ME 1121

FUNDAMENTALS OF MECHANICAL 
ENGINEERING 

FIRST LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS

DR. ABDULLAH AL­FARUK
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
KHULNA UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY 
FIRST LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS
o In previous chapter, various forms of energy and energy interactions (e.g. heat Q, work W) are
studied individually.
o The first law of thermodynamics, also known as the conservation of energy principle, provides a
sound basis for studying the relationships among the various forms of energy.
o Based on experimental observations, first law states that energy can be neither created nor destroyed

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
during a process; it can only change forms. The law asserts that energy is a thermodynamic property.
o During an interaction, energy can change from one form to another but the total amount of energy
remains constant. Therefore, every bit of energy should be accounted for during a process.

Decrease in
PE exactly
equals the
increase in
KE when air
resistance is Increase in the energy of a
negligible potato in an oven is equal to the Conservation of energy
amount of heat transferred to it principle for the human body 2
FIRST LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS
o The net change (increase or decrease) in total energy of a system during a process is equal to the
difference between the total energy entering and the total energy leaving the system during that
process:

o The determination of the energy change of a system during a process involves the evaluation of the

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
energy of the system at the beginning and at the end of the process, and taking their difference:

o The change in the total energy of a system during a process is the sum of the changes in its internal,
kinetic, and potential energies and can be expressed as

o Mass flow in and out of a system serves as an additional mechanism of energy. Thus energy can be
transferred in forms of heat, work, and mass. The energy balance can be written more explicitly as

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FIRST LAW FOR CLOSED SYSTEM
o A closed system does not involve any mass flow across its boundaries. Hence, the energy balance
relation (equation 1) can be expressed in terms of heat and work:

o Assumed that energy enters in a system as heat and leave the system as work like in the heat engine.
Obtaining a negative quantity for Q or W simply means that the assumed direction for that quantity

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
is wrong and should be reversed.

o The equation can be simply written as

 This is the first law of thermodynamics for a closed system undergoing a change of state.
 If a system undergoes a change of state during which both heat and work are involved, the net
energy transfer will be stored or accumulated within the system.
 The above expression does not give a absolute value of total energy E, but only the change of
energy for the process. However, energy has a definite value at every state of a system is
therefore a property of the system and thus a point function.
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FIRST LAW FOR CLOSED SYSTEM
o Neglecting other forms of energy, the total energy E is sum of kinetic, potential, and internal energy:

o In the absence of motion and gravity, the total energy, . The first law for a closed system undergoing
a change of state becomes

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
o In differential forms, the first law for a closed system undergoing a change of state can be written as

where, considering the different forms of work transfer which may be present.
o Heat and work are path function which have inexact () differentials: , but internal energy are point
functions that have exact (d) differentials:
o When only the boundary/displacement work is present, the equation becomes
o In the integral form, assuming that the system changing state from 1 to 2 by a process.

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FIRST LAW FOR CLOSED SYSTEM
o For a closed system undergoing a cycle, the initial and final states are identical. Thus, for a same
state, the total energy E is constant which reduces the energy balance relation (equation 2) as

 This is the first law of thermodynamics for a cycle.

 Algebraic summation of all energy transfer across the system boundary is zero during a cycle.

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
 In other word, the net work output during a cycle is equal to net heat input.
 When any closed system is taken through a cycle, the net work delivered to the surroundings is
proportional to the net heat taken from the surrounding. Alternatively, the net work done on the
system is proportional to the net heat delivered to the surrounding.

FIRST LAW FOR ISOLATED SYSTEM
o An isolated system is one in which there is no interaction of the system with the surroundings. For
an isolated system, . The first law gives

 The energy of an isolated system is always constant.

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FIRST LAW IN ADIABATIC PROCESS
o Consider a system undergoing a series of adiabatic processes from a specified state to another
specified state. Being adiabatic, these processes obviously cannot involve any heat transfer, but they
may involve several kinds of work interactions.
o In general, the amount of work done is different for different process between two specified states.
However, careful measurements during the experiments indicate that

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
For all adiabatic processes between two specified states of a closed system, the net work done is
the same regardless of the nature of the closed system and the details of the process.

