Questions about the ideal gas law - thermodynamics

To solve for the volume of the rigid container, you can use the same formula but with the new pressure and temperature values given. In summary, to solve for the gage pressure in the first problem, you can use the ideal gas law and rearrange it to solve for pressure. For the second problem, you can use the formula PV = mRT and rearrange it to solve for volume.
  • #1
dealz
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im studying building systems engineering technology. yeh i know it's only a technology program at the cegep level but when I'm done with it, I'm going to do software engineering in university. anyways I'm having trouble to understand two problems in the book. if anyone can help me with this, it would be greatly appreciated.

1) Determine the gage pressure if the atmospheric pressure is 14.7 psia, the gas constant is 96 ft-lb/lb R, and the specific volume is 10 ft^3/lbm.
The answer is 31.9 psig

2) 70 lbs mass of gas are contained in a rigid container at 200 psia and 80 F. The gas is then expanded to fill a 2000 ft^3 volume at a pressure pf 20 psia and a temperature of 70 F. Determine the volume of the rigid container.
The answer is 203.7 ft^3.

Can someone show me the steps on how they got the answer because i already know the answer. i just need help on how to solve the problem.

for the first question, the formula is pv = mrt. we'll i know right away to find P = mRT. i would multiply 96ft-lb*700 * R (I don't know how to get that)/ Volume (I also don't know how to get that but i know it's something to do with the specific volume of 10 ft^3)

for the second question, i multiplied (70)(80)/200. and from there I'm lost and don't know what to do.
 
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  • #2
For the first question, you can use the ideal gas law to solve for the pressure. The equation is P*V = n*R*T, where P is the pressure, V is the volume, n is the number of moles, R is the gas constant, and T is the temperature in Kelvin. You know that the atmospheric pressure is 14.7 psia, the gas constant is 96 ft-lb/lb R, and the specific volume is 10 ft^3/lbm. We can rearrange the equation to solve for pressure, so P = (n*R*T)/V. Plugging in the given values, we get P = (96 ft-lb/lb R * 700 K)/10 ft^3/lbm, which simplifies to P = 672 ft-lb/lbm. Converting this to psi, we get P = 672 ft-lb/lbm * 1 psi/144 ft-lb/lbm, which simplifies to P = 31.9 psi. For the second question, the formula to use is PV = mRT, where P is the pressure, V is the volume, m is the mass, R is the gas constant, and T is the temperature in Kelvin. We can rearrange the equation to solve for volume, so V = (mRT)/P. Plugging in the given values, we get V = (70 lbs * 80 F * 4.66 lb ft/lb R * 518.7 R)/200 psi, which simplifies to V = 203.7 ft^3.
 
  • #3



Hello,

I am happy to help you understand the ideal gas law and how to solve these problems. The ideal gas law is a fundamental equation in thermodynamics that describes the behavior of gases under certain conditions. It states that the pressure (P), volume (V), temperature (T), and number of moles (n) of a gas are all related by the equation PV = nRT, where R is the gas constant.

Now, let's break down the steps to solve these problems:

1) Determine the gage pressure if the atmospheric pressure is 14.7 psia, the gas constant is 96 ft-lb/lb R, and the specific volume is 10 ft^3/lbm.

To solve this problem, we will use the ideal gas law equation. We are given the values for atmospheric pressure (P = 14.7 psia), gas constant (R = 96 ft-lb/lb R), and specific volume (V = 10 ft^3/lbm). We are asked to find the gage pressure (P_g).

First, let's rearrange the ideal gas law equation to solve for P_g:
P_g = (nRT)/V

Next, we need to find the number of moles (n) of the gas. To do this, we can use the formula n = m/M, where m is the mass of the gas (which is not given in this problem) and M is the molar mass of the gas. Since we do not have the molar mass of the gas, we can assume it to be 1 lbm (pound-mass) for simplicity.

Therefore, n = (m/1 lbm) = m

Now, we can plug in the given values into our equation:
P_g = (mRT)/V

Since we do not have the mass (m) of the gas, we can cancel it out on both sides of the equation. This leaves us with:
P_g = RT/V

Finally, we can plug in the values for R, T, and V to get our answer:
P_g = (96 ft-lb/lb R)(80 F)(10 ft^3/lbm) = 7680 ft-lb/ft^3

However, we want our answer in units of pressure (psi or psig), so we need to convert ft-lb/ft^3 to psi. To
 

1. What is the ideal gas law and how is it used in thermodynamics?

The ideal gas law is a mathematical equation that describes the behavior of an ideal gas. It is used in thermodynamics to calculate the relationships between pressure, volume, temperature, and number of particles in a gas system. This law assumes that the gas particles have no volume and do not interact with each other, making it an idealized model for real gases.

2. What are the variables in the ideal gas law and how are they related?

The ideal gas law has four variables: pressure (P), volume (V), temperature (T), and number of particles (n). These variables are related by the equation PV = nRT, where R is the gas constant. This equation shows that pressure and volume are inversely proportional, while temperature and volume are directly proportional. It also shows that increasing the number of particles or temperature will increase pressure, while increasing volume will decrease pressure.

3. What are the units for the variables in the ideal gas law?

The units for the variables in the ideal gas law depend on the unit system being used. In SI units, pressure is measured in Pascals (Pa), volume in cubic meters (m³), temperature in Kelvin (K), and number of particles in moles (mol). In the imperial system, pressure can be measured in pounds per square inch (psi), volume in cubic feet (ft³), temperature in degrees Fahrenheit (°F), and number of particles in pounds (lb).

4. How does the ideal gas law differ from real gases?

The ideal gas law is an idealized model and does not accurately describe the behavior of real gases. It assumes that the gas particles have no volume and do not interact with each other, which is not the case for real gases. This means that at high pressures or low temperatures, the ideal gas law will deviate from the actual behavior of real gases.

5. How is the ideal gas law used in practical applications?

The ideal gas law is used in many practical applications, such as in the design of gas storage tanks, calculation of gas volumes and pressures in chemical reactions, and in the production of industrial gases. It is also used in the ideal gas thermometer, which measures temperature based on the pressure and volume of a gas. The ideal gas law is a fundamental concept in thermodynamics and is used extensively in the study of gas systems and processes.

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