Introduction and Basic Concepts

Instructor: Joaquín Valencia

ME 3110
 Content
• Applications
• Systems
• Systems and Their Behavior
• Measuring Mass, Length, Time, and Force
• Density and Specific Gravity
• Pressure
• Temperature
 Content
• Applications
 Applications
Thermodynamics can be defined as the science of energy.

Selected Areas of Application of Engineering Thermodynamics.

 Content
• Applications
• Systems
 Defining Systems
A system is defined as a quantity of matter or a region in space chosen for study.

The mass or region outside the system is called the surroundings.

The real or imaginary surface that separates the system from its surroundings
is called the boundary.

System, surroundings, and boundary.

 Defining Systems
A closed system (or control mass) consists of a fixed amount of mass, and no mass can
cross its boundary.
Special case: If even energy is not allowed to cross the boundary, that system is called an
isolated system.
An open system (or a control volume) is a region in space where both mass and energy
can cross its boundary.

Closed system or Open system or

control mass. control volume.
 Content
• Applications
• Systems
• Systems and Their Behavior
 Macroscopic and Microscopic Views
of Thermodynamics
Macroscopic Views of Thermodynamics (also called classical thermodynamics):
Matter behaves as a continuum.
Microscopic Views of Thermodynamics (know as statistical thermodynamics): Is
concerned directly with the structure of matter.

A gas can usually be treated as a continuum.

 Property, State, and Process
Property is a macroscopic characteristic of a system.

State refers to the condition of a system as described by its properties.

A process is a transformation from one state to another.

Steady state: a system is said to be in steady state if none of its properties

changes with time.

A system at two different states. A process between states 1 and 2 and the
process path.
 Extensive and Intensive Properties
Extensive properties are those whose values depend on the size or extent of the
system. Extensive properties can change with time.
Intensive properties are those that are independent of size and extent of a
system. Intensive properties may be functions of both position and time.

Criterion to differentiate intensive

and extensive properties.
 Thermodynamic Equilibrium
Thermal equilibrium a system is in thermal equilibrium if the temperature is
the same throughout the entire system.
Mechanical equilibrium: a system is in mechanical equilibrium if there is no
change in pressure at any point of the system with time.
Phase equilibrium: if a system involves two phases, it is in phase equilibrium
when the mass of each phase reaches an equilibrium level and stays there.
Chemical equilibrium: a system is in chemical equilibrium if its chemical
composition does not change with time, that is, no chemical reactions occur.

A closed system reaching thermal

equilibrium.
 Content
• Applications
• Systems
• Systems and Their Behavior
• Measuring Mass, Length, Time,
and Force
 SI Units

Unit is any specified amount of a dimension by

comparison.
English Engineering Units

Physical quantities = Dimensions

 Content
• Applications
• Systems
• Systems and Their Behavior
• Measuring Mass, Length, Time, and Force
• Density and Specific Gravity
 Density and Specific Gravity

Density,  : at any instant the density  at a point is defined as

m m
  lim V : Volume or 
VV' V V
V ’ : Smallest volume.

Mass, m : m  V
dV

V 1
Specific Volume, v : v 
m 


Specific Gravity (or relative density) SG 
H O2

 H 2O  1000 kg m 3 ( Density of water at 4C)

 Content
• Applications
• Systems
• Systems and Their Behavior
• Measuring Mass, Length, Time, and Force
• Density and Specific Gravity
• Pressure
 Pressure

The pressure, p, at the specified point is defined as the limit

A : Area.
Fnormal
p  lim A’ : Smallest volume.
A A ' A Fnormal : Force normal to the area.

Absolute, gage, and vacuum pressures.

 Pressure Measurement

p  patm   l gL patm  pvapor   m gL

Manometer. Barometer.
 Buoyancy

F  gV

F = Buoyant force.
 = Fluid density.
V = Volume of the block.

Evaluation of buoyant force for

a submerged body.
 Pressure
Example 2
Intravenous infusions usually are driven by gravity by hanging the fluid bottle at
sufficient height to counteract the blood pressure in the vein and to force the fluid into
the body (see Fig. below). The higher the bottle is raised, the higher the flow rate of
the fluid will be. (a) If it is observed that the fluid and the blood pressures balance each
other when the bottle is 0.8 m above the arm level, determine the gage pressure of the
blood. (b) If the gage pressure of the fluid at the arm level needs to be 16 kPa for
sufficient flow rate, determine how high the bottle must be placed. Take the density of
the fluid to be 1020 kg/m3.
 Content
• Applications
• Systems
• Systems and Their Behavior
• Measuring Mass, Length, Time, and Force
• Density and Specific Gravity
• Pressure
• Temperature
 Temperature

Temperature and thermal equilibrium

When the two blocks are in thermal equilibrium, their temperatures are equal.

The zeroth law of thermodynamics states that if two bodies are in thermal
equilibrium with a third body, they are also in thermal equilibrium with each
other. The third object is usually a thermometer.
 Temperature Scales

T K   T C 

T R   1.8T K 

K  273.15 C R  491.67 F  32
  
5 5 9 9
 Temperature Scales
Example 2
During a heating process, the temperature of a system rises by 1°C. Express this
rise in temperature in K, °F, and R.
 References
[1] Çengel, Y.U., Boles, M.A. “Thermodynamics: An engineering Approach”, 8th Ed, McGraw-Hill Education,
2015.
[2] Moran, M.J., Shapiro H.N., Boettner, D.D., Bailey, M.B., “Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics”,
9th Ed, Wiley, 2018.