Module 1 Introductory Concepts, Definition, and Units

Course topic The Concept of Thermodynamics

Basic Definitions and Their Units
Time allotment: 3 TH
Course objectives: By the end of the Expected outputs:
lesson, the students will be able to: Problem set
1. understand the basic concepts and
terms in thermodynamics; and
2. determine the units used for each
terms.

The Concept of Thermodynamics

 The term Thermodynamics comes from the Greek words therme, meaning heat,
and dynamics meaning force or power.
 Thermodynamics may be defined as an engineering science, primarily concerned
with heat and work conversions. Such conversions are deemed necessary in the
study of heat engines and other devices that are used to provide useful work or
power by absorbing heat from a high temperature source.
 Example of these energy conversion processes occur in internal combustion
engines, power plants and fuel cells.

The link below will show how does the energy conversion processes occur in
internal combustion engines.

 The works of Count Rumford in 1798, Sir Humpry Davy in 1799 and James
Prescott Joule in 1840 finally led to the understanding that heat and work are
energy forms.
 Later, it was recognized that energy had other forms, so that the scope of
thermodynamics was expanded to study energy in all forms including the laws,
which govern the transfer and transformation of energy and its results.

Basic Definitions

1. Dimensions and Units

A dimension is given to a physical quantity.
Examples: area, force, length, mass, time, velocity, volume, weight

A unit is a specific standard or measure of a dimension.

Examples: meter, square meter, second, minute, hour
2. System and Surroundings
A system is any collection of matter or region or space selected for analysis. The
system must be enclosed by a prescribed boundary which may be rigid or elastic; it may
even be imaginary.
Everything outside the system boundary is known as the surroundings.

3. Kinds of Thermodynamics System

a. Closed system or Fixed Mass System is one whose boundary does not permit the
exchange of matter with the surroundings but allow the exchange of energy.

b. Open system is a thermodynamic system whose boundary allows the exchange of

both matter and energy with the surrounding.
 c. Isolated system is one whose boundary does not allow the exchange of either matter
or energy with the surroundings.

4. Properties
A property is a system’s distinguishing characteristic, of which there are two types, the
extensive and the intensive.

 An extensive property is one that depends on the size and extent of the system,
and whose value is equal to the sum of the values of the parts of the system.

Examples: mass, total volume

 An intensive property is independent of the size of the system and has the same
value for all parts of a homogeneous system.

Examples: temperature, pressure

5. Phase and Pure Substance

 A phase of a substance is a given quantity of matter that is physically and
chemically homogeneous throughout

 A pure substance is one that has a uniform and invariable chemical composition.
A pure substance may exist in several phases but its chemical composition must
be homogeneous in each phase.

6. State, Process, and Equilibrium State

 A state of a system is its condition as described by its properties.
 A process is the transformation a system undergoes when it changes from one
state to another.
 An equilibrium state for a system exists when all its properties remain constant
once it is isolated from its surroundings, that is, its property do not change with
time.
7. Systems of Units

Physical Quantity Unit SI Symbol

Length meter m
Mass kilogram kg
Time second sec
Electric Current Ampere A
Thermodynamic Temperature Kelvin K
Luminous Intensity candela cd
Amount of Substance mole mol

8. Basic Definitions and Their Units

 Mass is the absolute quantity of matter in a body.

m: kg

 Acceleration is the change of velocity per unit time.

a: m/sec2

 Force is the quantity required to produce acceleration of a given mass.

F:N

 Weight is the gravitational force that the earth exerts on a body.

W: kg∙m/sec2

 Momentum is the product of mass of a system and its velocity.

M : kg∙m/sec

 Density is the mass per unit volume.

𝝆 (𝒓𝒉𝒐): kg/m3

 Specific Volume is the volume per unit mass

ᶹ (nu) : m /kg
3

 Specific Weight is the weight per unit volume.

