Work
The working fluid can be used to output useful work if used in a turbine. Also, in thermodynamic cycles energy may be input to the working fluid by means of a compressor. The mathematical formulation for this may be quite simple if we consider a cylinder in which a working fluid resides. A piston is used to input useful work to the fluid. From mechanics, the work done from state 1 to state 2 of the process is given by
Where ds is the incremental distance from one state to the next and F is the force applied. The negative sign is introduced since in this case a decrease in volume is being considered. The situation is shown in the figure which follows.
The force is given by the product of the pressure in the cylinder and its cross sectional area such that
Where A.ds = dV is the elemental change of cylinder volume. If from state 1 to 2 the volume increases then the working fluid actually does work on its surroundings and this is commonly denoted by a negative work. If the volume decreases the work is positive. By the definition given with the above integral the work done is represented by the area under a pressure - volume diagram. If we consider the case where we have a constant pressure process then the work is simply given by
Read more about this topic: Working Fluid
Famous quotes containing the word work:
“A work of art is above all an adventure of the mind.”
—Eugène Ionesco (b. 1912)
“Let us work without theorizing, ‘tis the only way to make life endurable.”
—Voltaire [François Marie Arouet] (1694–1778)
“Most childhood problems don’t result from “bad” parenting, but are the inevitable result of the growing that parents and children do together. The point isn’t to head off these problems or find ways around them, but rather to work through them together and in doing so to develop a relationship of mutual trust to rely on when the next problem comes along.”
—Fred Rogers (20th century)