Reversible process (thermodynamics)

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For other forms of reversibility, see reversibility (disambiguation).
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In thermodynamics, a reversible process is a process whose direction can be
reversed to return the system to its original state by inducing infinitesimal
changes to some property of the system's surroundings.[1] [2] Throughout the entire
reversible process, the system is in thermodynamic equilibrium with its
surroundings. Having been reversed, it leaves no change in either the system or the
surroundings. Since it would take an infinite amount of time for the reversible
process to finish, perfectly reversible processes are impossible. However, if the
system undergoing the changes responds much faster than the applied change, the
deviation from reversibility may be negligible. In a reversible cycle, a cyclical
reversible process, the system and its surroundings will be returned to their
original states if one half cycle is followed by the other half cycle.[3]

Contents
1 Overview
2 Irreversibility
3 Boundaries and states
4 Engineering archaisms
5 See also
6 References
Overview
Thermodynamic processes can be carried out in one of two ways: reversibly or
irreversibly. Reversibility means the reaction operates continuously at
quasiequilibrium. In an ideal thermodynamically reversible process, the energy from
work performed by or on the system would be maximized, and that from heat would be
zero. However, heat cannot fully be converted to work and will always be lost to
some degree (to the surroundings). (This is true only in case of a cycle. In case
of an ideal process, heat can be completely converted into work, e.g., isothermal
expansion of an ideal gas in a piston–cylinder arrangement.) The phenomenon of
maximized work and minimized heat can be visualized on a pressure–volume diagram as
the area beneath the equilibrium curve, representing work done. In order to
maximize work, one must follow the equilibrium curve precisely.

Irreversible processes, on the other hand, are a result of straying away from the
curve, therefore decreasing the amount of overall work done; an irreversible
process can be described as a thermodynamic process that departs from equilibrium.
Irreversibility is defined as the difference between the reversible work and the
actual work for a process. When described in terms of pressure and volume, it
occurs when the pressure (or the volume) of a system changes so dramatically and
instantaneously that the volume (or the pressure) does not have time to reach
equilibrium. A classic example of irreversibility is allowing a certain volume of
gas to be released into a vacuum. By releasing pressure on a sample and thus
allowing it to occupy a large space, the system and surroundings are not in
equilibrium during the expansion process and there is little work done. However,
significant work will be required, with a corresponding amount of energy dissipated
as heat flow to the environment, in order to reverse the process (compressing the
gas back to its original volume and temperature).[4]

An alternative definition of a reversible process is a process that, after it has

taken place, can be reversed and, when reversed, returns the system and its
surroundings to their initial states. In thermodynamic terms, a process "taking
place" would refer to its transition from one state to another.

Irreversibility
In an irreversible process, finite changes are made; therefore the system is not at
equilibrium throughout the process. At the same point in an irreversible cycle, the
system will be in the same state, but the surroundings are permanently changed
after each cycle.[3] It is the difference between the reversible work and the
actual work for a process as shown in the following equation : I = Wrev − Wa

Reversible adiabatic process: The state on the left can be reached from the state
on the right as well as vice versa without exchanging heat with the environment.
Boundaries and states
A reversible process changes the state of a system in such a way that the net
change in the combined entropy of the system and its surroundings is zero.
Reversible processes define the boundaries of how efficient heat engines can be in
thermodynamics and engineering: a reversible process is one where no heat is lost
from the system as "waste", and the machine is thus as efficient as it can possibly
be (see Carnot cycle).

In some cases, it is important to distinguish between reversible and quasistatic

processes. Reversible processes are always quasistatic, but the converse is not
always true.[2] For example, an infinitesimal compression of a gas in a cylinder
where there exists friction between the piston and the cylinder is a quasistatic,
but not reversible process.[5] Although the system has been driven from its
equilibrium state by only an infinitesimal amount, heat has been irreversibly lost
due to friction, and cannot be recovered by simply moving the piston
infinitesimally in the opposite direction.

Engineering archaisms
Historically, the term Tesla principle was used to describe (amongst other things)
certain reversible processes invented by Nikola Tesla.[6] However, this phrase is
no longer in conventional use. The principle stated that some systems could be
reversed and operated in a complementary manner. It was developed during Tesla's
research in alternating currents where the current's magnitude and direction varied
cyclically. During a demonstration of the Tesla turbine, the disks revolved and
machinery fastened to the shaft was operated by the engine. If the turbine's
operation was reversed, the disks acted as a pump.[7]

See also
Time reversibility
Carnot cycle
Entropy production
Toffoli gate
Time evolution
Quantum circuit
Reversible computing
Maxwell's demon
Stirling engine
References
McGovern, Judith (17 March 2020). "Reversible processes". PHYS20352 Thermal and
Statistical Physics. University of Manchester. Retrieved 2 November 2020. This is
the hallmark of a reversible process: an infinitesimal change in the external
conditions reverses the direction of the change.
Sears, F.W. and Salinger, G.L. (1986), Thermodynamics, Kinetic Theory, and
Statistical Thermodynamics, 3rd edition (Addison-Wesley.)
Zumdahl, Steven S. (2005) "10.2 The Isothermal Expansion and Compression of an
Ideal Gas." Chemical Principles. 5th Edition. (Houghton Mifflin Company)
Lower, S. (2003) Entropy Rules! What is Entropy? Entropy
Giancoli, D.C. (2000), Physics for Scientists and Engineers (with Modern Physics),
3rd edition (Prentice-Hall.)
Electrical Experimenter, January 1919. p. 615. [1]
"Tesla's New Monarch of Machines". The New York Herald Tribune. Tesla Engine
Builders Association. Oct 15, 1911. Archived from the original on September 28,
2011.
Categories: Thermodynamic processes
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