Republic of the Philippines

North Eastern Mindanao State University

Surigao del Sur
Carnot Cycle
 Lianga Campus

Carnot Cycle
Introduction:
The Carnot cycle involves four distinct processes: two isothermal (constant
temperature) processes and two adiabatic (no heat transfer) processes. Here's a
brief overview:
1. Isothermal Expansion: The system, usually a gas inside a cylinder with a
movable piston, absorbs heat from a high-temperature reservoir, causing it to
expand and do work on the surroundings.
2. Adiabatic Expansion: The system continues to expand and do work on the
surroundings, but without the addition or removal of heat. The temperature of
the system decreases during this process.
3. Isothermal Compression: The system is compressed, causing it to reject heat
to a low-temperature reservoir.
4. Adiabatic Compression: The system is further compressed without the
addition or removal of heat, causing its temperature to increase, and we're
back to the initial state of the system.
The efficiency of a Carnot engine, which operates on the Carnot cycle, is
dependent only on the temperatures of the hot and cold reservoirs, and is given by
1 - (Tc/Th), where Tc and Th are the absolute temperatures of the cold and hot
reservoirs, respectively.

Learning Outcomes:
1. Define and be familiar with Carnot cycle.
2. Be knowledgeable about how Carnot cycle works.
3. Be able to solve problems in Carnot cycle.

Abstraction:
Is an ideal reversible closed thermodynamic cycle in which the working
substance goes through the four successive operations of isothermal expansion to a
desired point, adiabatic expansion to a desired point, isothermal compression, and
adiabatic compression back to its initial state.
Nicolas Léonard Sadi
Carnot
Carnot cycle proposed by a
french physicist Sadi Carnot in
1824 and expanded upon by others in the 1830s and 1840s.

 According to the second law of thermodynamics, no heat engine can have

100% efficiency.
 Heat flow through a finite temperature drop is an irreversible process.
 During heat transfer in the Carnot Cycle there must no finite temperature
difference

Steps of the Carnot cycle

1. The gas expands isothermally at temperature Th, absorbing heat Qh (ab)
2. It expands adiabatically until its temperature drops to Tc (bc)
3. It is compressed isothermally until at Tc, rejecting heat lQcl (cd)
4. It is compressed adiabatically back to its initial state at temperature Th (da)
 To calculate the thermal efficiency e of a carnot engine in which the working
substance is an ideal gas.
 To do this, we’ll first find the ratio Qc/Qh of the quantities of heat transferred in
the two isothermal processes then find e
 For an ideal gas the internal energy U depends only on temperature and is
thus constant in any isothermal process.
 For isothermal expansion ab, Uab=O and QH is equal to the work Wab done
by the gas during its isothermal expansion at temperature TH.

To find the efficiency of this engine, we first divide Qc by Qh:

Qc/Qh = -Tc/Th In(Vc/Vd) / In(Vb/Va)
This can be simplified further by use of the temperature-volume relationship for
an adiabatic process.
ThVb^y-1 = TcVc^y-1 and ThVa^y-1 = TcVd^y-1

Dividing the first of these by the second, we find..

Vb^y-1/Va^y-1 = Vc^y-1/Vd^y-1 and Vb/Va = Vc/Vd
Thus the two logarithmns, that equation reduces to..
Qc/Qh= - Tc/Th
 The ratio of the heat rejected at Tc to the heat absorbed at Th is just an equal to
the ratio Tc/Th. Therefor effiency of the carnot cycle engine is
e= 1-Tc/Th = Th-Tc/Th

Sample problem:
A carnot engine takes 2 J of heat from a reservoir at 500 K, does some work,
and discards some heat to a reservoir at 300 K. (a)How much heat decarded, how
much work does it d and (c)what is its efficiency?
Given:
QH = 2 J (1KJ/1000J) = 2000 J
TH = 500 K
Tc = 350 K
Qc = ?
e=?

a.) Lets solve first the Qc.

Formula: Qc = - QH Tc/TH
Qc = - (2000J)350K/500K
=-1400J
b.) Work done is..
W = Qh+Qc
= 2000 J + (-1400 J)
W = 600 J

Assessment:
Test I. Direction: Choose the letter of the correct answer.
1. What is the Carnot Cycle?
a) A cycle of heat and work transfer
b) A cycle of only heat transfer
c) A cycle of only work transfer
d) None of the above
2. Who proposed the Carnot Cycle?
a) Albert Einstein
b) Isaac Newton
c) Sadi Carnot
d) James Watt
3. How many processes are there in a Carnot Cycle?
a) Two
b) Three
c) Four
d) Five
4. What is the first process in the Carnot Cycle?
a) Isothermal Expansion
b) Adiabatic Expansion
c) Isothermal Compression
d) Adiabatic Compression
5. What happens during the Isothermal Expansion process in the Carnot Cycle?
a) The system absorbs heat and expands
b) The system rejects heat and expands
c) The system absorbs heat and compresses
d) The system rejects heat and compresses
6. What happens during the Adiabatic Compression process in the Carnot
Cycle?
a) The system absorbs heat and expands
b) The system rejects heat and expands
c) The system absorbs heat and compresses
d) The system rejects heat and compresses
7. What is the efficiency of a Carnot engine dependent on?
a) The temperatures of the hot and cold reservoirs
b) The amount of heat absorbed
c) The amount of work done
d) All of the above
8. Can a real engine achieve the efficiency of a Carnot engine?
a) Yes, always
b) Yes, but only under certain conditions
c) No, never
d) It depends on the engine
9. What is the formula for the efficiency of a Carnot engine?
a) 1 - (Tc/Th)
b) Tc/Th
c) Th/Tc
d) 1 + (Tc/Th)
 10. Is the Carnot Cycle an idealized process?
a) Yes
b) No
c) It depends on the situation
d) The Carnot Cycle is not a process

Test II. Problem solving!

1. A Carnot engine is operating at temperature of 400 K and 700 K. If 14000 J of
heat energy is absorbed by engine, (a)how much mechanical work perform by an
engine and (b)calculate the efficiency of this carnot.