Mech. Eng.

Sci 5
ThermoFluid B58EE

Thermodynamics Lecture 9
Ideal/perfect Gases and properties

Baixin Chen
E Mail b.chen@hw.ac.uk
Phone No. 451 4305
Room 1.22 James Nasmyth Building
 Recap
• Non-flow energy equation
– Introduced a new property: enthalpy
• Pure substance
• Properties of Water/steam
– phase diagrams; Tables; Interpolation
– Application of Non-flow energy equation
Today
• Review ideal/perfect gases
• Properties of Ideal/perfect gases

Ref: pages 39 – 47, Applied Thermodynamics by Eastop & McConkey, 5th

Edition
9-0: The Non flow energy equation (NFEE)
• NFEE
∑Qi + ∑Wk = U2 – U1 (Extensive)
δQ + δ W = dU (Differential & Extensive)
δq + δ w = du (Differential & intensive)
Conservation of mass for closed system:
m = constant , then we have:
Q = mq; W= mw; U = mu
 W: Moving boundary work (closed system), which is processes
dependent, v2

w    p(v)dv
v1

U: Internal energy, a Thermodynamic property of substances,

which can be estimated, for Water/steam, by using Steam tables, while,

How about gases? Today’s topic

 9-0 b: Model of Ideal/Perfect Gas
(D. Bernoulli, 1738; L. Boltzmann, 1871)
Ideal/perfect Gas is a theoretical gas that meets the
following assumptions:
Assumptions or conditions for
perfect gas:
1) Volume of gas particles
(molecules or atoms)
approaches to zero
2) No interactions among gas
particles
3) The collisions of gas particles
with the walls of the container
● :the molecules; Walls of container
holding them are perfectly
elastic
 9-0 c: Steam as an Ideal/perfect Gas

v table  v ideal
 %
v table

If ε < 1.0%, the

behaviour of steam is
more likely that of
perfect gases

Using the steam table and EOS of ideal gas, check it again.
 9-1, Ideal Gases: Originals
*Boyle's law (1662, Exp at T= const): **Charles's law (1787, Exp at P=const):
(or Boyle-Mariotte’s Law)

pV = constant V/T = constant

Combined by Émile Clapeyron (1834)

The ideal gas law: pVm = RmT [Eq. 9-1]

where:
Rm = 8.3145 J/mol/K: Universal gas constant
Vm =V/n : mole volume (m3/mol) [Eq. 9-1 b]
V: volume (m3 );
n = m/ Mw: the mole number;
m: mass of gas (g or kg)
Mw : Molar Mass (g/mol or kg/kmol); e.g. Mw,CO2=44 g/mole for CO2
*Richard Towneley (Math. ) and Henry Power (Phy.) first found the relations (1643), later was confirmed by Boyle.
 9-2: Equation of state of ideal gas
Substituting Eq.9-1b into Eq. 9-1, we have the EOS of
perfect gas:

Extensive pV = mRT [Eq. 9-2]

[Eq. 9-3]
Intensive pv = RT

Intensive p = RrT [Eq. 9-4]

R: the specific gas constant

Rm 8314 [ J / kmol / K ] J
R   [ ] [Eq. 9-5]
Mw Mw [ kg / kmol] kgK
 9-2 b: Specific Gas Constant, R

Gas Relative Specific Gas

Molar Mass Mw Constant R
(kg/ kmol) J/(kg K)
Air (79% N2; 21%; 29 287
O2)
Nitrogen (N2) 28 297
CO2 44 189
Steam (H2O) 18 462
Helium 4 2078

Rm 8314[J / kmol / K ] J
R   [ ]
Mw Mw [kg / kmol] kgK
 Example – I: EoS of ideal gas
Question: The CO2 emission rate from a 500 Mw coal power plant
is 8640 tons /day, what is its volume in the atmosphere?

Solution:
Assumption: patm= 1.013 bar; Tatm = 10 oC

V = mRTatm/patm
R= 8314/MCO2 = 8314/44 = 189 J/(kg K);

Then:
V = 8640x103 x 189 x (10 + 273.15)/(1.013x 105)
(kg/day) (J/kg K) (K) (ps)
= 4725589 m3/day = 168m x 168m x 168m /day
Attention: Units !!
 Example – II: EoS of ideal gas
Question: Lift force from a He balloon with a diameter of 10m
Solution:
Assumption: patm= 1.0 bar; Tatm = 15 oC;
Left force F= Buoyancy of He balloon = Vb(ρa – ρhe)g = (ma–mhe)g
ma=patmV /(RairTatm) mHe=patmV /(RHeTatm)
Rair= 8314/Mair = 8314/29 = 287 J/(kg K); RHe= 8314/MHe = 8314/4 = 2078 J/(kg K)

Then lift force of the He balloon:

F = patmV /Tatm( 1/Rair – 1/RHe) g
= 105 x (3.14 x 103 /6) /(15 + 273.15) x (1/287 – 1/2078) x 9.81
(ps) (m3) (1/K) (kg K/J) (m/s2)
= 5351 N =5.35 kN
Attention to Units !!
How to handle U and H of perfect gases ?

We use Specific heat capacity !

 9.3 a: Specific Heat Capacities
kJ/(kg K)
Definition of specific heat capacity:

For solids, the specific heat capacity is defined as the

heat requested to raise unit mass through one degree
temperature rise.

Therefore, we have,
Q = m c ΔT, or, δQ = m c dT
where, c is specific heat capacity, [kJ/kg k]

For example: To heat 1.0 kg Copper from 20 OC to 30 OC,

Q=3.85 kJ, then
c = Q/(mΔT) = 3.85 (kJ)/(1.0 (kg))/10 (K)
= 0.385 [kJ/kg/K]
9-3 b: Specific heat capacities at constant volume and
at constant pressure for gases

a). Heating to a constant volume b). Heating to a constant pressure

system: system:

P0 P0
m = 1.0 kg m = 1.0 kg
T1 = 20 oC T2 = 30 oC M = 1.0 kg M = 1.0 kg
Air Air
air T = 20 oC
air T = 30 oC

Qv = 7.8 kJ
NFEE of a constant volume
Qp = 10.1 kJ
process: NFEE of a constant pressure process:
Q = U2 –U1 Q = H2 –H1

For gases: Qp > Qv

 9.3 c: Specific Heat Capacities for gases
kJ/(kg K)
Specific heat capacity for gases is defined by two
specific paths.
1). At constant volume process, specific heat capacity is
defined as:
 u 
cv    [kJ/(kg K)] [Eq. 9-6]
 T  v

2). At constant pressure process, specific heat capacity is

defined as:
 h 
cp    [kJ/(kg K)]
 T  p [Eq. 9-7]
 9.4: Internal Energy & Perfect Gases
From Joule’s Expt. we have: u = fu (T),
the function of T only for ideal gases, then
u  du
c v    
T v dT

Therefore, for ideal gases, the internal energy can be calculated by

setting u = 0 at T=0 K as reference state,
 T
u  c dT  c T  c 0  c
v v v v T
0
then
u = cv T [Eq. 9-8]; U = m cv T [Eq. 9-9];

NFEE for ideal gases is in forms of:


Q + W = U2 – U1 [Eq. 9-10]
Q + W = m cv (T2 – T1) [Eq. 9-11]
 9.5 (a): Enthalpy & Perfect Gases
According to the definition of specific enthalpy:
h =u + pv
Using EOS of perfect Gas:
pV = mRT; or pv=RT
Then we have:
h =u + RT =cvT + RT = (cv+ R)T
where both cv and R are constant for given individual gas

