Coupled thermo-mechanical model was used to investigate the effects of the pin diameter, the shoulder diameter and the in conical angle on the heat generations, the material deformations and the energy histories in fr...Coupled thermo-mechanical model was used to investigate the effects of the pin diameter, the shoulder diameter and the in conical angle on the heat generations, the material deformations and the energy histories in friction stir welding(FSW) of AA2024-T3 alloy. Results indicate that the shoulder-plate contact area takes more important contribution to the heat generation than the pin-plate contact area. The increase of the shoulder diameter or the decrease of the pin diameter can lead to the increase of the welding temperature in FSW, but the change of shoulder size is more important. Compared to the cases in FSW of AA6061-T6, the input power is obviously increased in FSW of AA2024-T3 and the ratio of the plastic dissipation to the friction dissipation becomes decreased.展开更多
We investigate quasi-local energy distribution and thermodynamics of the Reissner-Nordstr6m black hole space-time surrounded by quintessence. We use the quasi-local energy distribution from Einstein energy-momentum co...We investigate quasi-local energy distribution and thermodynamics of the Reissner-Nordstr6m black hole space-time surrounded by quintessence. We use the quasi-local energy distribution from Einstein energy-momentum complex. We plot the variation of the energies, temperature and heat capacity with the state parameter related to the quintessence ωq. We show that due to the presence of quintessence, the total energy of the outer region as well as the temperature and heat capacity decreases with the increase of the density of quintessence, while the total energy of the black hole region increases.展开更多
The entanglement properties of a three-spin X X Z Heisenberg chain with three-spin interaction are studied by means of concurrence of pairwise entanglement. We show that ground-state pairwise entanglement, pairwise th...The entanglement properties of a three-spin X X Z Heisenberg chain with three-spin interaction are studied by means of concurrence of pairwise entanglement. We show that ground-state pairwise entanglement, pairwise thermal entanglement, or quantum phase transition is not present in antiferromagnetic spin chain. For the ferromagnetic case, quantum phase transition takes place at A = 1 for anisotropic interaction and at some values of three-spin coupling strength, and pairwise thermal entanglement increases when the value of J/T increases and with anisotropic interaction and three-spin interaction decrease. In addition, we find that increasing the anisotropic interaction and the three-spin interaction will decrease critical temperature.展开更多
A model of quantum thermoacoustic refrigeration micro-cycle(QTARMC)is established in which heat leakage is considered.A single particle contained in a one-dimensional harmonic potential well is studied,and the system ...A model of quantum thermoacoustic refrigeration micro-cycle(QTARMC)is established in which heat leakage is considered.A single particle contained in a one-dimensional harmonic potential well is studied,and the system consists of countless replicas.Each particle is confined in its own potential well,whose occupation probabilities can be expressed by the thermal equilibrium Gibbs distributions.Based on the Schrodinger equation,the expressions of coefficient of performance(COP)and cooling rate for the refrigerator are obtained.Effects of heat leakage on the optimal performance are discussed.The optimal performance region of the refrigeration cycle is obtained by the using ofΩobjective function.The results obtained can enrich the thermoacoustic theory and expand the application of quantum thermodynamics.展开更多
A new electrical method of conductive carbon-film(with waterproof and anticorrosion ability)was proposed to continuously measure crack propagation rate of brittle rock under THMC coupling condition.A self-designed cou...A new electrical method of conductive carbon-film(with waterproof and anticorrosion ability)was proposed to continuously measure crack propagation rate of brittle rock under THMC coupling condition.A self-designed coupling testing system was used to conduct THMC coupling fracture tests of the pre-cracked red sandstone specimens(where the temperature is only changed)by this new electrical method of conductive carbon-film.Calculation results obtained by the energy method coincide well with the test results.And the higher the temperature is,the earlier the crack is initiated and the larger the crack propagation rate and accelerated velocity are,which can prove the validity of the new electrical method.This new electrical method has advantages of continuously measuring crack propagation rate over the conventional electrical,optical and acoustic methods,and can provide important basis for safety assessment and cracking-arrest design of deep rock mass engineering.展开更多
