SEMINAR ON CARNOT CYCLE

AND ITS EFFICIENCY

PRESENTATION BY :-
ASHISH BAJAJ(30)
ROBERT SHARMA(59)
INTRODUCTION

– The Carnot cycle is a theoretical thermodynamic cycle proposed by French

physicist Sadi Carnot in 1824 and expanded upon by others in the 1830s and
1840s. It provides an upper limit on the efficiency that any classical
thermodynamic engine can achieve during the conversion of heat into work, or
conversely, the efficiency of a refrigeration system in creating a temperature
difference by the application of work to the system. It is not an actual
thermodynamic cycle but is a theoretical construct.
– Every single thermodynamic system exists in a particular state. When a system
is taken through a series of different states and finally returned to its initial
state, a thermodynamic cycle is said to have occurred. In the process of going
through this cycle, the system may perform work on its surroundings. Carnot
employed a reversible cycle to demonstrate the maximum convertibility of heat
into work.
 CARNOT CYCLE
When a system, after completing a series of
changes, returns to original state, it is said to
have completed a cycle. The entire process is
known as a cyclic process. The most well
known cyclic process is the Carnot cycle.
the system consists of one mole of an
ideal gas which is subjected to a series of
four successive operations, commonly termed
as four strokes, as given below-
STROKE 1: ISOTHERMAL EXPANSION- THE GAS IS ALLOWED TO EXPAND REVERSIBLY AND
ISOTHERMALLY AT THE TEMPERATURE T2 SO THAT THE VOLUME INCREASES FROM V1, REPRESENTED BY
THE POINT A, TO V2 REPRESENTED BY THE POINT B. SINCE IN THE ISOTHERMAL EXPANSION OF AN IDEAL
GAS ∆U=0, IT FOLLOWS FROM THE FIRST LAW EQUATION (∆U=Q + W) THAT Q= -W , I.E., THE
HEAT ABSORBED IS EQUAL TO THE WORK DONE BY THE SYSTEM ON THE SURROUNDINGS.
LET Q2 BE THE HEAT ABSORBED BY THE SYSTEM AT THE SURROUNDINGS, LET Q2 BE THE
HEAT ABSORBED BY THE SYSTEM AT THE TEMPERATURE T2 AND W1 BE THE WORK DONE
BY THE SYSTEM ON THE SURROUNDINGS. THEN
Q2= -W= RT2LN(V2/V1) ………….(1)
STROKE 2: ADIABATIC EXPANSION – THE GAS IS
ALLOWED TO EXPAND REVERSIBLY AND ADIABATICALLY FROM THE
VOLUME V2 TO V3, I.E., FROM THE POINT B TO C.
SINCE WORK IS DONE BY THE SYSTEM ADIABATICALLY, IT IS NOT IN A
POSITION TO ABSORB HEAT. THE TEMPERATURE OF THE SYSTEM, THEREFORE,
FALLS FROM T2 TO SAY, T1. AS Q IS EQUAL TO ZERO IN THIS CASE, IT
FOLLOWS FROM THE FIRST LAW EQUATION (∆U =Q + W) THAT ∆=W.
SINCE THE PROCESS INVOLVES EXPANSION OF THE GAS, THEREFORE,
WORK IS DONE BY THE SYSTEM ON THE SURROUNDINGS. HENCE, BY
CONVENTION, W IS NEGATIVE SO THAT ∆U = -W
NOW, BY DEFINITION, CV = (∂U/ ∂T)V
∆U =CV ∆T=CV(T1-T2)=-W
-W=CV(T1-T2)=-CV(T2-T1)
IF THE WORK IN THIS STATE IS DENOTED BY W2, THEN
-W = -CV(T -T )
• STROKE 3 : ISOTHERMAL COMPRESSION - THE GAS IS
THEN SUBJECTED TO REVERSIBLE AND ISOTHERMAL COMPRESSION AT THE
