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Carnot Cycle

The Carnot cycle is a thermodynamic process involving four stages: isothermal expansion, adiabatic expansion, isothermal compression, and adiabatic compression, which allows for the production of work through heat transfer between temperature reservoirs. It is an idealized reversible process proposed by Sadi Carnot in 1824, demonstrating maximum efficiency as no engine can surpass its performance between two heat reservoirs. The cycle's efficiency is derived from its ability to utilize thermal energy through these two simple processes under specific conditions.

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2 views4 pages

Carnot Cycle

The Carnot cycle is a thermodynamic process involving four stages: isothermal expansion, adiabatic expansion, isothermal compression, and adiabatic compression, which allows for the production of work through heat transfer between temperature reservoirs. It is an idealized reversible process proposed by Sadi Carnot in 1824, demonstrating maximum efficiency as no engine can surpass its performance between two heat reservoirs. The cycle's efficiency is derived from its ability to utilize thermal energy through these two simple processes under specific conditions.

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How Carnot Cycle Operates?

Carnot cycle is a thermodynamic process that undergoes four important steps of either gas expansion or
compression under particular conditions that ultimately lead to production of work as heat is transferred
from reservoir of higher to lower temperature. Figure 1 is a concise representation of the basic functions
and elements of the Carnot Heat engine that is based on the theory of Carnot cycle. It serves a purpose to
visualize the functions of the cycle to eliminate ambiguities when describing the process.

Figure 1: Carnot Heat Engine. Adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnot_heat_engine

Carnot cycle is a reversible process, meaning it can undergo changes in either direction. It is an idealized
process that is hardly possible to achieve in real life because reversible process is an ideal assumption that
is relatively easy to apply for the system to explain how it works. The cycle was proposed by Frenchman
Nicolas Leonard Sadi Carnot in 1824 and constitutes one of the important topics discussed in modern
thermodynamics. In order to understand how the cycle operates, the process is easier to perceive when
demonstrated on a volume-pressure graph with certain isotherms (lines of constant temperatures) and
adiabats (lines that represent adiabatic process) plotted. The cycle consists of four stages: isothermal
expansion, adiabatic expansion, isothermal compression and adiabatic compression. The end result of the
cycle is the system brought to the same state, while producing work.

Reversible Adiabatic Process


● Reversible process:
It is a process where system and its surroundings can be restored from final to initial state or vice
versa without producing changes in thermodynamic properties. The process should occur in
infinitesimally small time and should be in thermal equilibrium between initial and final state.
The conditions of reversible process are rather unrealistic for practical purposes; therefore Carnot
cycle is an ideal, theoretical process.
● Adiabatic process:
It is a process that occurs without matter, energy or heat transfer between system and its
surroundings.
Figure 2: Adiabat. Adapted from http://www.animatedscience.co.uk

Reversible adiabatic processes are plotted on the pressure-volume graph as depicted on Figure 2. As
demonstrated on the picture, particular adiabat connects states at point A and B, and the line that is going
through these points represent the adiabatic process.

Reversible adiabatic change is also an isentropic process, meaning that it occurs at constant entropy. For
simplicity reasons, entropy would represent the measure of disorder of the system, even though it has its
own complex mathematical definition, which will not be discussed in this paper.

Isothermal Process
Isothermal process is the one that occurs without the temperature changing. In other words, the
temperature of the system stays constant throughout the process. On the volume-pressure graph, the lines
of constant temperature are represented as isotherms, which follow certain pattern shown on Figure 3.

Each line represents an isotherm, where lines from lower


left to top right shows successive increase in temperature.

For Carnot cycle isothermal process must also be


reversible.

Figure 3: Isotherms. Adapted from


http://www.chem.shef.ac.uk

Step 1: Isothermal Expansion


First step of the cycle involves expansion of the gas under constant temperature. As a result of this
process the heat is absorbed. That allows the expansion of the gas to do work on the surroundings. On
Figure 4, isothermal expansion is represented as a line from initial state 1 to final state 2. The pressure of
the gas in the system decreases as its being expanded, causing entropy and volume to increase in the
system.
Step 2: Adiabatic Expansion
Second step of the Carnot cycle is the gas expansion stage. During that stage of the process the system
undergoes adiabatic expansion that results in system doing work on the surroundings, while the
temperature decreases. The stage is also isentropic, meaning that the entropy remains constant throughout
this stage of expansion. As seen on Figure 4, adiabatic expansion process is depicted on the graph by the
line connecting state 2 and 3 at two different temperatures. As pressure decreases even more, causing the
temperature drop from T1 to T2, while volume increases, keeping entropy constant.

Step 3: Isothermal Compression


Third step of the cycle involves compression of the gas under isothermal conditions. During this stage of
Carnot cycle the gas compression allows surroundings to do work on the system, while passing heat from
higher temperature to lower temperature reservoir. As shown on the Figure 4, the line from initial state 2
to final state 3 at the same isotherm represent isothermal compression of the gas. Pressure of the system
increases causing entropy and subsequent volume to decrease.

Step 4: Adiabatic Expansion


The last step of the Carnot cycle is further gas compression but under adiabatic conditions. As
surroundings do work on the system, the heat is dissipated to compensate for that. As a result of the heat
loss the pressure increases at a greater rate, causing the temperature to increase. This stage of Carnot
cycle is demonstrated on Figure 4, where line connecting state 4 and state 1 represent the adiabatic
expansion from lower to higher temperature, causing volume of the gas to decrease. As seen on the graph,
the last step of the cycle results in achieving the initial state of the whole cycle in a reversible fashion.

Figure 4: Carnot Cycle Stages. Adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnot_cycle


Conclusion
Carnot cycle represent the most efficient cycle as it produces most work from available thermal energy
that is allowed by the laws of physics and thermodynamics. The most important result of the Carnot cycle
is the derivation of the Carnot theorem, which states “No engine operating between two heat reservoirs
can be more efficient than a Carnot engine operating between those same reservoirs.”1
In other words, Carnot Cycle efficiency is the maximum efficiency achieved for any cycle that operates
between two given temperatures. Carnot Cycle utilizes only two simple processes: compression and
expansion under either adiabatic or isothermal conditions. These constitute four main stages: isothermal
expansion, adiabatic expansion, isothermal compression and adiabatic compression. The cycle produces
work upon absorption of thermal energy from surroundings.

Works Cited

1. 7, 2005 Feb. "Carnot Theorem." Lecture 10: Carnot Theorem (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 27 July 2014.

<http://seit.unsw.adfa.edu.au/staff/sites/hrp/Literature/articles/CarnotTheorem.pdf>.

2. "Carnot Cycle." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 July 2014. Web. 27 July 2014.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnot_cycle>.

3. "Carnot Heat Engine." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 July 2014. Web. 27 July 2014.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnot_heat_engine>.

4. "Isoherms." Chemistry at The University of Sheffield. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2014.

<https%3A%2F%2Ffanyv88.com%3A443%2Fhttp%2Fwww.chem.shef.ac.uk%2Fchm131-

2002%2Fcha02pkp%2FiPerfect_Gas_equ.html>.

5. "Thermodynamics." Thermodynamics. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2014.

<http://www.animatedscience.co.uk/ks5_physics/general/Heat/Thermodynamics.htm>.

1
http://seit.unsw.adfa.edu.au/staff/sites/hrp/Literature/articles/CarnotTheorem.pdf

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