Introductory Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics

Chapter 3. Energy Balances for Composite Systems

A theory is the more impressive the greater the simplicity of its premises is, the more different kinds of things it relates, and the more extended is its area of applicability. Therefore the deep impression which classical thermodynamics made upon me.

Albert Einstein

Having established the principle of the energy balance for individual systems, it is straightforward to extend the principle to a collection of several individual systems working together to form a composite system. One of the simplest and most enlightening examples is the Carnot cycle which is a benchmark system used to evaluate conversion of heat into work. The principle of the first law is perhaps most powerful when applied from ...