𝜸 (𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑚𝑎): N/m3

 Relative Density or Specific Gravity is the ratio of the mass of a substance to the
mass of an equal volume of a substance taken as standard.
Module 1 Introductory Concepts, Definition, and Units

Basic Definitions and Their Units (continuation)

9. Archimede’s Principle

 States that “ when a body is immersed in a fluid, the fluid exerts a buoyant
(upward) force on the body whose magnitude is equal to the weight of the
diplaced fluid”
 Since there is no horizontal pressure gradient, the net force on the body is
the difference of its weight and the buoyant force exerted by the fluid.
 Also, since the weight is directly proportional to density, a body will float in a fluid
if its average density is less than that of the fluid in which it is immersed.

10. Pressure and Pressure Scales

Pressure is the normal force acting on a unit area.

𝑝=𝐹
𝐴

 Atmospheric Pressure (patm)

 Atmospheric pressure is the pressure exerted by the atmosphere on
any surface it comes in contact with.
 Barometer is the instrument used to measure the atmospheric
pressure, that atmospheric pressure is also called barometric
pressure.

Standard Atmospheric Pressure Values

101.325 kPa 760 000 𝜇 (microns)
1.01325 bar 760 torr

760mm Hg 1013 247 microbar

14.7 psi 1.0332 kg/cm2

29.92 inHg 10.1325 dyne/cm2

 Gage Pressure (pgage)
 Gage pressure is the intensity of pressure measured above or
below atmospheric.
 Instrument used to measure the gage pressures is called pressure gage,
and this instrument register a zero reading when open to the atmosphere.
 If the gage pressure is below atmospheric, this represents a vacuum and
its gage value is negative.
 A very low absolute pressure is designated as a high vacuum, wile
a perfect vacuum corresponds to an absolute zero pressure.

(a
)
+pgage
Atmospheric
pressure

(-)pgage negative or pvac pabs

(b)

pabs
Absolute Zero Pressure

 Absolute Pressure (pabs)

 Absolute pressure is the intensity of pressure measured above
the absolute zero

pabs = pgage + patm

11. Pressure variation with Depth of Fluid

patm
The total pressure (p) at the bottom, is equal to the
effect of the atmospheric pressure plus the pressure
exerted by the fluid weight with specific weight ( 𝜸 ) and
height (h).
h

p = patm + 𝜸𝒉

p - patm = 𝜸𝒉 𝜸 = 𝝆𝒈
p - patm = 𝝆𝒈𝒉

∆𝒑 = 𝝆𝒈𝒉
If two points are to be considered , the following general equation may be applied:
𝒑𝟐 – 𝒑𝟏 = −𝝆𝒈(𝒉𝟐 − 𝒉 𝟏 )

12. Temperature

 Temperature (T), is a property that indicates the average kinetic energy of the
molecules of a system, this energy exists due to the rotational, vibrational, and
translational motions of a system’s molecules.

13. Zeroth’s Law of termodynamics

 Zeroth’s Law of Thermodynamics states that “two systems which are equal in
temperature with a third system are equal in temperature with each other.”

14. Temperature Scales

 For engineering and scientific purposes, numerical values of a system’s

temperature must be designated precisely with reference to some scale.
Universal reference points used are the ice and steam points of water at
one atmosphere.
 The Thermodynamics temperature which is the fundamental
measure of temperature uses two reference points:

1. Triple point water – the point at which the three phases of waters
(solid, liquid, and vapor) coexist in equilibrium ( 0.01 oC )

2. Absolute zero – the point at which absolute pressure of an ideal gas is

zero ( - 273.15oC ) or ( 459.67o below 0oF )

 Absolute temperature in Fahrenheit scale is called Rankine (oR)

 Absolute temperature in Celsius scale is called Kelvin (K).

Temperature (oR) = Temperature ( oF) + 459.67

oR
≈ ℉ + 460

Temperature (oC) = Temperature ( oC) + 273.15

K ≈ ℃ + 273