LOWER TEMPERATURE T1 SO THAT THE VOLUME DECREASES FROM V3 TO V4 (I.E.,
FROM THE POINT C TO D). IN THIS CASE , EVIDENTLY , WORK IS DONE ON THE
SYSTEM. HENCE, HEAT WILL BE PRODUCED AND GIVEN UP TO THE
SURROUNDINGS .SINCE COMPRESSION TAKES PLACE ISOTHERMALLY AND
REVERSIBLY , ∆U = 0. THEREFORE , IF Q1 IS THE HEAT GIVEN OUT TO THE
SURROUNDINGS AT THE TEMPERATURE T1 AND W3 IS THE WORK DONE ON THE
SYSTEM IN THE PROCESS , THEN REMEMBERING SIGNS OF Q AND W,
• -Q1 = W3 = RT1 LN(V4/V3)
 FINALLY , BY AN ADIABATIC AND REVERSIBLE
• STROKE 4: ADIABATIC COMPRESSION -
COMPRESSION , THE GAS IS RESTORED TO ITS ORIGINAL VOLUME V1 AND
TEMPERATURE T2 . THUS , THE GAS IS COMPRESSED ADIABATICALLY FROM D TO A . IN
THIS CASE , WORK IS DONE ON THE SYSTEM. HENCE , W IS POSITIVE . ACCORDING
TO THE FIRST LAW , ∆U = Q + W . SINCE IN ADIABATIC PROCESS , Q=0 , HENCE ,
• ∆U = W = CV ∆T = CV(T2-T1)
• LET W4 BE THE WORK DONE IN THIS STAGE . THEN ,
• W4 = CV(T2-T1)
• THE SYSTEM RETURNS TO ITS INITIAL STATE AND THE CYCLE IS COMPLETED . THE NET
WORK DONE BY THE GAS DURING THE COMPLETE CYCLE IS GIVEN AS
• W =W1+(- W2)+W3+W4
• W = -RT2LN(V2/V1) -CV(T2-T1)+RT1
LN(V4/V3)+CV(T2-T1)
• W = RT1 LN(V4/V3)- RT2LN(V2/V1)
since v2 and v3 lie on the same adiabatic I and v1 and v4 on the
adiabatic 2 therefore,
t2v2¥-1 = t1v3¥-1 and t2v1¥-1 = t1v4¥-1
dividing we get v2/v1 = v3/v4
hence, the net work done is –
-w = RT2ln(v2/v1)-RT1LN(V3/V4)
= R(T2-T1)LN (V2/V1)
 EFFICIENCY OF CARNOT
CYCLE
THE EFFICIENCY OF THE ENGINE IS THUS
€=(-W)/Q2 =[R(T2-T1)LN (V2/V1)] / RT2LN(V2/V1)
=1-( T1/T2) ……………..(1)
SINCE (T2-T1)/T2 IS INVARIABLY LESS THAN 1 THE EFFICIENCY OF THE HEAT ENGINE
IS ALWAYS LESS THAN 1 . NO HEAT ENGINE HAS BEEN CONSTRUCTED WHICH
HAS EFFICIENCY EQUAL TO UNITY. MATHEMATICALLY, HOWEVER IF T1= 0 ,
EFFICIENCY = 1 .
FROM EQUATION 1 IT IS SEEN THAT THE EFFICIENCY OF A HEAT ENGINE DEPENDS
UPON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN T2 AND T1 .THUS , GREATER THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THE TEMPERATURES OF THE SOURCE AND SINK , THE GREATER IS THE
EFFICIENCY .
The net heat absorbed by the system q , is equal to q2-q1 and according to the first law of
thermodynamics , this must be equivalent to the net work done by the system .
Thus , w= q2-q1 . Combining this with equation 1, we get-
q2-q1/q2 = (t2-t1)/t2
Thus efficiency , €=q2-q1/q2 = (t2-t1)/t2
Now ,
1. IF T2>T1 , THEN € < 1
2. IF T1=0 , THEN € =1
3. IF T2=T1 , THEN €=0 ( impossible)
FOR EXAMPLE , A REVERSIBLE HEAT ENGINE WORKING BETWEEN 273K AND 373K ABSORBS
746J 0F HEAT FROM THE SOURCE.
WORK DONE IN THE COMPLETE CYCLE , -W = 746*100/373J=200J
HEAT GIVEN TO THE SINK= 746-200 = 546J
€= (-W)/Q2 =T2-T1/T2 =100/373 =0.268
IF THE TEMPERATURE OF THE SOURCE WERE RAISED TO 573K, THE EFFICIENCY WOULD BE
GIVEN BY ,
€ = 200/573 = 0.349 .