Reversible Process

The reversible process for a system is stated as a procedure which, once having occurred, can be upturned, and in so doing leaves no alter in either the system or surroundings. In another words the system and surroundings are returned to their original situation before the procedure occur. In reality, there are no truly reversible procedures; though, for analysis purposes, one employs reversible to make the analysis easier, and to establish maximum hypothetical efficiencies. Thus, the reversible process is a suitable beginning point on which to base engineering study and computation.

However the reversible process can be approximated, it can never be matched by real procedures. The one way to make real procedures estimated reversible procedure is to carry out the procedure in a sequence of small or infinitesimal steps. For illustration, heat transfer might be considered reversible when it takes place due to a small temperature difference among the system and its surroundings. For illustration, transferring heat across a temperature difference of 0.00001 °F "emerges" to be more reversible than for transferring heat across a temperature difference of 100 °F. Thus, by heating or cooling the system in a number of infinitesimally little steps, we can estimate a reversible procedure. However not practical for real procedures, this technique is beneficial for thermodynamic studies as the rate at which procedures take place is not significant.