Renewable Energy

Lab 3 Gas Laws and Heat Engines

Fall 2010
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Introduction/Purpose:
In this exercise y! will test sme " the as#ects " the ideal gas law !nder cnditins "
cnstant #ress!re$ cnstant tem#erat!re$ and cnstant %l!me& 'hen y! will b!ild a heat
engine t li"t a##les& ()ay$ nly small nes&
Apparatus: *asc Gas Law +##arat!s$ rd stand$ water baths at %ari!s tem#erat!res$
stainless,steel tem#erat!re #rbe$ gas,#ress!re sensr$ rtary,mtin sensr$ *- and Lab *r
inter"ace$ 2.0 gm and 1100 gm masses$ 3. grams attached t light thread$ #lastic syringes
and t!be c!#lings$ cnstant,%l!me brass gas %essels&
Theory:
The Ideal Gas Law
'he e/!atin " state "r an ideal gas is written0
PV nRT = 112
where0 P 3 gas #ress!re 4in *a r N5m
2
67
V 3 gas %l!me 4in m
3
67
n 3 n!mber " mles " gas7
R 3 a cnstant 48&31 95ml,:67 and
T 3 the absl!te tem#erat!re 4:el%in6
;hen a##lied t a clsed system 1i&e& ne in which the am!nt " gas is cnstant2 this
generates three "am!s relatinshi#s between the three state %ariables P$ V and T0
1& 'he Law " -harles and Gay,L!ssac states that when a gas is )e#t at a constant pressure$
its %l!me is directly #r#rtinal t its tem#erat!re&
2& <yle=s Law states that when a gas is )e#t at a fixed teperature$ its #ress!re is in%ersely
#r#rtinal t its %l!me&
3& Finally$ i" the !olue of a gas is held constant$ its #ress!re is directly #r#rtinal t its
tem#erat!re&
Pasco "eat Engine/Gas Law Apparatus
'he clsed system y! are gi%en cnsists " a
nearly "rictin,"ree #istn inside a cylinder& 'here
are tw air t!bes leading "rm the cylinder0 ne
ges t a #ress!re sensr 1which is meas!red
!sing the Lab *r2 and the ther leads t an air
reser%ir 1al!min!m can2 that can be immersed in
water t change the tem#erat!re " the air in the
system&
Fr this a##arat!s the #istn diameter is 32&.
0&1 mm&
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;hen #sitined %ertically n a rd stand$ additinal masses may be #laced n t# " the
#istn #lat"rm t change the #ress!re in the cylinder& 'he #ress!re sensr meas!res the
absl!te #ress!re in the cylinder$ P$ in )*a&
+s the #istn m%es$ the %l!me " the cylinder changes$ alth!gh it can be held "ixed by !sing
the setscrew at the t# " the cylinder& 'he %l!me " the system cnsists " the %l!me " the
cylinder #l!s the %l!me " the al!min!m can and the air hses& 'here is a millimeter scale n
the cylinder that allws ne t directly meas!re the cylinder height$ hcyl& 1'his height will be
meas!red !sing the rtary mtin sensr&2 Frm this height$ the %l!me " air !nder the #istn$
Vcyl$ may be determined "rm0
V r h
cyl cyl cyl
=
2
122
'his meas!rement will N('$ hwe%er$ be the same as the ttal system %l!me$ V& >ather0
V V V
cyl
= +
0 132
;here V0 is the %l!me " the al!min!m can and air hses&
V0 can be determined i" the #ress!re in the system is )e#t cnstant 1by allwing the #istn t
m%e "reely with ne side always at atms#heric #ress!re2$ and %ary the tem#erat!re by
immersing the al!min!m can in water at se%eral di""erent tem#erat!res& <y meas!ring Vcyl each
tem#erat!re 1since the ideal gas law is
P V V nRT
cyl
1 2 + =
0 2 y! ha%e0
V
nR
P
T V
cyl
=
0
1?2
'h!s$ a #lt " Vcyl %s& T sh!ld be a straight line with y interce#t at V0&
#or$ %one by an Ideal Gas
(ne exam#le " a system in which wr) is dne is a #istn in an air,"illed cylinder& I" the #istn
!nderges transitins in which ne r mre " its #r#erties change$ these transitins may be
#ltted n a P-V diagram$ with #ress!re n the %ertical axis and %l!me n the hri@ntal axis&
+ny wr) dne by the system d!ring a transitin can be "!nd "rm the e/!atin0

