In thermodynamics, the Joule–Thomson effect (also known as the Joule–Kelvin
effect or Kelvin–Joule effect) describes the temperature change of a real gas or
liquid (as differentiated from an ideal gas) when it is expanding; typically
caused by the pressure loss from flow through a valve or porous plug while
keeping it insulated so that no heat is exchanged with the environment.[1][2][3]
This procedure is called a throttling process or Joule–Thomson process.[4] The
effect is purely an effect due to deviation from ideality, as any ideal gas has no
JT effect.
At room temperature, all gases except hydrogen, helium, and neon cool upon
expansion by the Joule–Thomson process when being throttled through an
orifice; these three gases rise in temperature when forced through a porous plug
at room temperature, but lowers in temperature when already at lower
temperatures.[5][6] Most liquids such as hydraulic oils will be warmed by the
Joule–Thomson throttling process. The temperature at which the JT effect
switches sign is the inversion temperature.
The gas-cooling throttling process is commonly exploited in refrigeration
processes such as liquefiers in air separation industrial process.[7][8] In
hydraulics, the warming effect from Joule–Thomson throttling can be used to
find internally leaking valves as these will produce heat which can be detected
by thermocouple or thermal-imaging camera. Throttling is a fundamentally
irreversible process. The throttling due to the flow resistance in supply lines,
heat exchangers, regenerators, and other components of (thermal) machines is a
source of losses that limits their performance.
Since it is a constant-enthalpy process, it can be used to experimentally measure
the lines of constant enthalpy (isenthalps) on the
(
p
,
T
)
{\displaystyle (p,T)} diagram of a gas. Combined with the specific heat capacity
at constant pressure
c
P
=
(
∂
h
/
∂
T
)
P
{\displaystyle c_{P}=(\partial h/\partial T)_{P}} it allows the complete
measurement of the thermodynamic potential for the gas.[9]
History
The effect is named after James Prescott Joule and William Thomson, 1st Baron
Kelvin, who discovered it in 1852. It followed upon earlier work by Joule on
Joule expansion, in which a gas undergoes free expansion in a vacuum and the
temperature is unchanged, if the gas is ideal.
Description222