Reversible isochoric process

A reversible isochoric process is a reversible thermodynamic process that occurs at constant volume. Consider an ideal gas in a piston-cylinder device immersed in a water bath. The piston is soldered to the cylinder walls and is immovable.

       

AD and BC in the above diagram are reversible isochoric processes. According to the ideal gas law, a system undergoing a reversible isochoric process from A to D requires the ratio of to be constant as the pressure of the system decreases. This is, in practice, carried out by continuously decreasing the temperature of the water bath by infinitesimal amounts. Since , work done for a reversible isochoric process is zero (see eq5). Many chemical reactions that take place in a bomb calorimeter are carried out under isochoric conditions.

 

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