Carnot engine
Definition
A Carnot engine is a theoretical thermodynamic cycle proposed by Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot. It operates between two heat reservoirs and provides the maximum possible efficiency for converting heat into work.
5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test
- The Carnot engine operates on a reversible cycle consisting of two isothermal processes and two adiabatic processes.
- The efficiency of a Carnot engine depends only on the temperatures of the hot and cold reservoirs: $\eta = 1 - \frac{T_C}{T_H}$, where $T_C$ and $T_H$ are the absolute temperatures of the cold and hot reservoirs, respectively.
- No real engine can be more efficient than a Carnot engine operating between the same two temperatures.
- The work done by the Carnot engine in one complete cycle is equal to the net heat absorbed by the system.
- The Carnot cycle serves as an idealized model that helps set an upper limit on the efficiency of all real heat engines.
Review Questions
- What are the four processes that make up a Carnot cycle?
- How is the efficiency of a Carnot engine calculated?
- Why can't any real engine be more efficient than a Carnot engine?
"Carnot engine" appears in:
Subjects (1)
Related terms
Second Law of Thermodynamics: States that heat cannot spontaneously flow from a colder body to a hotter body and that entropy, or disorder, tends to increase over time in an isolated system.
Isothermal Process: A process in which temperature remains constant while heat is exchanged between the system and its surroundings.
Adiabatic Process: A process in which no heat is exchanged with the surroundings; all changes in internal energy result from work done on or by the system.
