University of Misan/ College of

Engineering
THERMODYNAMICS
PETROLEUM ENGINEERING DEPT.
2ND YEAR
REVERSIBLE AND IRREVERSIBLE
PROCESSES
Course leader: Dr. Qudama Al-Yasiri
Reversible and Irreversible Processes
The reversible process (also sometimes known as quasi-static process) is one that
can be stopped at any stage and reversed so that the system and surroundings are
exactly restored to their initial states.
This process has the following characteristics:
1. It must pass through the same states on the reversed path as were initially
visited on the forward path.
2. This process when undone will leave no history of events in the surroundings.
3. It must pass through a continuous series of equilibrium states.

* No real process is truly reversible but some processes may approach reversibility,
to a close approximation.
Examples: Some examples of nearly reversible processes are :
(i) Frictionless relative motion; (ii) Expansion and compression of spring;
(iii) Frictionless adiabatic expansion or compression of fluid; (iv) Polytropic
expansion or compression of fluid; (v) Isothermal expansion or compression.
Irreversible process: The irreversibility is the characteristics of the system that
forbids the system from retracing the same path upon reversal of the factors causing
the state change
Examples: (i) Relative motion with friction; (ii) Combustion (iii) Diffusion;
(iv) Free expansion; (v) Throttling ; (vi) Electricity flow through a resistance;
(vii) Heat transfer; (viii) Plastic deformation.

An irreversible process is usually represented

by a dotted (or discontinuous) line joining the
end states to indicate that the intermediate states
are indeterminate within the working fluid.
Concept of Work to a Thermodynamic System:
Different types of thermodynamic processes are detailed below.
(i) Constant pressure process (or isobaric process): It refers to the
thermodynamic process in which there is no change in pressure during the process.

(ii) Constant volume process (or isochoric process):

When a fluid undergoes a thermodynamic process in a fixed enclosed space such
that the process occurs at constant volume, then the process is called constant
volume process or isochoric process.
(iii) Constant temperature process (or isothermal process): A thermodynamic
process in which the temperature remains constant is called constant temperature or
isothermal process. For ideal gas non flow equation
(iv) Adiabatic process: An adiabatic process is the thermodynamic process
in which there is no heat interaction during the process. During the process, Q = 0.
(h2 – h1)
Specific heat
It is usually defined as the heat required to raise the unit mass of a substance through
a one-degree rise in temperature.
For small quantity we have:
 Specific heat ratio
(adiabatic process index)
=Q
Example 5: An oxygen cylinder has a capacity of 300 l contains Oxygen at 3.1 Mpa
and 18 ºC. The valve is open, and some gas is used. If the pressure and temperature
of the oxygen drop to 1.7 MPa and 15 °C respectively. Find the mass of oxygen
used. If after the valve is closed, the oxygen remains and the cylinder gradually
attains its initial temperature of 18 ºC. Take M for Oxygen as 32.

Constant volume process

Example 6:

Use A-5 to find R, Cv and y

Example 7: