This work explores the concept of dissipative work and shows that such a kind of work is an invariant non-negative quantity. This feature is then used to get a new insight into adiabatic irreversible processes; for instance, why the final temperature in any adiabatic irreversible process is always higher than that attained in a reversible process having the same initial state and equal final pressure or volume. Based on the concept of identical processes, numerical simulations of adiabatic irreversible compression and expansion were performed, enabling a better understanding of differences between configuration and dissipative work. The positive nature of the dissipative work was used to discuss the case where the dissipated energy ends up in the surroundings, while the invariance of such work under a system–surroundings interchange enabled the resulting modification in thermodynamical quantities to be determined. The ideas presented in this study are primarily intended for undergraduate students with a background in thermodynamics, but they may also be of interest to graduate students and teachers.

This paper deals with subtleties and misunderstandings regarding the Clausius relation. We start by demonstrating the relation in a new and simple way, explaining clearly the assumptions made and the extent of its validity. Then follows a detailed discussion of some confusions and mistakes often found in the literature. The addressed points include the issue of temperature in the Clausius relation and closely related concepts, such as heat, reversibility and reservoir. The ideas presented in this study are primarily intended for graduate students and teachers, and may also be of interest to undergraduate students with a solid background in thermodynamics.

Starting from the concept of identical thermodynamical processes, we treat invariance under interchange of identical processes as a symmetry. We show the conservation of entropy in reversible processes to be intimately related to this symmetry. PACS Nos.: 44.60, 65.50

We stress the usefulness of the work reservoir in the formalism of thermodynamics, in particular in the context of the first law. To elucidate its usefulness, the formalism is then applied to the Joule expansion and other peculiar and instructive experimental situations, clarifying the concepts of configuration and dissipative work. The ideas and discussions presented in this study are primarily intended for undergraduate students, but they might also be useful to graduate students, researchers and teachers.

This paper focuses on the determination of the final equilibrium state when two ideal gases, isolated from the exterior and starting from preset initial conditions, interact with each other through a piston. Depending on the piston properties, different processes take place and also different sets of equilibrium conditions must be satisfied. Three cases are analysed, namely, when (case 1) the piston is a heat conductor and free to move, (case 2) the piston allows heat conduction but its position is fixed, and (case 3) the piston is free to move but it is adiabatic (so no heat can be exchanged). Cases 1 and 2 have straightforward solutions, but it is shown that case 3 leads to an undeterminable final state. Even though this last situation seems to be strange and difficult, mechanical and thermodynamical analyses are performed. It is shown that the determinability of the final state depends on whether friction is considered or not. Carried out numerically, both analyses provide consistent results and not only do they enable an interesting and useful discussion regarding the concepts of energy, heat, work and entropy, but they also reinforce some ideas which were recently published.

The heat transfer characteristics from a circular cylinder immersed in power law fluids have been studied in the mixed convection regime when the imposed flow is oriented normal to the direction of gravity. The continuity, momentum, and thermal energy equations have been solved numerically using a second-order finite difference method to obtain the streamline, surface viscosity, and vorticity patterns, to map the temperature field near the cylinder and to determine the local and surface-averaged values of the Nusselt number. Overall, mixed convection distorts streamline and isotherm patterns and increases the drag coefficient as well as the rate of heat transfer from the circular cylinder. New results showing the complex dependence of all these parameters on power law index (n ) 0.6, 0.8, 1, 1.6), Prandtl number () 1,100), Reynolds number (1-30), and the Richardson number (0, 1, and 3) are presented herein. Over this range of conditions, the flow is assumed to be steady, as is the case for Newtonian fluids.

Using macroscopic thermodynamics, the general law for adiabatic processes carried out by an ideal gas was studied. It was shown that the process reversibility is characterized by the adiabatic reversibility coefficient r, in the range 0 ⩽ r ⩽ 1 for expansions and r ⩾ 1 for compressions. The particular cases of free expansion and reversible adiabatic processes correspond to r = 0 and r = 1, respectively. To conclude the interpretation of r, the relation between r and the variation of the system entropy was also obtained. Comparison between this study and one restricted to expansions following a microscopic point of view showed not only equivalent interpretations but also that our approach is more general, since it also comprises compressions, provides an objective relation between r and entropy change and considers instantaneous varying values of the adiabatic reversibility coefficient. Finally, simulations of selected adiabatic processes are performed and numerical calculations of r are presented. This paper is intended primarily for the undergraduate student, although a comparison with the aforementioned work also requires a background in thermodynamics and kinetic theory.

This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of the concepts of a reversible process and entropy. For this purpose, an adiabatic irreversible expansion or compression is analysed, by considering that an ideal gas is expanded (compressed), from an initial pressure P i to a final pressure P f , by being placed in contact with a set of N work reservoirs with pressures decreasing (increasing) in a geometric or arithmetic progression. The gas entropy change S is evaluated and it is clearly shown that S > 0 for any finite N, but as the number of work reservoirs goes to infinity the entropy change goes to zero, i.e. the process becomes reversible. Additionally, this work draws attention to the work reservoir concept, which is virtually ignored in the literature, and to its analogy with the commonly used heat reservoir concept. Finally, it complements and reinforces an earlier study dealing with irreversible cooling or heating so that the synergy created by the two studies is important from both theoretical and educational standpoints.