adiabático

Adiabático refers to a thermodynamic process where no heat is exchanged between a system and its surroundings. This means that the system is thermally isolated. In an adiabatic process, any change in internal energy of the system is solely due to the work done on or by the system. If work is done by the system, its internal energy decreases, and if work is done on the system, its internal energy increases.

Adiabatic processes are often approximated in real-world scenarios. For example, rapid compression or expansion of a gas can be considered adiabatic because there isn't enough time for significant heat transfer to occur. Examples include the expansion of air as it rises in the atmosphere, leading to cooling, or the compression of air in a diesel engine, leading to heating. The first law of thermodynamics, which relates changes in internal energy, heat, and work, is fundamental to understanding adiabatic processes. For a process to be strictly adiabatic, the system must be perfectly insulated, which is an idealization. However, many natural and engineered processes closely approximate this condition.