Law of Thermodynamics

Jitao Wang*
Department of Microelectronics, Fudan University,
Shanghai 200433, China

Patcharin Saechan∗, Somchai Wongwises

Fluid Mechanics, Thermal
Engineering and Multiphase
Flow Research Lab (FUTURE),
Department of Mechanical
Engineering, King Mongkut’s
University of Technology
Thonburi, Bangmod, Bangkok
10140, Thailand
Mehdi Bahiraei, Masoud Alighardashi
Mechanical Engineering Department, School of
Energy, Kermanshah University of Technology,
Kermanshah, Iran

I. ABSTRACT

Thermodynamics establish behaviors including improved

fundamental concepts such as
temperature and heat, and the
nature of energy itself. From the
sudden expansion of a cloud of gas
or the cooling of a hot metal, to the
unfolding of a thought in our minds
and even the course of life itself,
everything is governed by the four
Laws of Thermodynamics. This
VSI explains the basis and deeper
implications of each law,
introducing concepts such as
entropy, free energy and absolute
zero.
thermal conductivity and increased
heat transfer coefficient in
comparison with pure fluids.
Nanofluids have attracted great
attention in recent years due to their
applications ranging from thermal
management in miniature
electronic equipment such as nano-
electromechanical systems
(NEMS) and micro-
electromechanical systems
(MEMS) to more advanced energy
conversion devices such as heat
pipes and solar collectors.

At present, heat exchangers are

II. INTRODUCTION
Nanofluids, i.e. suspensions
containing ultrafine nanoparticles
(1–100 nm), exhibit fascinating
studied in many aspects such as
characteristics of heat transfer,
efficiency, pressure drop during
heat exchange, various
configurations that enhance heat
transfer, or even economic analysis
 to find an optimal size, price and S˙gen,r = (S˙2 − S˙1) + (S˙3 −
weight for investment. One of the S˙2) + (S˙4 − S˙3)
common ways in studying heat
exchanger is to use the second law
of thermodynamic in analyzing
heat exchanger.

III. Results and Discussion

In heat exchangers,
irreversibility can indicate loss
Fig. 1. T –s diagram of refrigerant in a
occurred in the system due to two condenser.
main causes: heat transfer between
two fluids with different Entropy generation number
temperatures and pressure drop which is the ratio between entropy
from friction [6]. These losses generation rate and the minimum
indicate the irreversibility quantity. heat capacity rate, for minimizing
both losses, proposed by Bejan [6] is
The higher irreversibility of the expressed as:
system suggests more loss in the
system. Thus, to minimize
irreversibility of the system also
minimizes the loss occurred in the
system.
The effectiveness of heat
exchanger (ε) is a main factor
T0 is an absolute temperature
referring to the ability of heat
of the surrounding system which is
transfer in transferring heat. It can
a constant value. Hence,
be defined as the ratio between
irreversibility is directly related to
actual heat transfer rate and the
the generated entropy.
maximum possible heat transfer
rate from one stream to another.
The examined condenser
The current study evaluates
transfers heat between refrigerant
the heat transfer and entropy
and air. Thus, the total entropy
generation characteristics of a
generation rate of the system is a
non-Newtonian nanofluid
sum of entropy generation rate of
containing TiO2 nanoparticles.
both refrigerant and air.
S˙gen = S˙gen,a + S˙gen,r Aqueous solution of CMC with a
concentration of 0.5 wt% is
According to the order of employed as the non-Newtonian
change on the refrigerant side as base fluid. CMC is a derivative of
shown in Fig. 1, the entropy cellulose, and its solution in
generation rate can be rewritten as: water is a non-Newtonian
pseudo-plastic fluid.
 As nanofluids are composed of the inner and outer cylinders
of extremely small particles, it is were considered as 4 and 5 cm,
assumed that nanoparticles and respectively. The problem is two-
base fluid are in thermal dimensional, and is modelled as
equilibrium and they move with axisymmetric. Therefore, only half
same velocity. In the present of the domain of the problem is
work, the nonNewtonian investigated
nanofluid is considered
incompressible and under such The following three kinds of
assumptions, the governing mathematical expressions of the
equations are written as below: second law of thermodynamics for
different systems are widely
Conservation of mass:
accepted.
 Entropy increase
∇ ρnf v ¼ 0: ð1Þ principle for isolated (or
adiabatic) macroscopic
systems
Conservation of momentum: ðdSÞiso 0
 Gibbs free energy
∇ ρnf vv ¼ −∇P þ ∇ ðη∇vÞ: decreasing principle for
ð2Þ isothermal isobaric
macroscopic systems
ðdGÞT;p 0
Conservation of energy:  Positive entropy
production principle for
any macroscopic systems
∇ ρnf vcp;nf T ¼ ∇ knf ∇T
diS 0
ð3Þ

