Internal Energy of virial expansion

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the virial expansion of the ideal gas and its implications for internal energy. The original poster presents a state equation and attempts to derive the internal energy and heat capacity as functions of temperature and volume.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster calculates the internal energy using a given hint and questions the sign of their result. They express uncertainty about the implications of their calculations for the heat capacity.
  • Participants suggest corrections regarding the limits of integration and the implications of these limits on the internal energy calculation.
  • There are discussions about the form of the internal energy equation and the conditions under which the heat capacity becomes independent of volume.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with participants providing guidance on integration limits and the formulation of equations. Multiple interpretations of the internal energy expression are being explored, and there is no explicit consensus yet on the correct form or implications of the calculations.

Contextual Notes

Participants are navigating constraints related to the assumptions of the ideal gas law and the virial expansion, as well as the implications of integrating from zero volume versus a finite initial volume.

Mikhail_MR
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Hello,
I have some trouble understanding the virial expansion of the ideal gas.

1. Homework Statement

I have given the state equation:
$$ pV = N k_b T \left(1+\frac{A\left(T\right)}{V}\right) $$

Homework Equations


[/B]
and a hint how to calculate the caloric equation of state $$ \left(\frac{\partial U}{\partial V}\right)_T = T^2 \left(\frac{\partial}{\partial T}\left(\frac{p}{T}\right)\right)_V $$

The Attempt at a Solution


[/B]
I calculated ## \frac{\partial}{\partial T} \left(\frac{p}{T}\right)_V = \frac{N k_b}{V^2} \left(\frac{\partial A\left(T\right)}{\partial T}\right)## first. So using the hint $$ U = \int_0^V \frac{N k_b}{V^2} T^2 \frac{\partial A\left(T\right)}{\partial T} dV = -N k_b T^2 \frac{\partial A\left(T\right)}{\partial T} \frac{1}{V}$$
If my calculations are correct, why is my internal energy negative? Unfortenately, I don't know which sign does ## \frac{\partial A\left(T\right)}{\partial T} ## have. My next task is to calculate ## c_V ## as a function of ## T ## and ## V ## and determine when it is volume independent.

$$ c_V = \left(\frac{\partial U}{\partial T}\right)_V = - \frac{1}{V} N k_B \left(2 T \frac{\partial A\left(T\right)}{\partial T} + T^2 \frac{\partial^2 A\left(T\right)}{\partial^2 T}\right) $$

If I look at this equation I cannot say when it does not depend on ## V ##. Where have I made a mistake?

Any help would be greatly appreciated
 
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Your lower limit of integration should not be zero. The gas is expanding, but not from zero initial volume. When you integrate, you get ##-\frac{1}{V}##. When the gas expands, from initial volume ##V_i## to final volume ##V##, ##V_i~<V## and ##- \left[ \frac{1}{V} \right]_{V_i}^{V} >0##.
 
Thank you, kuruman. I should have noticed that I can't use zero as the lower limit. If I use ## V_i ## then I get
$$ U = - \left[\frac{1}{V}-\frac{1}{V_i}\right] N k_B T^2 \frac{\partial A}{\partial T} > 0 $$
How do I determine now ## A ##, so that my ## c_V ## does not depend on ## V ##
 
Your limits of integration should go from the current volume to infinite volume (where the ideal gas law applies). At the infinite volume limit, ##U=U^{IG}(T)##
 
The internal energy is a total differential. In case of an ideal gas it depends only on the specific heat capacity by constant volume. In this case I calculate using the hint something like specific heat capacity by constant temperature. I mean ##c_T## in ## dU=c_V dT + c_T dV##. But I have no information about my first term. I must calculate the heat capacity by constant volume in the next part of the task.
 
Last edited:
The internal energy in your problem is $$U(T,V)=C_vT-\frac{N k_b T^2}{V} \frac{d A}{dT}$$
 
Thank you, Chestermiller. Maybe you think $$
U(T,V)=C_vT +\frac{N k_b T^2}{V} \frac{d A}{dT} $$ since ## \int_V^{\infty} 1 / V^2 = - \left[1 / V\right]_V^{\infty} = - 0 + 1 / V ##
 
Mikhail_MR said:
Thank you, Chestermiller. Maybe you think $$
U(T,V)=C_vT +\frac{N k_b T^2}{V} \frac{d A}{dT} $$ since ## \int_V^{\infty} 1 / V^2 = - \left[1 / V\right]_V^{\infty} = - 0 + 1 / V ##
No. Differentiate it with respect to V and see what you get.
 
It is strange: $$ \frac{d\left( 1/V\right)}{dV} = -1 / V^2,$$ but it is also true, that $$
\int_V^{\infty} 1 / V^2 = - \left[1 / V\right]_V^{\infty} = - 0 + 1 / V
$$
 
  • #10
Mikhail_MR said:
It is strange: $$ \frac{d\left( 1/V\right)}{dV} = -1 / V^2,$$ but it is also true, that $$
\int_V^{\infty} 1 / V^2 = - \left[1 / V\right]_V^{\infty} = - 0 + 1 / V
$$
Flip the limits of integration.
 
  • #11
Thank you! To the second part of the task. I can define new ##C_V\left(T, V\right)##, so that if I let ##V## to be infinite (ideal gas), I will get the internal energy of the ideal gas. So it is just
$$ C_V\left(V, T\right) = 3/2 N k_B - N k_B / V \frac{d}{dt}\left(T^2 \frac{d}{dt} A\right) $$
It means, when ## dA/dT ## or ##
\left(2 T \frac{\partial A\left(T\right)}{\partial T} + T^2 \frac{\partial^2 A\left(T\right)}{\partial^2 T}\right)
## are zero, I have no volume dependency.
 

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