"Thermodynamics is a branch of physics that deals with heat, work, and temperature, and their relation to energy, entropy, and the physical properties of matter and radiation."
Study of the relationship between heat, energy, and work.
Basic Concepts and Definitions: This topic includes understanding the terms used in thermodynamics such as system, surroundings, energy, work, heat, entropy, etc.
Laws of Thermodynamics: A thorough understanding of the four laws of thermodynamics is essential in petroleum engineering. These laws explain the behavior of energy and how it moves among systems.
Properties of Pure Substances: This topic is about the physical and chemical properties of pure substances such as water, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. Understanding these properties is key to understanding the behavior of substances in various states.
Laws of Thermodynamics for Open Systems: In petroleum engineering, various systems are open, which means the exchange of mass and energy between the system and its surroundings. Therefore, understanding the laws of thermodynamics for open systems is crucial.
Thermodynamic Cycles: This topic is about the various thermodynamic cycles such as Brayton cycle, Rankine cycle, Carnot cycle, Otto cycle, and Diesel cycle. Understanding these cycles is important to grasp the behavior of engines and power plants.
Thermodynamic Properties of Real Substances: Real substances exhibit thermodynamic properties such as heat capacity, enthalpy, entropy, etc. Understanding these properties is essential in the calculation of the behavior of real substances.
Conduction, Convection, and Radiation: This topic includes the different heat transfer mechanisms in petroleum engineering such as conduction, convection, and radiation. The efficient use of these mechanisms is essential for the efficient operation of various oil and gas processes.
Phase Equilibrium and Stability: Understanding the behavior of substances in different phases (solid, liquid, gas) and their equilibrium and stability is an essential topic in petroleum engineering.
Chemical Reactions Thermodynamics: In petroleum engineering, it is common to deal with various chemical reactions such as combustion, cracking, and polymerization. Understanding the thermodynamics of such reactions is crucial to designing efficient processes.
Energy and Exergy Analyses: This topic is about the analysis of energy and exergy flows in various systems. It helps uncover the potential losses and increase the efficiency of various processes.
Classical thermodynamics: Classical thermodynamics is the study of the relationships between various properties of thermodynamic systems, such as temperature, pressure, volume, entropy, and energy. It deals with the behavior of macroscopic systems and is based on a set of fundamental laws, namely the first law of thermodynamics, the second law of thermodynamics, and the third law of thermodynamics.
Statistical thermodynamics: Statistical thermodynamics is the study of the behavior of large numbers of small particles, such as atoms and molecules, which make up a system. It provides a microscopic view of the behavior of thermodynamic systems, and it deals with quantities such as probability, statistics, and energy distributions. It is used to calculate thermodynamic properties of systems at the molecular level.
Non-equilibrium thermodynamics: Non-equilibrium thermodynamics is the study of the behavior of thermodynamic systems that are not in thermal equilibrium. It deals with systems that are out of balance, such as systems that are undergoing chemical reactions, heat transfer, or other processes that are not at equilibrium. It is used to study the behavior of systems that are far from equilibrium, and to understand the thermodynamic properties of systems that are undergoing change.
"The behavior of these quantities is governed by the four laws of thermodynamics which convey a quantitative description using measurable macroscopic physical quantities."
"The behavior of these quantities may be explained in terms of microscopic constituents by statistical mechanics."
"Thermodynamics applies to a wide variety of topics in science and engineering, especially physical chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering, and mechanical engineering, but also in other complex fields such as meteorology."
"Historically, thermodynamics developed out of a desire to increase the efficiency of early steam engines."
"French physicist Sadi Carnot (1824) who believed that engine efficiency was the key that could help France win the Napoleonic Wars."
"Scots-Irish physicist Lord Kelvin was the first to formulate a concise definition of thermodynamics in 1854."
"German physicist and mathematician Rudolf Clausius restated Carnot's principle known as the Carnot cycle and gave the theory of heat a truer and sounder basis."
"His most important paper, 'On the Moving Force of Heat,' published in 1850, first stated the second law of thermodynamics."
"In 1865 he introduced the concept of entropy."
"In 1870 he introduced the virial theorem, which applied to heat."
"The initial application of thermodynamics to mechanical heat engines was quickly extended to the study of chemical compounds and chemical reactions."
"Chemical thermodynamics studies the nature of the role of entropy in the process of chemical reactions."
"Statistical thermodynamics, or statistical mechanics, concerns itself with statistical predictions of the collective motion of particles from their microscopic behavior."
"In 1909, Constantin Carathéodory presented a purely mathematical approach in an axiomatic formulation, a description often referred to as geometrical thermodynamics."