Physics

1004W
Gases and Engines
[M&I: Chapter 13]

(slides based on slides from A.Buer)

UCT PHY1004W: Gases and Engines 3
Gases and Engines
Outline of M&I Chapter 13
13.1 Gases, Solids, and Liquids
13.2 Gas Leaks Through a Hole
13.3 Mean Free Path
13.4 Pressure and Temperature
13.5 Energy Transfers (not on exam)
13.6 Fundamental LimitaVons on Eciency (not on exam)
13.7 A Maximally Ecient Process (not on exam)
13.8 13.10 Self Study (not on exam)

UCT PHY1004W: Gases and Engines 4

Gases, Solids, and Liquids (13.1)

Gases: molecules mostly beyond range of

intermolecular forces.

Solids: molecules close and cannot move far.

Liquids: intermediate case molecules
molecules in a gas
always close, but can move.

molecules in a liquid

UCT PHY1004W: Gases and Engines 5

Gas Leaks Through a Hole (13.2)
Consider N molecules travelling to the right with same speed v inside a tube which has
volume V and cross secVonal area A.

end view
N
Number density n= number of atoms/molecules per unit volume
V

Distance a single
molecule travels in Vme v
t is vt.

vt
UCT PHY1004W: Gases and Engines 6
Gas Leaks Through a Hole
Number N of molecules leaving the
tube in t is V = A ( vt ) A

N = nV = nA ( vt ) vt
Flux through A is nvA. What is ux?

Real gases move at dierent speeds, therefore take

weighted average:
n1v1 + n2v2 + n3v3 + ...
v=
n
Then ux is nvA

(one dimensional case, molecules have various speeds)

UCT PHY1004W: Gases and Engines 7

Gas Leaks Through a Hole
In 3-d maybe 6 direcVons (x, y, z and both ways) gives factor 1/6.
However, since we must average over angle to wall, etc. a proper calculaVon
(integraVon) gives rather a factor 1/4:

1
So, the 3-D ux of parVcles passing through a hole is: nAv

4

Consider a 1 mm diameter hole in 1 litre container at STP.

V = 1 10-3 m3 N
N = NA ( V / 22.4 10-3 )
n=
V

1 NA d 2 8 3kT
Flux = nAv = = 6.6 1021 atoms s-1
4 22.4 103 4 3 m

UCT PHY1004W: Gases and Engines 8

Leaks Cause Cooling
The faster molecules are more likely to escape
thus the fracVon of slower molecules remaining increases, and the
gas in the balloon is colder.

If the gas is a real gas, then escaping gas expands, and molecules must
do work against anracVve intermolecular forces.

This cools the escaping gas.

UCT PHY1004W: Gases and Engines 9

Mean Free Path

Let d be the average distance

travelled by special molecule
(dashed circle) in an imaginary
cylinder of radius R + r before it has
a collision with a gas molecule
(dark).

nAd 1
2 R+r
A = (r + R)
N R
n=
V

UCT PHY1004W: Gases and Engines 10

Mean Free Path: Nitrogen at STP
Consider 1 mole of nitrogen at STP
N NA 25 -3
n= = = 2.7 10 molecules m
V 22.4 103 m3
2
(
A = 2 ( 2 10 10
)
m ) = 5 10-19 m 2
1 1 -8
d= = = 7 10 m
nA ( 2.7 10 molecules m )(5 10 m )
25 -3 -19 2

Compare average distance between molecules:

1
1
1 3
-3 3
L = = ( 2.7 10 molecules m ) = 0.3 10-8 m
25

Radius of molecule: r 2 10-10 m

So d ? L? r
UCT PHY1004W: Gases and Engines 11
Pressure and Temperature (13.4)
Can we understand (ie. derive) the ideal gas law

PV = RT
for moles of gas, in terms of kineVc theory?

Pressure caused by gas molecules bombarding

walls.

Temperature related to average kineVc energy
of molecules.

