Difference between Adiabatic, Isothermal and Isobaric


An adiabatic system is one in which there is no overall change in temperature. The process of adiabatic cooling occurs when the temperature of a gas falls as it expands. A rise in temperature due to compression is called adiabatic heating. For the study of the atmosphere, adiabatic processes are crucial.

An isothermal system is one in which there is no change in temperature and the relationships between pressure and volume are fixed. A phase transition illustrates an isothermal process. In spite of the changes in heat and volume, the temperature of a material remains constant during a phase transition.

In an isobaric system, the pressure remains constant because the volume of an isobaric system expands or contracts with the changes in temperature. To illustrate, if you put a given quantity of gas in a freezer, its volume will decrease but its pressure remains the same due to the cooling effect.

What is an Adiabatic System?

There is no overall net change in heat energy in an adiabatic system or process. Relationship between adiabatic processes and the first law of thermodynamics. This rule indicates that adding heat energy to a system will either alter the system's internal energy or cause the system to do some form of work. This is connected to the principle that neither matter nor energy can be generated nor destroyed, as stated by the law of conservation of energy. Thermodynamics dictates that a system's heat energy must be put to use. Either it will accomplish work, or it will alter the system's internal energy. It can't just go away like that.

As the system's pressure, volume, and temperature vary, the heat energy does not. This is known as an adiabatic system. Most adiabatic phenomena are easily observed in gases. In a gas, the temperature rises as the pressure rises due to adiabatic heating. The process of adiabatic cooling occurs when the pressure on a gas is lowered, resulting in a decrease in the gas's temperature. Because of the compression caused by adiabatic heating, the surrounding environment will exert a force on the gas. The gas will expand and exert a force on its surroundings if adiabatic cooling happens.

Pistons, such as those in a diesel engine, are a good illustration of where adiabatic processes are relevant. The gas will decrease in volume in response to increasing pressure from the piston. When the pressure is reduced, the gas may expand once again, driving the piston. Adiabatic mechanisms regulate this.

Diabatic processes play a crucial role in the study of weather and climate. Due to adiabatic cooling, the temperature of a parcel of air will drop if the package is lifted into the air. However, if a mass of air is compressed against the ground, its internal pressure will rise, resulting in an increase in temperature. In the same way that air pressure drops as you climb higher into the atmosphere, so does the temperature. The term "adiabatic lapse rate" refers to the pace at which temperatures drop as altitude increases.

What is an Isothermal System?

As the name implies, an isothermal process is one in which the temperature stays the same despite changes in the surrounding pressure and volume. The relationship between pressure, temperature, and volume is described by Boyle's gas law in thermodynamics. When one variable is maintained constant, the others shift in direct proportion. A gas's pressure and volume will be proportionally inverse to one another if its temperature is remained constant.

A phase transition illustrates an isothermal process. If you take water, for example, and heat it to its melting or boiling point, the pressure and temperature will stay the same but the phase, volume, and heat energy transform.

Heat engines, which are utilised in nuclear reactors, fossil fuel power plants, automobiles, aircraft, and spacecraft, and other crucial components of our contemporary way of life all rely on isothermal processes. Many other scientific disciplines also rely heavily on isothermal processes, including as biology, geology, space science, and planetary science.

What is an Isobaric System?

A process is said to be isobaric if the pressure within the system does not change. Volume and temperature are directly proportional under isobaric circumstances. A rise in temperature necessitates an accompanying rise in sound pressure. An easy demonstration of this is to freeze a balloon. The internal and external pressures will remain the same, but the balloon's volume will begin to decrease as it cools.

A second example would be a piston with weights on it that is pushed up and down by hot gas in a cylinder. The piston is forced downward by the expanding gas as its temperature rises. If the piston were immobile, the gas pressure would increase as the gas expanded, preventing the system from becoming isobaric.

Certain types of heat engines use isobaric processes to transform thermal energy into mechanical work, therefore understanding how these processes work is crucial to building efficient heat engines.

Differences: Adiabatic, Isothermal, and Isobaric

The following table highlights the characteristic features of Adiabatic, Isothermal, and Isobaric processes −

Characteristics

adiabatic

isothermal

isobaric

Temperature

In an adiabatic system, the gas's temperature falls as it expands.

In an isothermal system, the temperature will not change while the gas expands.

In an isobaric system, the pressure will rise.

Volume

For a given pressure, the volume of a gas decreases as the temperature of the system rises, as is the case in an adiabatic or isothermal system.

For a given pressure, the volume of a gas decreases as the temperature of the system rises, as is the case in an isothermal system.

In an isobaric environment, its value is proportional to the temperature.

Pressure

In an adiabatic system, gas pressure decreases as volume increases.

In an isothermal system, the pressure of a gas increases as the volume decreases.

In an isobaric system, it stays the same.

Heat

An adiabatic system is one where there is no transfer of heat.

In an isobaric or isothermal system, it does vary.

In an isobaric or isothermal system, it does vary.

Conclusion

In this article, we explained in detail the characteristic features of Adiabatic, Isothermal, and Isobaric systems and how you can distinguish among them.

Updated on: 01-Mar-2023

1K+ Views

Kickstart Your Career

Get certified by completing the course

Get Started
Advertisements