Electrical work done on an adiabatic system is Shaft work done on an adiabatic system is equal
equal to the increase in the energy of the system to the increase in the energy of the system
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FIRST LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS
o If we take the entire room-including the air and the refrigerator (or fan)-as the system, is an adiabatic
closed system since the room is well-sealed and well-insulated, the only energy interaction involved
is the electrical energy crossing the system boundary and entering the room.

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
A fan running
in a well-
sealed and
well-insulated
room will raise
the
temperature of
air in the room
A refrigerator operating with its door open
in a well-sealed and well-insulated room

o What is the change in the average temperature of the room?

o As a result of the conversion of electric energy consumed by the device to heat, the room
temperature will rise. 8
INTERNAL ENERGY – A PROPERTY OF SYSTEM
o Consider a system change its state from state 1 to 2 by following path A, and return from state 2 to 1
by following path B and C.
o Writing the first law for path A:

o For path B:

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
o The process A and B together constitute a cycle for which

o Similarly, had the system return from state 2 to 1 by following path C instead of path B

o Combining the above equations yields

o Therefore, the change in energy between the two states of a system is the same, whatever path the system
may follow in undergoing that change of state.
o Energy has a definite value for every state of the system and it depends on initial and final states: that’s
why it is a point function and a property of the system. However, energy transfer (heat and work) that
causes the state change of the system are path function. 9
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
A rigid tank contains a hot fluid that is cooled while being stirred by a paddle wheel. Initially, the internal energy
of the fluid is 800 kJ. During the cooling process, the fluid loses 500 kJ of heat, and the paddle wheel does 100 kJ
of work on the fluid. Determine the final internal energy of the fluid. Neglect the energy stored in the paddle
wheel.

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
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ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
A fan that consumes 20 W of electric power when operating is claimed to discharge air from a ventilated room at
a rate of 1.0 kg/s at a discharge velocity of 8 m/s. Determine if this claim is reasonable.

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
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ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
o
When a system is taken from state a to b in figure, along path acb, 84 kJ of heat flow into the system, and the
system does 32 kJ of work. (a) How much will the heat that flows into the system along path adb be, if the work
done is 10.5 kJ? (b) When the system is returned from b to a along the curved path, the work done on the system
is 21 kJ. Does the system absorb or liberate heat, and how much of the heat is absorbed or liberated? (c) If and ,
find the heat absorbed in the process ad and db.

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
Solution:

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ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
o

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
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HOME­WORK PROBLEM
o
1) Four-tenths kilogram of a certain gas is contained within a piston–cylinder assembly. The gas
undergoes a process for which the pressure–volume relationship is

The initial pressure is 3 bar, the initial volume is 0.1 , and the final volume is 0.2 . The change in
specific internal energy of the gas in the process is . There are no significant changes in kinetic or

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
potential energy. Determine the net heat transfer for the process, in kJ.
2) Air is contained in a vertical piston–cylinder assembly fitted with an electrical resistor. The
atmosphere exerts a pressure of 14.7 lbf/in.2 on the top of the piston, which has a mass of 100 lb
and a face area of 1 ft2. Electric current passes through the resistor, and the volume of the air
slowly increases by 1.6 ft3 while its pressure remains constant. The mass of the air is 0.6 lb, and its
specific internal energy increases by 18 Btu/lb. The air and piston are at rest initially and finally.
The piston–cylinder material is a ceramic composite and thus a good insulator. Friction between
the piston and cylinder wall can be ignored, and the local acceleration of gravity is g 5 32.0 ft/s2.
Determine the heat transfer from the resistor to the air, in Btu, for a system consisting of (a) the air
alone, (b) the air and the piston.

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SPECIFIC HEAT AND ENTHALPY
o The latent heat is the amount of heat transfer required to cause a phase change in unit mass of a
substance at a constant pressure and temperature.
o The specific heat of a substance is defined as the amount of heat required to raise a unit mass of the
substance through a unit rise in temperature.

