Lesson 1434 of 1524
The Second Law of Thermodynamics
The focus of a refrigerator is on removing heat from the cold reservoir with a coefficient of performance K R
Practice this chapterThe focus of a refrigerator is on removing heat from the cold reservoir with a coefficient of performance K R The focus of a heat pump is on dumping heat to the hot reservoir with a coefficient of performance K P
An irreversible process is one in which the system and its environment cannot return together to exactly the states that they were in A refrigerator or a heat pump is a heat engine run in reverse
reversible process — process in which both the system and the external environment theoretically can be returned to their original states. irreversible process — process in which neither the system nor its environment can be restored to their original states at the same time. focus of a refrigerator — on removing heat from the cold reservoir with a coefficient of performance K R. focus of a heat pump — on dumping heat to the hot reservoir with a coefficient of performance K P.
Worked example
What does “reversible process” mean in The Second Law of Thermodynamics?
- 1Use the wording this chapter gives for reversible process.
- 2The book says: process in which both the system and the external environment theoretically can be returned to their original states.
- 3Do not use the meaning of irreversible process. That term means process in which neither the system nor its environment can be restored to their original states at the same time.
Result: process in which both the system and the external environment theoretically can be returned to their original states
Why. That is the meaning this chapter gives for reversible process.
Do not swap reversible process and irreversible process. reversible process means process in which both the system and the external environment theoretically can be returned to their original states. irreversible process means process in which neither the system nor its environment can be restored to their original states at the same time.
Practice margin
This chapter
A fresh set from this chapter only. Choose 10 or 20. Multiple choice and fill-in, with no repeat inside the set.