where ρ, k, cp and η The mathematical expression

respectively denote density, of thermodynamic coupling is Eq. 6
thermal conductivity, specific diS1 < 0;diS2 > 0 & diS 0
heat and apparent viscosity.
For isothermal isobaric
Moreover, v, T and P represent
systems, the mathematical
velocity, temperature and
expression of thermodynamic
pressure, respectively and
subscript nf refers to nanofluid. coupling could be written as
ðdG1ÞT;p > 0;ðdG2ÞT;p < 0; &
ðdGÞT;p 0 ð8Þ
The geometry under study is a
narrow annulus with a length of 3 because under isothermal isobaric
m, and a radius ratio of r∗ = 0.8.
conditions, Eq. 4 is ðdGÞT;p ¼ TdiS
Radius ratio means the radius of the
inner cylinder divided by the radius The equal part of the
of the outer cylinder. The diameter
mathematical expression of
 thermodynamic coupling
corresponds to nondissipative
thermodynamics (or nondissipative
systems), while the inequal part of
the mathematical expression of
thermodynamic coupling
corresponds to dissipative
thermodynamics (or dissipative
systems).
IV. CONCLUSION
From the study for optimal
configuration of condenser used in
air-conditioning system based on
minimum entropy generation
number, it can be concluded that
most of the entropy generation
number occurs on the air side.
Particularly, the result shows that
heat transfer creates much more
effects on entropy generation rate
than pressure drop does. The
entropy generation number
decreases with decreasing number
of tube rows and tube diameter, and
increasing with fin pitch. The
optimal configuration of a tube
diameter is between 6.35 and 12.7
mm (1/4 and 1/2 inch) and about
11–12 fins per inch, which is a
configuration of condenser
commonly used in present air-
The non-Newtonian nanofluid
flow for solution of 0.5 wt% CMC
in water containing TiO2
nanoparticles was numerically
investigated in a narrow annulus
from the second law viewpoint
using control volume approach.
Due to the non-Newtonian
behavior of the nanofluid, the
velocity profile becomes flatter at
higher Reynolds numbers and
concentrations that has noticeable
effects on convective heat transfer.
For the second law analysis, local
entropy generation rates at two
different cross sections of the
annulus as well as the integrated
entropy generation rates were
assessed. Due to the slower growth
of thermal boundary layer in
comparison with hydrodynamic
boundary layer, the profiles of
thermal entropy generation rate at
two different cross sections (one
near the inlet and the other near the
outlet) showed a conspicuous
difference, but a slight difference
between the frictional entropy
generation rates pertaining to these
two cross sections was observed.
At present, if there are ‘‘two
physicists”, as Truesdell said, or
even more scientists, basically
agreeing on the contents of this
paper, that will be a tremendous
success. Some differences might
still be left in cognition. That might
be the driving force for further
development of thermodynamics
later. The development of activated
low-pressure diamond growth in
the near 40 years has demonstrated
the success of thermodynamic
coupling model and nondissipative
thermodynamics of modern
thermodynamics.
V. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
[1] Ca´pek V, Sheehan DP. Challenges to
The present study was
the second law of thermodynamics:
financially supported by the
theory and experiment. Berlin:
Thailand Research Fund (TRF)
Springer; 2004, p. 3.
whose guidance and assistance are
[2] Kleidon A, Lorenz RD. Non-
gratefully acknowledged.
equilibrium thermodynamics and the
production of entropy – life, Earth,
VI. REFERENCES and beyond. Berlin: Springer; 2005.
[3] Lin ZH. Thermodynamics and
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