2015年3月31日—4月2日浙江省出现了3 d全省性的高温天气,在3—5日浙北高温消退,浙南高温天气持续。利用NCEP/NCAR2.5°×2.5°逐6 h再分析资料,首先分析大尺度环流形势,得到这次高温过程的天气背景;其次分析大气热力学能...2015年3月31日—4月2日浙江省出现了3 d全省性的高温天气,在3—5日浙北高温消退,浙南高温天气持续。利用NCEP/NCAR2.5°×2.5°逐6 h再分析资料,首先分析大尺度环流形势,得到这次高温过程的天气背景;其次分析大气热力学能量方程的各项物理量,包括平流项、垂直运动项、变压和气压平流项及非绝热因子项,得到各自对气温变化的影响。结果表明:1)这次高温天气是在副热带高压较常年平均偏强的背景下形成;2)31日与1日是典型的西风带高压脊控制型的春季高温天气,2日是典型的西南气流控制下的暖区晴好天气;3)形成这次高温天气的影响系统包括500 h Pa沿海高压脊、850 h Pa暖脊、西南气流和地面倒槽等;4)暖平流项是这次高温天气形成的主要因素,垂直运动项对本次过程的影响较小,非绝热因子项是区别于3—5日浙北高温消退、浙南高温持续的决定性因素。展开更多
The microstructure, hydrogen storage thermodynamics and kinetics of La5Mg95-xNix (x=5, 10, 15) ternary alloys with different Ni contents were investigated. The evolutions of the microstructure and phase of experimenta...The microstructure, hydrogen storage thermodynamics and kinetics of La5Mg95-xNix (x=5, 10, 15) ternary alloys with different Ni contents were investigated. The evolutions of the microstructure and phase of experimental alloys were characterized by X-ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy. The hydrogen storage kinetics and thermodynamics, and P-C-I curves were tested using a Sievert apparatus. It is found that increasing Ni content remarkably improves hydrogen storage kinetics but reduces the hydrogen storage capacity of alloys. The highest hydrogen absorption/desorption rate is observed in the La5Mg80Ni15 alloy, with the lowest hydrogen desorption activation value being 57.7 kJ/mol. By means of P-C-I curves and the van’t Hoff equation, it is determined that the thermodynamic performance of the alloy is initially improved and then degraded with increasing Ni content. The La5Mg85Ni10 alloy has the best thermodynamics properties with a hydrogenation enthalpy of -72.1 kJ/mol and hydrogenation entropy of -123.2 J/(mol·K).展开更多
In recent several years,some works have been done on cosmic thermodynamics.The apparent horizonwas regarded as the key characteristic supersurface where thermodynamics can be built on perfectly.However,if theirreversi...In recent several years,some works have been done on cosmic thermodynamics.The apparent horizonwas regarded as the key characteristic supersurface where thermodynamics can be built on perfectly.However,if theirreversible process is considered,the proper position for building thermodynamics will not be the apparent horizonanymore.The new position is related to dark energy state equation and the irreversible process parameters.展开更多
We investigate the gravitational collapse of a spherically symmetric, inhomogeneous star, which is described by a perfect fluid with heat flow and satisfies the equation of state p = p/3 at its center. In the process ...We investigate the gravitational collapse of a spherically symmetric, inhomogeneous star, which is described by a perfect fluid with heat flow and satisfies the equation of state p = p/3 at its center. In the process of the gravitational collapse, the energy of the whole star is emitted into space. And the remaining spacetime is a Minkowski one without a remnant at the end of the process. For a star with a solar mass and solar radius, the total energy emitted is at the order of 10^54 erg, and the time-scale of the process is about 8 s. These are in the typical values for a gamma-ray burst. Thus, we suggest the gravitational collapse of a spherical star with heat flow as a possible energy mechanism of gamma-ray bursts.展开更多
The development of a modified 206 alloy whose composition was optimized to minimize hot tearing during semi-solid forming was reported. The effect of varying silicon, copper and iron contents was investigated using a ...The development of a modified 206 alloy whose composition was optimized to minimize hot tearing during semi-solid forming was reported. The effect of varying silicon, copper and iron contents was investigated using a design of experiment (DOE) approach. Semi-solid slurries were prepared using the SEED process and injected into a high pressure die casting press. The hot tearing sensitivity results were reported for different alloy variants. The microstructure evolution during the semi-solid preparation was presented along with actual die cast components. The effects of silicon, copper and iron on mechanical properties in the T7 condition were also analyzed. Beyond the benefit of reducing hot tearing, it is shown that the tensile and fatigue properties remain compatible with the automotive industry requirements.展开更多
Isometric heat capacity cv and isobar heat capacity cp of Ru metal in HCP,FCC,BCC and liquid state were calculated by using pure element systematic theory.The results are in good agreement with joint army-navy-air for...Isometric heat capacity cv and isobar heat capacity cp of Ru metal in HCP,FCC,BCC and liquid state were calculated by using pure element systematic theory.The results are in good agreement with joint army-navy-air force(JANAF) experimental value and the calculation result by first-principle(FP) method.But the results have great differences in contrast to Scientific Group Thermodata Europe(SGTE) database.The cause is found that it cannot neglect the electron devotion to heat capacity to adjust cp in one-atom(OA) method.The disparity between OA method and SGTE database was discussed.The main cause is that OA method adopts the crosspoint with iso-Ec-line and iso-a-line in hybritriangle to determine the properties,but SGTE database is obtained by extrapolation from activity measurements and critical assessment of data from a large number of binary system.Thermodynamic properties of Ru metal in HCP,FCC,BCC and liquid state,such as entropy S,enthalpy H and Gibbs energy G were calculated.Therefore,the full description of thermodynamic properties from 0 K to random temperature is implemented.展开更多
