Thermodynamics: Ideal Gas Law, find the temperature

In summary: So yes, you could use that value in your calculation.In summary, the conversation was about finding the temperature of oxygen in a 3-ft^3 container filled with 2-lbm of oxygen at a pressure of 80 psia. The Ideal Gas Law was discussed and the correct conversion for the number of lb moles was determined to be 0.0625 instead of 2. The final calculation yielded a temperature of 11.18 R.
  • #1
AbbeyC172
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Homework Statement


A 3-ft^3 container is filled with 2-lbm of oxygen at a pressure of 80 psia. What is the temperature of the oxygen?

Homework Equations


pV= nRT
T= PV/nR
R= 10.7316 psia x ft^3/ lbmol x R

The Attempt at a Solution


Hi everyone! So I understand how to use the Ideal Gas Law but my answer doesn't seem right so I think I might have messed up a conversion somewhere?

T= ?
V= 3 ft^3
n= 2 lbsm
R= 10.7316 psia x ft^3/ lbmol x R
P= 80 psia

Using T= PV/nR

T= (80 psia)(3 ft^3)/(2 lbsm)(10.7316 psia x ft^3/ lbmol x R)

I was able to cancel out the psia, ft^3, lbmoles, and was left with R which I am assuming means my temperature in Rankine? After calculating the above I got:

T= 240/21.46= 11.18 R

Can anyone let me know if I did this correctly? Thank you so much in advance.
 
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  • #2
n is not 2 lbs. How many lbs are there in a lb mole?
 
  • #3
Thank you for reply! Lbs of what? All I found was a lb mole is 12 lbs of 12C. I’m not going to lie. Moles confuse the heck out of me.
 
  • #4
AbbeyC172 said:
Thank you for reply! Lbs of what? All I found was a lb mole is 12 lbs of 12C. I’m not going to lie. Moles confuse the heck out of me.
A lb mole of oxygen has a mass of 32 lbm. (i.e., equal to its molecular weight of oxygen). So, you have 1/16 of a lb mole. Your answer is off by a factor of 32.
 
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  • #5
Chestermiller said:
A lb mole of oxygen has a mass of 32 lbm. (i.e., equal to its molecular weight of oxygen). So, you have 1/16 of a lb mole. Your answer is off by a factor of 32.

Ah I get it now! So could I just put in 0.0625 in instead of the 2lbm?
 
  • #6
AbbeyC172 said:
Ah I get it now! So could I just put in 0.0625 in instead of the 2lbm?
0.0625 is the number of lb moles represented by 2 lbm.
 
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1. What is the Ideal Gas Law?

The Ideal Gas Law is a fundamental equation in thermodynamics that relates the pressure, volume, and temperature of an ideal gas. It is often written as PV = nRT, where P is pressure, V is volume, n is the number of moles of gas, R is the gas constant, and T is the temperature in Kelvin.

2. How is the Ideal Gas Law used to find temperature?

To find temperature using the Ideal Gas Law, you must rearrange the equation to solve for T. This can be done by dividing both sides of the equation by the product of n and R. The resulting equation will be T = PV/nR. Then, you can plug in the known values of pressure, volume, and number of moles to calculate the temperature.

3. What are the units for the variables in the Ideal Gas Law?

The units for pressure are typically given in Pascals (Pa) or atmospheres (atm), volume in cubic meters (m^3), number of moles in moles (mol), and temperature in Kelvin (K). However, it is important to make sure that all units are consistent in order to get an accurate result.

4. What is an ideal gas?

An ideal gas is a theoretical gas that follows the Ideal Gas Law perfectly. This means that it behaves in a predictable and consistent manner, and its particles have no volume and do not interact with each other. In reality, most gases do not behave as ideal gases, but the Ideal Gas Law is still useful for approximating their behavior.

5. Can the Ideal Gas Law be used for non-ideal gases?

While the Ideal Gas Law is primarily used for ideal gases, it can still be applied to non-ideal gases with some limitations. For example, real gases have some volume and do interact with each other, so the equation will not be as accurate. However, it can still provide a good estimate for the behavior of non-ideal gases under certain conditions.

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