MEC 189.

2 Thermal Science

Chapter 3. Work and Heat

Ram Bdr. Ale

Ritz College of Engineering and
Management(PU)
Department of Civil Engineering
 Introduction
Energy is the capability to produce an effect and can be categorized into stored
energy and transient energy.
Stored or static Energy (K.E.,P.E., Internal Energy, Chemical, Nuclear):
Stored energy means energy not crossing the boundary of system.
Transient Energy (Heat, Work):
The forms of energy not stored in a system. These energies are recognized at the
system boundary as they cross it, and they represent the energy gained or lost by a
system during a process. The only two forms of transient energy are heat transfer
and work transfer and may be called energy interactions.

The change in internal energy of a system is equal to the heat added to the system
minus the work done by the system.
∆U= Q- W
Where, ∆U= change in internal energy and internal energy is defined as the
microscopic form of energy associated with molecular structure (binding forces)
and molecular activity( translation, rotation and vibration motion)
Q= Heat added to the system
W=work done by the system
 Work
In mechanics - work is said to be done on an object by a force when the body
displaces in the direction of force applied.

In thermodynamics – work is said to be done by a system if the sole effect on

things external to the system can be reduced to raising of a weight. Work transfer
between system and surrounding occurs due to the property difference other than
temperature.
Let us consider the battery and the motor as a system. The motor is driving a fan.
The system is doing work upon the surroundings.
 Work
For part B- as the motor turns, the weight is raised, and the sole effect external to
the system is the raising of a weight. So, for part A, work is crossing the boundary
of the system, because the sole effect external to the system could be the raising of a
weight.
For part C– The only limiting factor in having the sole external effect be the raising
of a weight is the inefficiency of the motor .
it can be concluded that when there is a flow of electricity across the boundary of a
system, it is work.
Salient aspects of Work
1) Work is energy in transit and can be identified only when the process is being
executed. Work doesn’t exist either before or after the interaction.
2) Work is boundary phenomenon; it is an interaction across the boundary.
3) Work is something which happens to a system but it is not the characteristics
of the system.
4) Being an inexact differential, work interaction is represented by δW instead of
dw. Further,
Sign Convention for Work
1) When work is done by a system, it is arbitrary taken to be positive.
2) When work is done on a system, it is taken to be negative
 Displacement Work for Quasi-static Process
It is kind of work done by a system due to its boundary movement.
Let, a system of piston-cylinder arrangement containing gas as shown in figure.
Let, the piston moves outward through a small distance dx (dx →0) during a small
interval dt. Since the piston moves through a infinitesimally small distance, the
pressure p acting on the face of piston can be assumed to remain constant. In this
case, the infinitesimal work done by the system,

Where, dV is infinitesimal volume swept by piston.

 Displacement Work for Quasi-static Process
If the piston moves through a finite distance, the work done by the piston can be
evaluated by integrating the above equation,

The integral can be evaluated and hence computation of work made only if the
relation between p and V of the path of the process is known. The area under p-V
diagram gives the magnitude of work for any reversible process.
Path and Point Functions and differentials
Inexact/imperfect differential: Represented by the symbol δ rather than d. Dependent
on the process as well as the initial and final states.
Path Function: Their magnitudes depend on the path followed during a process as
well as end states. E.g. work(W), Heat(Q), mass transfer, etc.
Point Function: They depend on the state only and not on how a system reaches that
state.
All thermodynamic properties (P,V,T) are point functions. For a given state, there is a
definite value for each property.
The differential of point functions are exact or perfect differentials and the
integration is simply,
 Heat
Heat is defined as the form of energy that is transferred across a boundary by virtue
of a temperature difference. And, the energy transfer by virtue of temperature
difference is called heat transfer (Q-Joules).

Sign Convention of Heat

1) Heat flow into a system is taken as positive.
2) Heat flow out of a system is taken negative.

Comparison between Heat and Work

Similarities
1) Both are path functions and inexact differentials.
2) Both are boundary phenomenon: only observed when energy crosses the
boundary of the system.
3) Both are transient; both cannot be stored. So, it is wrong to say heat and work
of system.
4) Concept of heat and work are not associated with a ‘store’ but with a
‘process’.
 Comparison between Heat and Work
Dissimilarities
1) Driving force for heat is temperature difference and driving force for work is
other than temperature.
2) There cannot be work transfer in stable system. No such restriction exists for
heat interactions.
3) Sole effect external to the system could be reduced to the raising of mass
against gravitation force incase of work. However, during heat transfer other
effects are also seen.
4) Heat is low grade energy but work is high grade energy.

A form of energy is called high grade energy as per the ease of its conversion to
other forms of energy. And low grade energy is that which is difficult to convert to
other forms of energy.
As such work is known to being able to completely be turned into heat and other
forms of energy but heat cannot be converted to work completely. For example in a
generator the work done can be converted into electrical energy with high
efficiency but a thermal power plant has efficiencies as low as 30%.
 Displacement Work in Various Process
1. Isobaric or Isopiestic Process ( P=Constant)

2. Isothermal or Hyperbolic Process ( T= Constant)

 Displacement Work in Various Process
3. Isochoric ( V=Constant)

4. Polytropic Process (Polytropic index=n where, 0≤n≤∞)

 Assignments
1) Define internal energy and total energy of a system.
2) Differentiate between the stored energy and transient energy
with examples.
3) Define state function and path functions with examples.
4) Mention about the sign convention for heat transfer and work
transfer and discuss the comparison between heat transfer and
work transfer.
5) Derive the expression for displacement work transfer for
isochoric, isothermal and isobaric process.
6) Define polytropic process. Sketch polytropic process with
n=0.n=1, n=1.4 and n=infinity on a common p-V diagram.