Calculating Joules to Compress Air: Dan's Question

In summary, the conversation is about calculating the amount of energy required to compress a certain volume of air at a specific temperature to a desired pressure. The equation P=nRT/V is used to integrate the function and the result is 5520.035 Joules for compressing air into a 4-gallon tank to 300 kPa. There is also a question about the volume of gas expanding at ambient pressure and whether it would be 12 or 16 gallons.
  • #1
Dalau
5
0
So here I am at work, and the go-to people for physics are away. Here is the problem I am trying to figure out:

I'm wondering how much energy it takes to compress a certain amount of
air at a certain temperature, to a certain pressure. For example, let's
say I had a 4-gallon tank of STP air and I wanted to add air until the
pressure inside the tank reached 300 kPa. How much energy, in joules,
would it require to do this?
-Danedit: nevermind this thread. Zz gave me a bit of help. If you want, you can still give me some help, but for now, I should be fine, unless I post here again requesting help.
 
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  • #2
You just do it the opposite way : calculate how much work the tank releases when it vents the gas out.

We have P=nRT/V, so you integrate the function nRT/V dV with 4 galon and 12 galon as the endpoints of the interval. 12 galon is the volume the compressed gas expand when it is released.
I am sorry not to have the numerical results for you.
 
  • #3
In this case, consider the atmosphere equals to 100kPa, then the energy needed to compress air into a 4 gallon tank to 300kPa is 5520.035 Joules.
 
  • #4
I ve got a question:

The gas is compressed to 300kPa with the volume of 1 gallon. At ambient condition, the pressure is 100kPa, and the absolute value of 300kPa must be 400kPa, so that the volume of gas will be 16 gallons, not just 12 gallons after being expanded to ambient pressure.
I am right?
 

1. How do you calculate the amount of Joules needed to compress air?

The formula for calculating Joules to compress air is: J = (P2 - P1) * V, where J is the amount of Joules, P2 is the final pressure, P1 is the initial pressure, and V is the volume of the air being compressed.

2. What are the units for measuring Joules?

Joules are measured in units of energy, which are equal to kg * m^2/s^2. This means that the unit of Joules can be broken down into kilograms, meters, and seconds.

3. Can you give an example of calculating Joules to compress air?

Sure! Let's say we have a cylinder with initial pressure of 100 kPa and a volume of 10 m^3. We want to compress the air to a final pressure of 200 kPa. Plugging these values into the formula, we get: J = (200 kPa - 100 kPa) * 10 m^3 = 1000 kJ. This means we would need 1000 kJ of energy to compress the air in this scenario.

4. Are there any other factors that affect the calculation of Joules to compress air?

Yes, there are a few other factors that can affect the calculation. These include the type of compressor being used, the efficiency of the compressor, and any heat transfer or work done on the air during compression. These factors may require additional calculations or adjustments to the formula.

5. What is the purpose of calculating Joules to compress air?

The purpose of calculating Joules to compress air is to determine the amount of energy needed to compress a specific volume of air to a desired pressure. This information is important for designing and operating compressed air systems, as well as understanding the energy requirements and costs associated with compressing air.

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