Does Helium Expands Faster than Air When Heated?

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The discussion centers on the comparison of two piston-cylinder systems containing helium and air, both starting under identical conditions. The key question is whether the helium system will expand faster than the air system when exposed to the same heat source. It is noted that helium has a higher specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity than air, which suggests it may absorb energy more quickly. Although there is some debate about the exact values of specific heat capacities, it is generally agreed that helium will likely expand at a greater rate due to its superior energy absorption capabilities. Overall, the consensus leans towards helium causing a faster change in volume per unit time compared to air.
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This is a really confusing issue .. even when asked my professor in thermodynamics he tried to derive many theromdynamic equations and could not come to a conclusion about it

if we have two cylinder piston systems ,, they both have the exact same conditions except the kind of gas in each one ,,, one has Helium as the working gas ,, the other one has air as the working gas

both cylinder piston systems have the same initial vloume V1 and the same initial Pressure= 1 atm .. and the same initial Temperature= 25 C

then we expose both systems to exactly the same source of heat with exact condition, and both systems starts to have volume expansion that drive the piston up ,, while keeping constant pressure.

its known that Cp for Helium is about 5 times greater than Cp for air ,, and also the thermal conductivity of Helium is much greater than that of air.

my question is : is the piston cylinder system that contains Helium going to expand FASTER than that which contains air? or they both are going to expand at the same speed?

Thank You
 
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When you say "faster" I'm guessing that you mean change in volume per unit time.

I don't think Cp for helium is 5 times greater than for air (probably 1.2 times or so) but Helium will probably expand faster because it will absorb energy faster from the reservoir. Rate of heat is quicker into the cylinder with helium, thus it supplies more energy per unit time.
 
Curl said:
When you say "faster" I'm guessing that you mean change in volume per unit time.

I don't think Cp for helium is 5 times greater than for air (probably 1.2 times or so) but Helium will probably expand faster because it will absorb energy faster from the reservoir. Rate of heat is quicker into the cylinder with helium, thus it supplies more energy per unit time.

thank you for your reply ,, but based on what you have concluded that Helium will absorb energy faster than air?

Note: yes, faster means: higher chanage in volume per unit time

thanks
 
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