Endothermic hydrocarbon fuels are advanced coolants for high-temperature structures of spacecraft. No data of tested-cooling-ability of endothermic fuels have been broadly discussed in literature. In this work a high-...Endothermic hydrocarbon fuels are advanced coolants for high-temperature structures of spacecraft. No data of tested-cooling-ability of endothermic fuels have been broadly discussed in literature. In this work a high-temperature flow calorimeter was designed, and the cooling capacity of six different hydrocarbon fuels were measured. Experimental results showed that these hydrocarbon fuels have capacity for cooling high-temperature structures, and that the cooling capacity of fuel N-1 can reach 3.15 M J/kg, which can nearly satisfy the requirement of thermal management for a Mach 3 cruise aircraft, whose heat sink requirement is about 3.5 M J/kg. The endothermic velocity of hydrocarbon fuels was also measured by the calorimeter.展开更多
Cubic equations of state(EOSs) are simple and easy at calculation. One way of improving the accuracy of a cubic EOS is through the modification of temperature-dependent energy parameter by using alpha-function.The ind...Cubic equations of state(EOSs) are simple and easy at calculation. One way of improving the accuracy of a cubic EOS is through the modification of temperature-dependent energy parameter by using alpha-function.The industrial applications of natural gas are very wide and as a result, prediction of thermodynamic properties and phase behavior of natural gas is an important part of design for such processes. In this work we develop a newα-function for the Peng-Robinson(PR) EOS with the parameters optimized especially for natural gas components.The parameters are generalized as a linear function of acentric factor. The results are compared to the predictions from original PR EOS and other α-functions in literature. It is shown that the new α-function presents a good accuracy with the average deviation of 1.42% for natural gas components.展开更多
This paper deals about testing thermal properties of the cooling device with heat pipes at inclination position, in consequence of using the natural convection to improve heat transfer properties. Head point testing o...This paper deals about testing thermal properties of the cooling device with heat pipes at inclination position, in consequence of using the natural convection to improve heat transfer properties. Head point testing of cooling device is monitoring temperature on the aluminium block of energy converter, heat pipes and ribs under temperature condition 30 ℃ in thermostatic chamber. Testing of the device was performed at tilt angles positions 0, 10 and 20° from the vertical level. The heat flux loaded to energy converter was 450 W. The next goal of the paper is to research on influence working position of the wick heat pipe on their thermal performance. In this research heat pipes were made with capillary structure sintered from copper powder granularity 100, 63 and 50 μm filled with water and ethanol. Next heat pipe thermal performance was performed by measuring heat source and working positions. Knowledge of these two research goals can bring potential improvements in purpose of cooling device for effective heat sink from high power electronic components.展开更多
The arguments in this paper lead to a new definition of thermodynamic equilibrium that remedies the deficiencies of the current forms. This definition relates thermodynamic equilibrium to its physical causes and accou...The arguments in this paper lead to a new definition of thermodynamic equilibrium that remedies the deficiencies of the current forms. This definition relates thermodynamic equilibrium to its physical causes and accounts for all factors that determine it for all types of equilibrium. Standard definitions of thermodynamic equilibrium are incomplete. They do not take account of all factors that determine such equilibriums, discuss the impediments which may prevent them being reached or relate the properties that define equilibriums to the physical reasons that determine them when impediments are present. The laws of thermodynamics determine the requirements for equilibrium. These laws arise from the physical behaviour of the molecules in molecular systems and are consequences of the conservation of energy, the energies of molecules, statistics, Newton's laws of motion, and the equi-partition of energy. The standard definition of thermodynamic equilibrium correctly defines equilibrium whenever impediments are not factors. The discussion demonstrates how impediments arise, accounts for their role in defining equilibrium and how they relate to the energies of molecules at the conditions of the system. The new definition applies to all types of equilibrium.展开更多
