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Work done by a non-reversible heat engine

 
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Dec15-10, 09:00 PM   #1
 

Work done by a non-reversible heat engine


Hello. I have a question about a theoretical heat engine I recently encountered in my coursework:

The setup is two chambers, one with more moles of a gas than the other, separated by a heat-conducting barrier. The right chamber has a small piston attached to it and is at a lower temperature.

The right chamber also has less moles of gas than the other. Presumably, heat would flow from the isochoric left chamber into the right chamber, causing the gas to expand isobarically and do the work of raising the piston.

I am certain that the transformation is isobaric, and my teacher has confirmed this in class notes. My question is whether the final temperature of the two gases will be the same as it would have been if the piston were not there and the systems were attached and the right one was isochoric.

I know that the right chamber does work, but for some reason I feel as if this does not affect the final temperature. Can anyone confirm?
 
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Dec16-10, 09:15 AM   #2
 
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If work is done, the final temperature has to be lower. The energy transferred as work has to come from somewhere.
 
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heat engine, isobaric, transformation
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