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
where Q is the amount of heat transfer, m mass of the substance, rise in temperature.
o The product of mass and specific heat (mc) is called the heat capacity of the substance.
o In thermodynamics, two kinds of specific heats are specific heat at constant volume and specific heat
at constant pressure.
o Specific heat at constant volume, is defined as the rate of change of specific internal energy with
respect to temperature when the volume held constant.

o For a constant volume process

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SPECIFIC HEAT AND ENTHALPY
o The first law for a process in closed stationary system of unit mass with displacement work is

o When the volume is constant , the first law becomes

o Therefore, combing the above equations

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
o Heat transferred at constant volume increases the internal energy of the system. Since u, T, v are
properties, is a property of the system also.
o At constant pressure, the first law can be written as (from equation 4)

where the combination is defined as the specific enthalpy, h of a substance per unit mass . It is an
intensive property of a system. The internal energy change is equal to the heat transferred in a
constant pressure process involving no work other than .
o For an ideal gas, the enthalpy becomes
o Since internal energy of an ideal gas depends only on the temperature, the enthalpy of an ideal gas
also depends on the temperature only.
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SPECIFIC HEAT AND ENTHALPY
o Specific heat at constant pressure, is defined as the rate of change of specific internal energy with
respect to temperature when the pressure held constant.

o For a constant pressure process,

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
o Using the definition of enthalpy after differentiation

o For constant pressure process , hence

o Therefore, combining the equations yield

o Heat transferred at constant pressure increases the enthalpy of the system. Since u, T, v are properties,
is a property of the system also.

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 First Law Applied to 
Steady Flow Processes
STEADY FLOW PROCESSES
o Most engineering devices operate under the same conditions for long periods of time and there
is a constant rate of mass and energy flow through the control surfaces.
o In the course of time, the control volume attains a steady state and these devices are classified
as steady-flow devices (For example, turbines, pumps, boilers, condensers, and heat exchangers
or power plants etc.)

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
o In steady-flow process, the mass and energy within the control volume would not change with
time.

Under steady-flow conditions,

During a steady-flow process, fluid properties within the the mass and energy contents of a
control volume may change with position but not with time control volume remain constant

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CONSERVATION OF MASS 
o Heat, work and mass can cross the system boundaries of a control volume, and so we must keep
track of the amount of mass entering and leaving the control volume.

Control
volumes is an

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
arbitrary
volume (open
system) in
space through
Mass is conserved even
which fluid
mass flows
during chemical reactions

o Like energy, mass is a conserved property, and it cannot be created nor destroyed during a process.
o Mass m and energy E can be converted to each other according to the well-known formula proposed
by Albert Einstein

where c is the speed of light in a vacuum, c = 2.9979 × 108 m/s.

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CONSERVATION OF MASS
o The conservation of mass principle for the control volume
The net mass transfer to or from a control volume during a time
interval is equal to the net change (increase or decrease) in the total
mass within the control volume.

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
o During a steady flow process, the total amount of mass contained within
a control volume does not change with time ()
o Then the conservation of mass principle requires that
The total amount of mass entering a control volume equal the total
amount of mass leaving it
o For a general steady flow system with multiple inlets and outlets is

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FLOW WORK
o Unlike closed systems, some additional work is required to push the
mass into or out of a control volume. This work is known as the flow
work, or flow energy, and is necessary for maintaining a continuous
flow through a control volume.
o Consider a fluid element of volume to enter the control volume. The

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
fluid immediately upstream forces the fluid element; thus, it can be
regarded as an imaginary piston.
o If the fluid pressure is P and the cross-sectional area of the fluid
element is A, the force applied on the fluid element by the imaginary
Schematic for flow work
piston is

o The flow work done in pushing the fluid element across the boundary
into the control volume is

Force applied on a fluid by a

o The flow work relation is the same whether the fluid is pushed into or piston is equal to the force applied
out of the control volume. on the piston by the fluid
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FIRST LAW FOR A CONTROL VOLUME
o The fluid mass flowing across the control surface (boundary) enters or leaves with an amount of
energy per unit mass as

o The fluid entering or leaving a control volume possesses an additional form of energy - the flow
energy . Then the total energy of a flowing fluid on a unit-mass basis becomes

