Heat reservoir
Encyclopedia
In thermodynamics
, a heat reservoir, thermal reservoir, or heat bath is a system whose heat capacity
is so large that when it is in thermal contact
with some other system of interest its temperature remains effectively constant. The heat bath is effectively an infinite reservoir of energy
and accessible quantum states at a given temperature
. It is considered to be a constant temperature
source. The temperature of the reservoir does not change irrespective of whether heat
is added or extracted to or from it.
A reservoir is that part of the environment
which can exchange heat with a system
. It has sufficiently large heat capacity
that its temperature is not affected by the quantity of heat transferred to or from it. A reservoir is thus characterized by a quasi-constant temperature. The changes that do take place in the thermal reservoir as heat enters or leaves are so slow and so small that processes within it are quasi-static
. A reservoir which is at higher temperature and supplies heat is known as heat source. A reservoir at a lower temperature is known as a sink.
Under certain conditions (including low rates of heat transfer and localised systems) the atmosphere
may be regarded as a heat bath.
Thermodynamics
Thermodynamics is a physical science that studies the effects on material bodies, and on radiation in regions of space, of transfer of heat and of work done on or by the bodies or radiation...
, a heat reservoir, thermal reservoir, or heat bath is a system whose heat capacity
Heat capacity
Heat capacity , or thermal capacity, is the measurable physical quantity that characterizes the amount of heat required to change a substance's temperature by a given amount...
is so large that when it is in thermal contact
Thermal contact
In heat transfer and thermodynamics, a thermodynamic system is said to be in thermal contact with another system if it can exchange energy with it through the process of heat...
with some other system of interest its temperature remains effectively constant. The heat bath is effectively an infinite reservoir of energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
and accessible quantum states at a given temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
. It is considered to be a constant temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
source. The temperature of the reservoir does not change irrespective of whether heat
Heat
In physics and thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one body, region, or thermodynamic system to another due to thermal contact or thermal radiation when the systems are at different temperatures. It is often described as one of the fundamental processes of energy transfer between...
is added or extracted to or from it.
A reservoir is that part of the environment
Environment (systems)
In science and engineering, a system is the part of the universe that is being studied, while the environment is the remainder of the universe that lies outside the boundaries of the system. It is also known as the surroundings, and in thermodynamics, as the reservoir...
which can exchange heat with a system
Thermodynamic system
A thermodynamic system is a precisely defined macroscopic region of the universe, often called a physical system, that is studied using the principles of thermodynamics....
. It has sufficiently large heat capacity
Heat capacity
Heat capacity , or thermal capacity, is the measurable physical quantity that characterizes the amount of heat required to change a substance's temperature by a given amount...
that its temperature is not affected by the quantity of heat transferred to or from it. A reservoir is thus characterized by a quasi-constant temperature. The changes that do take place in the thermal reservoir as heat enters or leaves are so slow and so small that processes within it are quasi-static
Quasistatic process
In thermodynamics, a quasistatic process is a thermodynamic process that happens infinitely slowly. However, it is very important of note that no real process is quasistatic...
. A reservoir which is at higher temperature and supplies heat is known as heat source. A reservoir at a lower temperature is known as a sink.
Under certain conditions (including low rates of heat transfer and localised systems) the atmosphere
Atmosphere
An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...
may be regarded as a heat bath.