Heat Engine

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Introduction
If you examined the pressure-volume behaviour of a gas (as in Experiment 1), you would
have performed one of the thermodynamic processes involved in the cycle found in the operation
of a heat engine. This process is known as an isothermal expansion - so named because the data
were collected slowly enough that the temperature of the gas in the system remained constant.
In this experiment, you will examine some thermodynamic processes to understand how the
internal energy of the system (U) is affected by exchanges of energy between the system and the
surroundings.

Objectives
Find out how Carnot Cycle works.
Compare W, Q, and Internal Energy of each step.
Simulate a heat engine model.
Applies the laws of thermodynamics into this experiment.
Compare and contrast of expansion and compression.

Materials
Vernier data-collection interface
Logger Pro or LabQuest App
Vernier Gas Pressure Sensor
Vernier Stainless Steel Temperature Probe
125 mL Erlenmeyer flask
400 mL Supply of hot and cold water

Procedure
1. Connect the Temperature Probe to the interface and choose New from the File menu. As
before, change the data-collection mode to Events with Entry. Enter Volume as the Name and
mL as the Units.
2. Set the syringe volume to zero and connect it to the stoppered flask. Place the flask in the 400
mL beaker as shown in Figure 2.

3. Begin data collection. Click or tap Keep and, in the volume field, enter the value you determined
in part 1 for the system volume.
4. Add hot water (60-75 degrees Celsius) to the beaker until the flask is immersed as much as
possible. Friction between the seal on the plunger and the wall of the string will keep the gas
from expanding. When the temperature and pressure readings are reasonably stable, click or
tap Keep and enter the same volume as you did in Step 3.
5. As quickly as you can, perform the isothermal expansion you did in Part 1, keeping the volume
readings. If the temperature drops more than a couple of degrees before your final volume
reading, you should stop the run, cool the flask back to room temperature, and repeat Step 2-5.
6. Cool the flash to your starting temperature without changing the volume. When the temperature
and pressure readings are stable, select Keep, and enter the system volume.
7. Now, perform an isothermal compression of the gas in a series of 2-3 mL steps, this time
decreasing the syringe volume and keeping the readings as you enter the volumes. What
should be the reading on the pressure sensor when the syringe volume returns to zero? Stop
data collection.
8. If you are using Logger Pro, choose Text Annotation from the Insert menu to label each of the
four processes in your thermodynamic cycle. If you are using LabQuest App, either print your
graph and label the processes by hand, or import your data into Logger Pro to label them. Save
your file.

Result

*Temperature: 68 degree Celsius during state1

65 degree Celsius during state 2

Evaluation of Data (Analysis)

1. Open your data file for the 4-process cycle. Label each of the processes in the cycle and
determine the signs of Q, W, and the total of Internal Energy. For this experiment use the
convention that a positive value of Q or W increases the internal energy of the system. Record
your answers.
Step

Process

Total of Internal
Energy

Isothermal Expansion

Isochoric Expansion

Isothermal Compression

Isochoric Compression

2. What does the area under the PV curve in the isothermal processes represent? Explain why the
sign of this quantity is different in these two processes.
The area under the PV graph in the isothermal process represents the total work that had
been done to the system, isothermal expansion, and the work that had done by the system,
isothermal compression. The isothermal process, the temperature of the system is constant. This
means there will be no change in internal energy within the system. As the first law of
thermodynamic stated that U=Q-W, internal energy is zero. So, the work that had done will be
equal to the heat that had been transferred.
3. Explain how the internal energy of the system remains constant during the isothermal processes.
The internal energy of the system remains constant during the isothermal processes
because there is heat that gain and loss from the system. During this process, we added the
reservoir to the system. The hot reservoir, high temperature water, had been added during the
isothermal expansion process to keep the temperature constant. Since the first law of
Thermodynamic state that U=Q-W. And for a gas the U=3/2nRT, which R is the gas constant
and n is the number of moles of gas. When there was no change in temperature means that the
kinetic energy of the molecule is kept moving constantly made the U=0 because no energy was
added to make the molecule move faster or slower. So W=Q when the internal energy of the
system remains constant.

Conclusion
The experiment we did is related to the four processes which are isothermal expansion,
isochoric cooling, isothermal compression, and isochoric heating. During the Isothermal expansion,
we use the beaker that contained hot water, high temperature reservoir, to constant the
temperature in the system. According to the formula, PV=NRT, the temperature is directly
proportional to the internal energy, when there is no change in temperature, the internal energy
also remains the same. As we pull the syringe upward, the pressure in the system decreases while
the volume in the system increases, the heat has been transferred into the beaker from the hot
reservoir. When there was heat absorbed into the system means the heat was added into the
system so Q is positive, then the system use that added heat to perform work means that W is
negative, came to the formula U=Q-W.
The result from this experiment shows the Carnots Cycle. During the isothermal expansion
which we pull the syringe up, the pressure in the system is decreased while the volume is
increased. Then in the isochoric cooling, we take the beaker out from a hot reservoir so the volume
remains the same but the pressure still continue to decrease. Then to the third process, isothermal
compression, we push the syringe down, the pressure inside the system increases while the
volume decreases. Then to the last process, isochoric heating, we didnt push down the syringe
anymore so the volume stopped to decrease but the pressure continues to increase. For the error,
the only way we can do with to quickly change in temperature is we should be fast recorded at the
time we put the beaker to the hot reservoir. An another possible reason is because of the room
temperature that was too cold or below the normal room temperature which is about 27, but
because of the air-conditional made the room temperature below the standard. So when the we put
the beaker into the hot reservoir, the temperature is immediately rise up, due to a large gap
between temperature.

Error
The difference in temperature during isothermal expansion is too much, about 3 degree Celsius.