel=s&prmd=iv&ei=wqYETfv5Fo7m4galuMzRDA&start=0&sa=N,

Pearson. B, 2010,‘Clement and Desormes Experiment’, viewed 13 December 2010

http://blog.cencophysics.com/2010/02/clement-desormes-experiment/

Philip Thomas, 1999,‘Simulation of industrial processes for control engineers’, Butterworth-

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