=
f
i
V
V
PdV W 122
;here Vi and V" are the initial and "inal system %l!mes res#ecti%ely& <!t$ nt t wrry$ this is
als A!st the area !nder the c!r%e n a P-V diagram$ as seen belw&
<!t "r re"erence$ there are se%eral s#ecial ty#es " transitins that the system may !nderg0
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I" the %l!me is !nchanged d!ring the transitin$ the change is re"erred t as isovolumetric&
In s!ch a case$ since dV 3 0$ it is b%i!s "rm e/!atin 2 that n wr) is dne&
I" the #ress!re remains cnstant$ the transitin is isobaric& In this case$ e/!atin 2 sim#li"ies
t0
W 3 PV 132
where V is the change in system %l!me&
I" the tem#erat!re remains cnstant d!ring the transitin$ the transitin is isothermal& In
s!ch a case$ !sing e/!atin 1$ P
nRT
V
= $ s that e/!atin 2 red!ces t0

= = =

i
f
V
V
V
V
V
V
nrT dV
V
nrT
PdV W
f
i
f
i
ln 1?2
I" n heat enters r lea%es the system d!ring the #rcess$ it is called adiabatic& In this case$
we can !se the "act that *B

is cnstant 1where 3
.
3
"r mnatmic gases and 3
C
.
"r
diatmic gases2$ t integrate e/!atin 2 ab%e&
"ere&s the Iportant Part:
In a heat engine$ a system !nderges cyclic transitins
that$ e%ent!ally$ ret!rn it t its initial state& In this case$
the wr) dne d!ring ne cm#lete cycle may be "!nd
sim#ly "rm the area enclsed in the P-V diagram " the
cycle&
The Incredible 'ass Lifter Engine
D!r lab gr!# has been a##rached by the Newtn +##le -m#any ab!t testing a heat
engine that li"ts a##les "rm a lwer #rcessing cn%eyer belt t a higher ne& 'he engine y!
are t ex#eriment with is a ErealF thermal engine that can be ta)en thr!gh a "!r,stage
ex#ansin and cm#ressin cycle and that can d !se"!l mechanical wr) by li"ting small
masses "rm ne height t anther& + schematic diagram " the #rcess is shwn belw0
heat
cool
-M
+M
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'he !se"!l wr) #er"rmed by the engine$ calc!lable "rm the area enclsed in the P-V
diagram$ sh!ld e/!al mgy$ the wr) dne n the a##le&
Procedure:
A( Law of )harles and Gay*Lussac +)onstant Pressure,
-( G!nt the gas law a##arat!s n the table& G!nt the rtary mtin sensr n the rd
stand& ' c!nteract the inherent weight " the #istn$ and t allw y! t meas!re the
#istn height$ hcyl&$ tie 3. grams t ne end " a light string and tie the ther end " the
string thr!gh the small hle in the t# " the #istn& *ass the string !# and %er the #!lley
n the rtary mtin sensr with the 3. g mass hanging dwn the ther side&
.( '!rn n the *- and lad the E-harlesH LawF Lgger*r tem#late& >ecrd the %al!e " P,
which is dis#layed in the meter windw at the lwer le"t " the cm#!ter screen&
'he Lgger *r tem#late a!tmatically !ses the rtary mtin sensr and E/& 2 t "ind the
%l!me " air in the cylinder& Hwe%er$ it is gd techni/!e t als recrd the cylinder
%l!mes by hand 1"r e/!ilibri!m in each tem#erat!re bath2& 'his can be dne by recrding
#istn #sitins directly "rm the scale n the cylinder wall& 'he tem#late als recrds
tem#erat!re and #ress!re& Ga)e s!re t !se the absl!te tem#erat!re 1:el%in2 in y!r