基金Project(NCET-12-0075)supported by the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University,ChinaProject supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities,China+2 种基金Projects(11172057,11232003)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject(2011CB013401)supported by the National Basic Research Program of ChinaProject(2012AA050901)supported by the National High-Tech Research and Development Program of China
文摘Coupled thermo-mechanical model was used to investigate the effects of the pin diameter, the shoulder diameter and the in conical angle on the heat generations, the material deformations and the energy histories in friction stir welding(FSW) of AA2024-T3 alloy. Results indicate that the shoulder-plate contact area takes more important contribution to the heat generation than the pin-plate contact area. The increase of the shoulder diameter or the decrease of the pin diameter can lead to the increase of the welding temperature in FSW, but the change of shoulder size is more important. Compared to the cases in FSW of AA6061-T6, the input power is obviously increased in FSW of AA2024-T3 and the ratio of the plastic dissipation to the friction dissipation becomes decreased.
文摘We investigate quasi-local energy distribution and thermodynamics of the Reissner-Nordstr6m black hole space-time surrounded by quintessence. We use the quasi-local energy distribution from Einstein energy-momentum complex. We plot the variation of the energies, temperature and heat capacity with the state parameter related to the quintessence ωq. We show that due to the presence of quintessence, the total energy of the outer region as well as the temperature and heat capacity decreases with the increase of the density of quintessence, while the total energy of the black hole region increases.
基金The project supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos. 10447116 and 10325521 and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation under Grant No. 2005038316
文摘The entanglement properties of a three-spin X X Z Heisenberg chain with three-spin interaction are studied by means of concurrence of pairwise entanglement. We show that ground-state pairwise entanglement, pairwise thermal entanglement, or quantum phase transition is not present in antiferromagnetic spin chain. For the ferromagnetic case, quantum phase transition takes place at A = 1 for anisotropic interaction and at some values of three-spin coupling strength, and pairwise thermal entanglement increases when the value of J/T increases and with anisotropic interaction and three-spin interaction decrease. In addition, we find that increasing the anisotropic interaction and the three-spin interaction will decrease critical temperature.
基金Project(51176143)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject(K201919)supported by the Scientific Research Foundation of Wuhan Institute of TechnologyChina。
文摘A model of quantum thermoacoustic refrigeration micro-cycle(QTARMC)is established in which heat leakage is considered.A single particle contained in a one-dimensional harmonic potential well is studied,and the system consists of countless replicas.Each particle is confined in its own potential well,whose occupation probabilities can be expressed by the thermal equilibrium Gibbs distributions.Based on the Schrodinger equation,the expressions of coefficient of performance(COP)and cooling rate for the refrigerator are obtained.Effects of heat leakage on the optimal performance are discussed.The optimal performance region of the refrigeration cycle is obtained by the using ofΩobjective function.The results obtained can enrich the thermoacoustic theory and expand the application of quantum thermodynamics.
基金Projects(51474251,51874351) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘A new electrical method of conductive carbon-film(with waterproof and anticorrosion ability)was proposed to continuously measure crack propagation rate of brittle rock under THMC coupling condition.A self-designed coupling testing system was used to conduct THMC coupling fracture tests of the pre-cracked red sandstone specimens(where the temperature is only changed)by this new electrical method of conductive carbon-film.Calculation results obtained by the energy method coincide well with the test results.And the higher the temperature is,the earlier the crack is initiated and the larger the crack propagation rate and accelerated velocity are,which can prove the validity of the new electrical method.This new electrical method has advantages of continuously measuring crack propagation rate over the conventional electrical,optical and acoustic methods,and can provide important basis for safety assessment and cracking-arrest design of deep rock mass engineering.