UCT PHY1004W: Gases and Engines 12

Atoms Colliding with a Wall
Consider an elasVc collision of a
helium atom with a wall.

Energy is conserved,
but momentum changes.

For the helium atom:

px = 2 px

For the wall: px = 2 px

Hence F 1 px 2 px
P= = =
A A t At
UCT PHY1004W: Gases and Engines 13
Pressure from Collisions
If nright helium atoms per unit volume move with +vx then the number of such
atoms that hit area A to their right in Vme t is

1
t =
nright Avx

Then F 1 px 1 px
P= = = = ( nright vx ) 2 px
A A t A 1/ ( nright Avx )

px
= 2nright px
m

px2
= 2nright
m
UCT PHY1004W: Gases and Engines 14
Pressure from Collisions: all speeds
On average: n
nright = nleft =
2

Average over all speeds px2 px2

If n1 have px,1 , and n2 have px,2,

n1 px2,1 + n2 px2,2 + ...

then px2 =
n
px2,1 px2,2
Then the pressure P = n1 + n2 + ...
m m
or
px2
P=n
m
UCT PHY1004W: Gases and Engines 15
Pressure from Collisions: all direcVons
!
Momentum is a vector, p
. Magnitude is p.

Random moVon, so average

!
p=0

Thus, also px = p y = pz = 0

But p 2 = px2 + p y2 + pz2 and px2 = p y2 = pz2

2
Therefore 2 . p
px =
3
1 p2 N
Pressure thus is P= n where n=
3 m V

UCT PHY1004W: Gases and Engines 16

Ideal Gas Law
In terms of n
=
N 1
, pressure is P = n p 2
2 p 2
2
= n = nK trans
V 3 m 3 2m 3
Previously found that
3
K trans = kT
2
Therefore P = nkT molecular version of ideal gas law

moles, N N
N
For =
A and n
=
then putng R = kN A
V
PV = RT mole version of ideal gas law

Gas constant R = kN A = (1.38 1023 J K -1 )( 6.023 1023 mole-1 )

= 8.31 J K -1 mole-1
UCT PHY1004W: Gases and Engines 17
Temp. from Entropy or Ideal Gas Law?
Previously showed that 3
K trans = kT
2
based on Boltzmann distribuVon applied to a low density gas.

1 S
in turn based on staEsEcal mechanics: =
T E

3 1 p2
Now inserted K trans = kT into P= n
2 3 m
to get PV = RT
PV 1 S
Thus T= Gas thermometer same T is in =
T E
R
UCT PHY1004W: Gases and Engines 18
Real Gas
PV = RT ideal gas law works well for low density gases

For real high density gases two problems

Real gas molecules have volume hence V needs to be smaller

and short range electric forces van der Waals forces
hence P needs to be smaller

Replace with van der Waals equaEon:

2 a
P + 2 (V b) = RT
V
where a : anracVon factor
b: volume factor

UCT PHY1004W: Gases and Engines 19

Weight of a gas in a box
P slightly smaller

vacuum
gas

gas

P slightly greater

Fy = Mg

UCT PHY1004W: Gases and Engines 20 20

Random Walk

rrms = vd t

v is average speed of molecule

d is mean free path of molecule
t is Vme of molecules walk

UCT PHY1004W: Gases and Engines 21

Summary of Chapter 13
1
Flow rate of gas leak through a hole: nAv
4
Mean Free Path: d = 1
nA

Derived PV
= RT
based on principles of momentum conservaVon and
Maxwell-Boltzman distribuVon of speeds (kineVc energy) of molecules in a gas

Thought about the weight of a gas (and the weight of objects in a gas)

Isothermal (PV=constant) and adiabaVc ( PV

= constant
) changes in a gas
I
Work done by a heat engine is W
=
P
dV
(ie. area inside PV loop)

TL
Maximum eciency of heat engine is = 1
TH
UCT PHY1004W: Gases and Engines 51