Reversible process - Thermodynamics

Reversible process

A thermodynamic process can be considered reversible only if it possible to retrace the path in the opposite direction in such a way that the system and surroundings pass through the same states as in the initial,direct process.

Example: A quasi–static isothermal expansion of gas, slow compression and expansion of a spring. Conditions for reversible process:

1. The process should proceed at an extremely slow rate.

2. The system should remain in mechanical, thermal and chemical equilibrium state at all the times with the surroundings, during the process.

3. No dissipative forces such as friction, viscosity, electrical resistance should be present.

Irreversible process:

All natural processes are irreversible. Irreversible process cannot be plotted in a PV diagram, because these processes cannot have unique values of pressure, temperature at every stage of the process.

The first law of thermodynamics is the statement about conservation of energy in a thermodynamic process. For example, if a hotter object is placed on a colder object, heat flows from hotter to colder object. Why does heat not flow from the colder object to hotter object? Even if energy flows from colder object to hotter object, the first law of thermodynamics is not violated. For example, if 5 J of heat flows form hotter to colder or from colder to hotter objects the total internal energy of this combined system remains the same. But 5 J of heat never flows from the colder object to hotter object. In nature all such process occur only in one direction but not in the reverse direction, even if the energy is conserved in both the processes. Thus the first law of thermodynamics has no explanation for this irreversibility. When the scientists of the eighteenth century tried to explain this irreversibility, they discovered a new law of nature. This is called the second law of thermodynamics. According to second law of thermodynamics

“Heat always flows from hotter object to colder object spontaneously”. This is known as the Clausius form of second law of thermodynamics.

EXAMPLE 8.23

Give some examples of irreversible processes.

All naturally occuring processes are irreversible. Here we give some interesting examples.

(a) When we open a gas bottle, the gas molecules slowly spread into the entire room. These gas molecules can never get back in to the bottle.

(b)  Suppose one drop of an ink is dropped in water, the ink droplet slowly spreads in the water. It is impossible to get the ink droplet back.

(c)  When an object falls from some height, as soon as it hits the earth it comes to rest. All the kinetic energy of the object is converted to kinetic energy of molecules of the earth surface, molecules of the object and small amount goes as sound energy. The spreaded kinetic energy to the molecules never collected back and object never goes up by itself.

Note that according to first law of thermodynamics all the above processes are possible in both directions. But second law of thermodynamics forbids The processes to occur in the reverse direction. The second law of thermodynamics is one of the very important laws of nature. It controls the way the natural processes occur.