Thermodynamics

Abstract

This chapter on thermodynamics is presented in eight sections. Each section deals with a major topic of classical thermodynamics at the first-year level for undergraduate students of mechanical engineering. The development follows a progression which allows students to build step by step on earlier sections and undertake exercises from the earliest stage. The introduction provides a brief overview of the subject, describes the terminology, and defines key terms. Section 2 covers the first law of thermodynamics, conservation of energy, and work and heat transfer. Section 3 covers the second law of thermodynamics, heat engines, the Clausius inequality, entropy, and irreversibility. In Section 4, the theory and analyses of open systems, mass flow continuity, the steady flow energy equation, and enthalpy are presented. Section 5 deals with the properties of perfect gases, water, and steam. Section 6 covers types of process and their analysis for work and heat transfer. Section 7 covers heat transfer, the modes of heat transfer, and steady-state heat transfer rates for composite walls and cylinders. Finally, in Section 8, the analysis of cycles is presented.