A compilation of thermodynamic data, typically presented in a tabular format, provides values for properties like pressure, temperature, density, internal energy, enthalpy, entropy, specific heats, and viscosity for air behaving as an ideal gas. Such a resource often covers a range of temperatures and pressures relevant to engineering and scientific applications. An example might include values at standard temperature and pressure (STP) as well as at elevated temperatures encountered in combustion processes or cryogenic temperatures used in certain industrial applications. These tables are often generated using ideal gas equations of state, which offer simplified yet valuable approximations of real gas behavior under specific conditions.
These tabulated values are essential tools for engineers and scientists. They facilitate calculations in numerous fields, including thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer. Using these readily available data simplifies complex calculations related to engine design, aerodynamic analysis, and HVAC system modeling. Historically, the development of these tables coincided with advancements in thermodynamics and the growing need for standardized reference data in emerging industrial applications. They remain crucial today, particularly in preliminary design and educational contexts where a simplified but informative understanding of gas behavior is paramount.
