ME 231

Thermodynamics-I

Lecture 21
Fall 2016
Ideal Gas Specific Heats
The specific heats of real gases
at low pressures are called
ideal-gas specific heats, or
zero-pressure specific heats,
and are often denoted cpo and cvo.
Specific heats increases with
temperature.
Specific heats are higher for
gases with two or more atoms
in a molecule
Note that the Noble gases have
constant specific heats
The variation of specific heats
may be approximated as linear
over small temperature
intervals. 2
 Computing the gas properties
C v T dT
2
du C v (T ) dT u u 2 u1 1

dh C p (T ) dT 2
C p T dT
h h2 h1 1

If Cv and Cp are functions of temperature how

can we integrate to find U and H?
ay: By using tabulated u and h data (Table A-17 to A-2
Second way: By integrating the equations using cv
and cp as a function of temperature. May need
Third way:
computer useUse an average value, and let the heat
to solve.
capacity be a constant 2
u u 2 u1 C v T dT C v , ave T2 T1
1

h h2 h1 C p T dT C p ,ave T2 T1
2

3
Using Average Specific Heats
Assumption of constant specific heats: when can you use it?
T2

h 2 T2 h1 T1 c p dT c p T2 T1 ?
T1

c p T1 c p T2 T1 T2
where cp or c p c p
2 2

Either formulation for cp will be adequate because cp is

fairly linear with T over a narrow temperature range.
Take your choice.

4
Using the average specific heat
approximation
Crummy
Approximati
on

OK That only works, if the

Approximation value of heat capacity
changes linearly in the
range you are
interested in.

5

Three ways to calculate

6
 Specific Heat Ratio (k)
cp c p (T) cp R
k k(T) 1 k
cv c v (T) cv cv

R kR
cv and cp
k -1 k -1

or monatomic gases
5
c p R, and it is constant. Cp
2 k Specific Heat Rat
Cv
k does not vary as k = 1.4 for diatomic gases
strongly with (like air)
temperature as the heat k = 1.667 for noble gases7
capacity