WORK TRANSFER

1. A certain gas obeys the molar equation of state 𝑃(𝑉 2 − 𝑏) = 𝑅𝑇 where R is the universal
gas constant, and b is a constant. Derive an expression for the work obtained from a
reversible, isothermal expansion of one mole of this gas from an initial volume 𝑉𝑖 to a final
volume 𝑉𝑓 .

2. Figure 1 shows the relation of pressure to volume for a closed PVT system during a reversible
process. Calculate the work done by the system for each for the three steps 12, 23 and 31,
and for the entire process 1231.

80 1
70

60

50
P [kPa]

40

30

20
3 2
10

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
V[m^3]

Figure 1

3. A piston-cylinder device with air at an inicial temperature of 303 K undergoes an expansión

process for wich pressure and volumen are related as given below:

P (bar) 1.0 0.379 0.144 0.081

V (m3) 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.6

Calculate the work done by the system.

4. A process for which the pressure and volumen are related by PVn=c, where n and c are
constants, is called a polytropic process. The work for a polytropic process can be expressed
as:
𝑃2 𝑉2 − 𝑃1 𝑉1
𝑊=
1−𝑛
Determine this equation.
5. Durante un proceso de expansión la presión de un gas cambia de 15 a 100 psia según la
relación 𝑃 = 𝑎𝑉 + 𝑏, donde 𝑎 = 5 𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑎/𝑓𝑡 3 y b es una constante. Si el volumen inicial del
gas es 7 ft2. Calcule el trabajo realizado durante el proceso.