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
where the combination has been previously defined as the enthalpy h.
o By using the enthalpy instead of the internal energy to represent the energy of a flowing fluid, one
does not need to be concerned about the flow work.
o Noting that is total energy per unit mass, the total energy of a flowing fluid of mass m is simply ,
provided that the properties of the mass m are uniform

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FIRST LAW FOR A CONTROL VOLUME
o When a fluid stream with uniform properties is
flowing at a mass flow rate of , the rate of energy
flow with that stream is

o First law for a fixed quantity of mass (closed

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
system) may be written as

o As an instantaneous rate equation

o Consider a control volume that involves the rate of

heat transfer, rates of work, and mass flows.
o Extending the first law for the control volume

Schematic diagram illustrating terms in the energy

equation for a general control volume 24
FIRST LAW FOR A CONTROL VOLUME
o Substitution of flow work gives

where the rate of work,is the sum of all shaft work terms and boundary work terms and any other
types of work given out by the control volume.

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
o For several entering or leaving mass flow rates, the first law of thermodynamics becomes

o For steady flow processes, the energy rate balance equation becomes

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SOME STEADY FLOW ENGINEERING DEVICES
o Write the steady flow energy equation for the following devices:
1. Nozzles and Diffusers
2. Turbines and Compressors
3. Throttling vales
4. Mixing chambers

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
5. Heat exchangers
o Self Study

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
27

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Dr. Abdullah Al-
28

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Equivalence of Kelvin – Planck and Clausius statements:
Continue……
Continue……
Continue……
 Reversible and Irreversible process
Reversible process: A reversible process is one which is performed
in such a way that at the conclusion of the process, both the system
and the surrounding may be restored to their initial states, without
producing any changes in the rest of the universe.
 A reversible process carried out
infinitely slowly with an
infinitesimal gradient, so that
every state pass through by the
system is an equilibrium state.

 Reversible process so coincides

with a quasi static process.

 Any natural process carried out

with a finite gradient is an
irreversible process.
 Cause of Irreversibility
The irreversibility of a process may be due to either one or both of
the following:
 Lack of equilibrium during the process

i. Heat transfer through a finite temperature

difference.
ii. Lack of Pressure equilibrium within the interior of
the system or between the system and the
surrounding.
iii. Free expansion

 Involvement of dissipative effect

i. Friction
ii. Paddle-Wheel work transfer
iii. Transfer of electricity through a resistor
 Conditions for reversibility
A process will be reversible when it is performed in such a way that the system is at
all times infinitesimally near a state of thermodynamic equilibrium and in the
absence of dissipative effect of any form.

Reversible process are, therefore, purely ideal, limiting cases of actual process.
Some example of nearly reversible process:
 Frictionless relative motion.
 Expansion and compression of spring.
 Frictionless adiabatic expansion or compression of fluid.
 Polytropic expansion or compression of fluid.
 Isothermal expansion or compression
 Electrolysis.

Example of irreversible process:

 Relative motion with friction.
 Diffusion.
 Throttling.
 Heat transfer.
 Combustion
 Free expansion
 Electricity flow through a resistance
 Plastic deformation
 Carnot’s Theorem or Corollary II of second law
It states that all heat engines operating between a given constant
temperature source and a given constant temperature sink, none has
higher a higher efficiency than a reversible engine.

Reversi
Irreversibl ble
e
Corollary of Carnot’s Theorem or Corollary III of
second law

All reversible engines operating between the same two

reservoirs have the same efficiency.
 Corollary IV of second law

A scale of temperature can be defined which is independent of

any particular thermodynamics substance, and which provides
an absolute zero temperature.

Source T1

Sink T2
 Third law of thermodynamics

It is impossible by any procedure, no matter how idealized, to

reduced any system to the absolute zero temperature in a finite
number of operations.
Two reversible adiabatic paths cannot intersect each
other
Clausius’ Theorem
Clausius’ Theorem
The property of Entropy
How can we determine entropy of irreversible path
Entropy is a thermodynamic
properties which remain
constant during the reversible
adiabatic process.
The Inequality of Clausius
Entropy Principle
Entropy of universe is increasing or decreasing?