文摘2015年3月31日—4月2日浙江省出现了3 d全省性的高温天气,在3—5日浙北高温消退,浙南高温天气持续。利用NCEP/NCAR2.5°×2.5°逐6 h再分析资料,首先分析大尺度环流形势,得到这次高温过程的天气背景;其次分析大气热力学能量方程的各项物理量,包括平流项、垂直运动项、变压和气压平流项及非绝热因子项,得到各自对气温变化的影响。结果表明:1)这次高温天气是在副热带高压较常年平均偏强的背景下形成;2)31日与1日是典型的西风带高压脊控制型的春季高温天气,2日是典型的西南气流控制下的暖区晴好天气;3)形成这次高温天气的影响系统包括500 h Pa沿海高压脊、850 h Pa暖脊、西南气流和地面倒槽等;4)暖平流项是这次高温天气形成的主要因素,垂直运动项对本次过程的影响较小,非绝热因子项是区别于3—5日浙北高温消退、浙南高温持续的决定性因素。
基金Projects(51761032,51471054) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘The microstructure, hydrogen storage thermodynamics and kinetics of La5Mg95-xNix (x=5, 10, 15) ternary alloys with different Ni contents were investigated. The evolutions of the microstructure and phase of experimental alloys were characterized by X-ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy. The hydrogen storage kinetics and thermodynamics, and P-C-I curves were tested using a Sievert apparatus. It is found that increasing Ni content remarkably improves hydrogen storage kinetics but reduces the hydrogen storage capacity of alloys. The highest hydrogen absorption/desorption rate is observed in the La5Mg80Ni15 alloy, with the lowest hydrogen desorption activation value being 57.7 kJ/mol. By means of P-C-I curves and the van’t Hoff equation, it is determined that the thermodynamic performance of the alloy is initially improved and then degraded with increasing Ni content. The La5Mg85Ni10 alloy has the best thermodynamics properties with a hydrogenation enthalpy of -72.1 kJ/mol and hydrogenation entropy of -123.2 J/(mol·K).
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos.10773002 and 10875012the National Basic Research Program of China under Grant No.2003CB716302
文摘In recent several years,some works have been done on cosmic thermodynamics.The apparent horizonwas regarded as the key characteristic supersurface where thermodynamics can be built on perfectly.However,if theirreversible process is considered,the proper position for building thermodynamics will not be the apparent horizonanymore.The new position is related to dark energy state equation and the irreversible process parameters.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos.90403023 and 10575106the Knowledge Innovation Funds of CAS under Grant No.KJCX3-SYW-S03One of the authors (C.-B.G.) got the support in the initial stage of the present work from the Interdisciplinary Center for Theoretical Study,University of Science and Technology of China
文摘We investigate the gravitational collapse of a spherically symmetric, inhomogeneous star, which is described by a perfect fluid with heat flow and satisfies the equation of state p = p/3 at its center. In the process of the gravitational collapse, the energy of the whole star is emitted into space. And the remaining spacetime is a Minkowski one without a remnant at the end of the process. For a star with a solar mass and solar radius, the total energy emitted is at the order of 10^54 erg, and the time-scale of the process is about 8 s. These are in the typical values for a gamma-ray burst. Thus, we suggest the gravitational collapse of a spherical star with heat flow as a possible energy mechanism of gamma-ray bursts.
文摘The development of a modified 206 alloy whose composition was optimized to minimize hot tearing during semi-solid forming was reported. The effect of varying silicon, copper and iron contents was investigated using a design of experiment (DOE) approach. Semi-solid slurries were prepared using the SEED process and injected into a high pressure die casting press. The hot tearing sensitivity results were reported for different alloy variants. The microstructure evolution during the semi-solid preparation was presented along with actual die cast components. The effects of silicon, copper and iron on mechanical properties in the T7 condition were also analyzed. Beyond the benefit of reducing hot tearing, it is shown that the tensile and fatigue properties remain compatible with the automotive industry requirements.