Therefore: h = fh (T)
This means the specific enthalpy for perfect gas is a function of T only
which is an extension of Joule’s Expt. u = fu (T)
 9.5(b): Enthalpy & Perfect Gases
We extended Joule’s Expt and found h = fh (T), then
h  dh
c p    
T p dT
For perfect gases, the specific enthalpy can be calculated by setting
h=0 at T = 0 K as reference state,
T

h   c p dT  c p T  c p 0  c p T
0

h = cp T [Eq. 9-12]

H = m cp T [Eq. 9-13]
 from the definition of specific enthalpy:
And
h =u + RT =cvT + RT = (cv+ R)T [Eq. 9-14]
 9.6: Relation of specific heat capacities for Perfect
gases

From the definition of enthalpy and perfect gas EOS:

h =u + RT =cvT + RT = (cv+ R)T [Eq. 9-14]

From the definition of Specific heat capacity, the enthalpy:

h = cp T [Eq. 9-12]

We found an important relations:

cp
cp=cv + R [Eq. 9-13];  [Eq. 9-14]

cv
 : Ratio of specific heat capacities
 9.6(b): Ratio of Specific Heat Capacities
cp
Gases Molecular  
cv
Structure
He, A Monatomic Gases 1.6
CO, N2, H2 etc. DiatomicGases 1.4
H2O,CO2 SO2 Triatomic Gases 1.3
Ethane (C2H6) 1.22
IsoButane 1.11
(C4H10)
Methane (CH4) 1.35
 9.7. Perfect Gases and Adiabatic Processes
The adiabatic process for a closed system with perfect gases, the
process Eq is:


pV  k
The adiabatic process for a closed system with perfect gases, the
work-done can be calculated by:

p1V1  p2V2
W
1
cp
 : The ratio of heat capacities at constant
cv volume and constant pressure
Example–I: γ = n for adiabatic process of a perfect gas
Question: Show that for a perfect gas a polytropic process is of the form,

pV = k

or for pVn= k , n = γ = cp/Cv is adiabatic.

Solution:
1). From NFEE: Q1-2 + W1-2 = U2 – U1 (e-1)
2). Moving boundary work interaction for polytropic process:
W1-2 = (p1V1 – p2V2)/(1–n) (e-2)
3). For adiabatic (Q=0) and perfect gas (EoS; u = cvT), Eq (e-1) becomes:
R m (T1 – T2)/(1–n) = cv m (T2–T1) (e-3)
4). Rearrange Eq. (e-3), we have:
– R/cv = 1 – n (e-4)
5) Substituting R = cp– cv and γ = cp/Cv (all for perfect gas) into Eq (e-4):
–cp/Cv + 1 = 1 – n,
Then finally, we have:

γ = cp/cv = n
 Example –II: Calculate cv and cp from R and 
Question: For methane (CH4), = 1.35, calculate cv and cp
Solution:
=cp/cv (Eq. 9-14)
R = cp – cv (Eq. 9-13)

RCH4= Rm /MCH4 = 8.3143/16 = 0.52 (kJ/kg/K)

By Eq.9-14: cp =  cv
and Eq 9-13: cp = R + cv
Then:  cv = R + cv cv = R/(1)
0.52/(0.35)
1.49(kJ/kg/K)

Andcp =  R/ (1) = 1.3x0.52/(0.35) = 2.0 (kJ/kg/K)

 Ideal/Perfect Gases summary (1)

General definition:
u = fu (p, T), e.g. water/steam
h = u + pv; H=m(u + pv)
For perfect gases:
u = cv T
h = cvT + RT = (cv+R) T
h = cpT
cp
cp = cv + R;  
cv
 Ideal/Perfect Gases Summary (2)
Given =cp/cv and the specific gas constant R =cp–cv

We know almost everything for perfect gases !

By using following relations:

pv = RT

h = cpT
u = cv T
 Summary
• 1st Law of thermodynamics
• Reviewed Ideal Gases
– Property estimation easy

Next Lecture
• NFEE for perfect gases
• Examples