analysis&
'he tem#late will ma)e a time series recrd " y!r data& D!r gal is t bser%e this
recrd and determine times where the system is in e/!ilibri!m with the tem#erat!re bath&
D! will be extracting %al!es "r the three sensrs 1'$ B$ and *2 "r a #int in time that y!
thin) re#resents e/!ilibri!m& D!Hll d this "r each tem#erat!re bath&
/( -are"!lly twist and detach the cnnecting hse that leads t the #ress!re sensr& 'his brings
the inside " the cylinder t atms#heric #ress!re& Lwer the #istn t the bttm " the
cylinder& 1'his mechanical @ering is im#rtant beca!se the encder @eres itsel" at the
beginning " each data,cllectin r!nII2
0( Jtart cllecting data nw by #!shing the E-llectF b!ttn in Lgger *r& 'his ser%es t
dc!ment the mechanical @ering #eratin in y!r dataset7 b!t y! ha%enHt sealed the
system 1reattached the hse2 yet$ s this #int wnHt be !sed in y!r B %s& ' #lt&
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1( Next$ seal !# the system and establish the am!nt " air that will be s!bAect t the ideal gas
law& >aise the #istn !ntil it is near the middle " the cylinder$ and then reattach the
cnnecting hse& Record the position of the piston here and the !alue fro your digital
theroeter +air teperature,( +lternati%ely$ y! may !se a rm,tem#erat!re water
bath "r this initiali@atin ste#& D! may need t re#eat this initiali@atin ste# later i" y!
s!s#ect y!r system has lea)ed any air d!ring the <yleHs law ex#eriment in #art <&
2( Ierse y!r water can in the ice5water bath$ and wait 1)ee# it !nder water2 !ntil the
tem#erat!re stabili@es& Nw$ immerse y!r al!min!m can in water baths at di""erent
tem#erat!res$ always increasing T as y! g& Beri"y "rm the #ress!re sensr that all
transitins are isbaric&
3( Ksing Lgger *r t "it y!r e/!ilibri!m data t a straight line& L the "it res!lts s!##rt
the Law " -harles and Gay,L!ssacM 'hat is$ are the data linearM
4( Frm the interce#t " the linear "it line$ determine V0$ the %l!me " the al!min!m can and
air hses& Lisc!ss the #hysical signi"icance " the interce#t 1%l!me at '302& Is the interce#t
negati%eM Hw des it cm#are t a sim#le estimate " the %l!me " the canM Is there
sme nn,linear beha%ir in the dataM Is the whle system in e/!ilibri!m with the water
bathM Lisc!ss hw that c!ld ex#lain the nn,linear beha%ir y! might see&
5: The "eat Engine
Lesign and carry !t an ex#eriment t meas!re the wr) dne by the heat engine described in
the thery sectin& 'his will mean ta)ing the system thr!gh a "!ll cycle0
Jtarting at #int + and cm#ressing t #int < 1by adding mass2
Heating the air t li"t the mass "rm #int < t -
>em%ing the mass$ s ex#anding "rm #int - t L
-ling the air t ret!rn the Eli"terF "rm L t +
In y!r analysis$ be s!re t cm#are the thermdynamic wr) dne 1i&e& the area enclsed by
the P-V cycle2 t the mechanical wr) dne 1mgy2&
Nte0 y! sh!ld !se the e""ecti%e %l!me "r the can and t!bes determined in #art + " the
#rced!re& <e s!re t acc!nt "r the can5t!be %l!me in the tem#late that y! chse&