Introduction to Thermodynamics Systems | Additional Documents & Tests for Civil Engineering (CE) PDF Download

Introduction :

The word “Thermodynamics” originates from its Greek roots (therme, heat; dynamis, force). As a subject it is concerned with quantification of inter-relation between energy and the change of state of any real world system. The extent of such change of state due to transfer of energy to or from the system is captured through the basic equations of thermodynamics which are derived starting from a set of fundamental observations known as “Laws of Thermodynamics”. The laws are essentially ‘postulates’ that govern the nature of interaction of real systems and energy. They are products of human experiential observations to which no exceptions have been found so far, and so are considered to be “laws”. The scope of application of the laws of thermodynamics ranges from the microscopic to the macroscopic order, and indeed to cosmological processes. Thus, all processes taking place in the universe, whether in non-living or living systems, are subject to the laws of thermodynamics.  

Historically speaking, thermodynamics, is an extension of Newtonian mechanics which considered mechanical forces (or energy) as the agent of change of state of a body (anything possessing mass), the state being defined by its position and momentum with respect to a frame of reference. With the discovery steam power which propelled the so-called ‘Industrial Revolution’ of the 18th century, it became evident that not only the direct application of mechanical energy can change the state of a system, but that fluids themselves can act as reservoir of energy, which can be harnessed to effect changes in the real world to human advantage. It was this observation that laid the foundations of thermodynamics, which now constitutes a generalized way of understanding and quantifying all changes that occur during processes taking place in the universe as a result of application of energy in any form.