基金Project(50954006) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject(2009GK3152) supported by Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, China+2 种基金Project(21KZ) supported by Scientific Research Fund of Hunan Provincial Education Department, ChinaProject supported by the Opening Measuring Fund of Large Precious Apparatus, ChinaProject supported by the State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, China
文摘Isometric heat capacity cv and isobar heat capacity cp of Ru metal in HCP,FCC,BCC and liquid state were calculated by using pure element systematic theory.The results are in good agreement with joint army-navy-air force(JANAF) experimental value and the calculation result by first-principle(FP) method.But the results have great differences in contrast to Scientific Group Thermodata Europe(SGTE) database.The cause is found that it cannot neglect the electron devotion to heat capacity to adjust cp in one-atom(OA) method.The disparity between OA method and SGTE database was discussed.The main cause is that OA method adopts the crosspoint with iso-Ec-line and iso-a-line in hybritriangle to determine the properties,but SGTE database is obtained by extrapolation from activity measurements and critical assessment of data from a large number of binary system.Thermodynamic properties of Ru metal in HCP,FCC,BCC and liquid state,such as entropy S,enthalpy H and Gibbs energy G were calculated.Therefore,the full description of thermodynamic properties from 0 K to random temperature is implemented.
基金Project (No. 863-2-1-1-7) supported by the Hi-Tech Research and Development Program (863) of China
文摘Endothermic hydrocarbon fuels are advanced coolants for high-temperature structures of spacecraft. No data of tested-cooling-ability of endothermic fuels have been broadly discussed in literature. In this work a high-temperature flow calorimeter was designed, and the cooling capacity of six different hydrocarbon fuels were measured. Experimental results showed that these hydrocarbon fuels have capacity for cooling high-temperature structures, and that the cooling capacity of fuel N-1 can reach 3.15 M J/kg, which can nearly satisfy the requirement of thermal management for a Mach 3 cruise aircraft, whose heat sink requirement is about 3.5 M J/kg. The endothermic velocity of hydrocarbon fuels was also measured by the calorimeter.
文摘Cubic equations of state(EOSs) are simple and easy at calculation. One way of improving the accuracy of a cubic EOS is through the modification of temperature-dependent energy parameter by using alpha-function.The industrial applications of natural gas are very wide and as a result, prediction of thermodynamic properties and phase behavior of natural gas is an important part of design for such processes. In this work we develop a newα-function for the Peng-Robinson(PR) EOS with the parameters optimized especially for natural gas components.The parameters are generalized as a linear function of acentric factor. The results are compared to the predictions from original PR EOS and other α-functions in literature. It is shown that the new α-function presents a good accuracy with the average deviation of 1.42% for natural gas components.
文摘This paper deals about testing thermal properties of the cooling device with heat pipes at inclination position, in consequence of using the natural convection to improve heat transfer properties. Head point testing of cooling device is monitoring temperature on the aluminium block of energy converter, heat pipes and ribs under temperature condition 30 ℃ in thermostatic chamber. Testing of the device was performed at tilt angles positions 0, 10 and 20° from the vertical level. The heat flux loaded to energy converter was 450 W. The next goal of the paper is to research on influence working position of the wick heat pipe on their thermal performance. In this research heat pipes were made with capillary structure sintered from copper powder granularity 100, 63 and 50 μm filled with water and ethanol. Next heat pipe thermal performance was performed by measuring heat source and working positions. Knowledge of these two research goals can bring potential improvements in purpose of cooling device for effective heat sink from high power electronic components.
文摘The arguments in this paper lead to a new definition of thermodynamic equilibrium that remedies the deficiencies of the current forms. This definition relates thermodynamic equilibrium to its physical causes and accounts for all factors that determine it for all types of equilibrium. Standard definitions of thermodynamic equilibrium are incomplete. They do not take account of all factors that determine such equilibriums, discuss the impediments which may prevent them being reached or relate the properties that define equilibriums to the physical reasons that determine them when impediments are present. The laws of thermodynamics determine the requirements for equilibrium. These laws arise from the physical behaviour of the molecules in molecular systems and are consequences of the conservation of energy, the energies of molecules, statistics, Newton's laws of motion, and the equi-partition of energy. The standard definition of thermodynamic equilibrium correctly defines equilibrium whenever impediments are not factors. The discussion demonstrates how impediments arise, accounts for their role in defining equilibrium and how they relate to the energies of molecules at the conditions of the system. The new definition applies to all types of equilibrium.