PHYSICS

THERMODYNAMICS : THE SECOND LAW

INTRODUCTION
Thermodynamics can be defined as the science of energy. Although everybody
has a feeling of what energy is, it is difficult to give a precise definition for it. Energy can be
viewed as the ability to cause changes. The name thermodynamics stems from the Greek
words therme (heat) and dynamis (power), which is most descriptive of the early efforts to
convert heat into power. Today the same name is broadly interpreted to include all
aspects of energy and energy transformations, including power generation, refrigeration, and
relationships among the properties of matter.
Although the principles of thermodynamics have been in existence since the creation
of the universe, thermodynamics did not emerge as a science until the construction of the first
successful atmospheric steam engines in England by Thomas Savery in 1697 and Thomas
Newcomen in 1712. These engines were very slow and inefficient, but they opened the way
for the development of a new science.
The first and second laws of thermodynamics emerged simultaneously in the 1850s,
primarily out of the works of William Rankine, Rudolph Clausius, and Lord Kelvin (formerly
William Thomson). The term thermodynamics was first used in a publication by Lord Kelvin
in 1849. The first thermodynamic textbook was written in 1859 by William Rankine, a
professor at the University of Glasgow.







THERMODYNAMIC CONCEPTS
Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics



By replacing the third body with a thermometer, the zeroth law can be restated as two bodies
are in thermal equilibrium if both have the same temperature reading even if they are not in
contact. The zeroth law was first formulated and labeled by R. H. Fowler in 1931. As the
name suggests, its value as a fundamental physical principle was recognized more than half a
century after the formulation of the first and the second laws of thermodynamics. It was
named the zeroth law since it should have preceded the first and the second laws of
thermodynamics.

First Law of Thermodynamics



Implicit in the first law statement is the conservation of energy. Although the essence of the
first law is the existence of the property total energy, the first law is often viewed as a
statement of the conservation of energy principle.





If two bodies are in thermal equilibrium with a third body, they are also in
thermal equilibrium with each other.
Energy can be neither created nor destroyed during a process; it can
only change forms.
Second Law of Thermodynamics


The second law may be used to identify the direction of processes. It also asserts that energy
has quality as well as quantity. The second law provides the necessary means to determine the
quality as well as the degree of degradation of energy during a process.

Third Law of Thermodynamics

The third law of thermodynamics provides an absolute reference point for the determination
of entropy. The entropy determined relative to this point is called absolute entropy, and it is
extremely useful in the thermodynamic analysis of chemical reactions.













Processes proceed in a certain direction and not in the reverse direction
The entropy of a pure crystalline substance at absolute zero temperature is zero
CONCLUSION
Thermodynamics is important today because the people of the world consume 1.06
cubic miles of oil each year as an energy source for a wide variety of uses such as the engines
shown in Figures 1.1 and 1.2. Coal, gas, and nuclear energy provide additional energy,
equivalent to another 1.57 mi
3
of oil, making our total use of exhaustible energy sources equal
to 2.63 mi
3
of oil every year. We also use renewable energy from solar, biomass, wind (see
Figure 1.3), and hydroelectric, in amounts that are equivalent to an additional 0.37 mi
3
of oil
each year. This amounts to a total worldwide energy use equivalent to 3.00 mi
3
of oil each
year. If the world energy demand continues at its present rate to create the technologies of the
future (e.g., the Starships of Figure 1.4), we will need an energy supply equivalentto
consuming an astounding 270 mi
3
of oil by 2050 (90 times more that we currently use).
Where is all that energy going to come from? How are we going to use energy more
efficiently so that we do not need to use somuch? We address these and other questions in the
study of thermodynamics.
The study of energy is of fundamental importance to all fields of engineering. Energy,
like momentum, is a unique subject and has a direct impact on virtually all technologies. In
fact, things simply do not work without a flow of energy through them.


FIGURE 1.1
A cutaway of the Pratt & Whitney F-100 gas turbine engine.

FIGURE 1.2
Corvette engine.

FIGURE 1.3
Sustainable wind energy technology.

FIGURE 1.4
The Starship Enterprise in Star Trek.

REFERENCES
1. Yunus A. Cengel and Michael A. Boles, 2008, Thermodynamics : An Engineering
Approach, Mc-Graw Hill Higher Education
2. Robert T. Balmer, 2011, Modern Engineering Thermodynamics, Academic Press
Publications
3. Raymond A. Serway and Chris Vuille, 2011, College Physics (Ninth Edition) , Mc-
Graw Hill Higher Education