Carnot Cycle

Carnot cycle is given by a French engineer, Sadi Carnot so named as Carnot cycle. Carnot cycle is an ideal cycle of all thermodynamic cycle because it gives maximum efficiency between two temperature difference. When we study about any other cycle, we compare it to the Carnot cycle which will give the maximum work output between these temperature range. Carnot cycle is a ideal cycle or theoretical cycle, actually no engine work on it



Detailed Notes

A Carnot cycle is shown in Figure . It has four processes. There are two adiabatic reversible legs and two isothermal reversible legs. We can construct a Carnot cycle with many different systems, but the concepts can be shown using a familiar working fluid, the ideal gas. The system can be regarded as a chamber enclosed by a piston and filled with this ideal gas.

Figure 3.4: Carnot cycle -- thermodynamic diagram on left and schematic of the different stages in the cycle for a system composed of an ideal gas on the right

The four processes in the Carnot cycle are:

1. The system is at temperature at state . It is brought in contact with a heat reservoir, which is just a liquid or solid mass of large enough extent such that its temperature does not change appreciably when some amount of heat is transferred to the system. In other words, the heat reservoir is a constant temperature source (or receiver) of heat. The system then undergoes an isothermal expansion from to , with heat absorbed .
2. At state , the system is thermally insulated (removed from contact with the heat reservoir) and then let expand to . During this expansion the temperature decreases to . The heat exchanged during this part of the cycle, )
3. At state the system is brought in contact with a heat reservoir at temperature . It is then compressed to state , rejecting heat in the process.
4. Finally, the system is compressed adiabatically back to the initial state . The heat exchange