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adiabatic process
A thermodynamic process in which no heat enters or leaves a system during expansion or compression of the fluid composing the system. An example of an adiabatic process is the vertical flow of air in the atmosphere; air expands and cools as it rises, and contracts and grows warmer as it descends. Another example, when an interstellar gas cloud expands or contracts.
Adiabatic changes are usually accompanied by changes in temperature. In most situations, truly adiabatic changes must take place in short time intervals so that the heat content of the system remains unchanged, or else the system must be perfectly insulated (a practical impossibility). The generation of heat when a gas is rapidly compressed, as in a piston, is approximately adiabatic.
Compare with isothermal process.
Related category
• HEAT AND THERMODYNAMICS
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