A new approach to understanding engineering thermodynamics from its molecular basis

Dartnall, WJ; Reizes, JA

A new approach to understanding engineering thermodynamics from its molecular basis

Dartnall, WJ Reizes, JA

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Publication Type:: Conference Proceeding
Citation:: ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, Proceedings (IMECE), 2012, 5 pp. 1 - 10
Issue Date:: 2012-12-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Dartnall, WJ	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Reizes, JA	en_US
dc.date.issued	2012-12-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, Proceedings (IMECE), 2012, 5 pp. 1 - 10	en_US
dc.identifier.isbn	9780791845219	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/120208
dc.description.abstract	Engineering Thermodynamics is that engineering science in which students learn to analyze dynamic systems involving energy transformations, particularly where some of the energy is in the form of heat. It is well known that people have difficulty in understanding many of the concepts of thermodynamics; in particular, entropy and its consequences. However, even more widely known concepts such as energy and temperature are not simply defined or explained. Why is this lack of understanding and clarity of definition prevalent in this subject? Older engineering thermodynamics textbooks (often containing the words heat engines in the title) had a strong emphasis in their early chapters on the general physical details of thermodynamic equipment such as internal and external combustion engines, gas compressors and refrigeration systems. The working fluid in these systems might expand or contract while heat, work and mass might cross the system boundary. The molecular workings within the thermodynamic fluid are not of prime concern to the engineer even though they are to a physicist or chemist. Modern engineering thermodynamics textbooks place great emphasis on mathematical systems designed to analyze the behavior and performance of thermodynamic devices and systems, yet they rarely show, at least early in their presentation, graphical images of the equipment; moreover, they tend to give only passing reference to the molecular behavior of the thermodynamic fluid. This paper presents some teaching strategies for placing a greater emphasis on the physical realities of the equipment in conjunction with the molecular structure of the working fluid in order to facilitate a deeper understanding of thermodynamic performance limitations of equipment. Copyright © 2012 by ASME.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, Proceedings (IMECE)	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1115/IMECE2012-85208	en_US
dc.title	A new approach to understanding engineering thermodynamics from its molecular basis	en_US
dc.type	Conference Proceeding
utslib.citation.volume	5	en_US
utslib.for	091502 Computational Heat Transfer	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)/Institute For Sustainable Futures
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Electrical and Data Engineering
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	5	en_US

Abstract:

Engineering Thermodynamics is that engineering science in which students learn to analyze dynamic systems involving energy transformations, particularly where some of the energy is in the form of heat. It is well known that people have difficulty in understanding many of the concepts of thermodynamics; in particular, entropy and its consequences. However, even more widely known concepts such as energy and temperature are not simply defined or explained. Why is this lack of understanding and clarity of definition prevalent in this subject? Older engineering thermodynamics textbooks (often containing the words heat engines in the title) had a strong emphasis in their early chapters on the general physical details of thermodynamic equipment such as internal and external combustion engines, gas compressors and refrigeration systems. The working fluid in these systems might expand or contract while heat, work and mass might cross the system boundary. The molecular workings within the thermodynamic fluid are not of prime concern to the engineer even though they are to a physicist or chemist. Modern engineering thermodynamics textbooks place great emphasis on mathematical systems designed to analyze the behavior and performance of thermodynamic devices and systems, yet they rarely show, at least early in their presentation, graphical images of the equipment; moreover, they tend to give only passing reference to the molecular behavior of the thermodynamic fluid. This paper presents some teaching strategies for placing a greater emphasis on the physical realities of the equipment in conjunction with the molecular structure of the working fluid in order to facilitate a deeper understanding of thermodynamic performance limitations of equipment. Copyright © 2012 by ASME.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/120208