• Cycles that are composed of reversible processes will give the

maximum net work and consumes the minimum work.

• One of these cycles is the Carnot Cycle

• Named for French engineer Nicolas Sadi Carnot (1769-1832)

• It is composed of four processes as follows:
1
Process 1-2: A reversible isothermal expansion

• The gas is allowed to

expand isothermally by
receiving heat (QH) from
a hot reservoir.

2
 Process 2-3: A reversible adiabatic
expansion
The cylinder now is insulated and
the gas is allowed to expand
adiabatically and thus doing
work on the surrounding.
The gas temperature decreases
from TH to TL.

3
Process 3-4: A reversible isothermal compression
The insulation is removed
and the gas is compressed
isothermally by rejecting
heat (QL) to a cold
reservoir.

4
 Process 4-1: A reversible adiabatic compression

• The cylinder is insulated again

and the gas is compressed
adiabatically to state 1, raising
its temperature from TL to TH

5
 Net work done by Carnot cycle is the area
enclosed by all process

The Carnot cycle is

the most efficient cycle
operation between two
specified temperatures
limits.

6
Carnot cycle can be executed in many different ways

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 Reversed Carnot Cycle
Process 1-2: The gas expands adiabatically (throttling
valve) reducing its temp from TH to TL.
Process 2-3: The gas
expands isothermally at TL
while receiving QL from
the cold reservoir.
Process 3-4: The gas is
compressed adiabatically
raising its temperature to
TH.
Process 4-1: The gas is
compressed isothermally
by rejecting QH to the hot
reservoir.
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Reversed Carnot Cycle

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 Carnot principles
1. No heat engine is more efficient
than a reversible one operating
between the same two reservoirs.

2. The thermal efficiencies of all

reversible heat engines operating
between the same two reservoirs
are the same.

Low temperature reservoir at TL

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 The Thermodynamic Temperature Scale
The second Carnot principle state that the
thermal efficiencies of all reversible heat
engines operating between the same two
reservoirs are the same.

hth, rev = f (TH,TL)

A temperature scale that is independent of the

properties of the substances that are used to
measure temperature is called a
thermodynamic temperature scale.
That is the Kelvin scale, and the temperatures
on this scale are called absolute temperatures.

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 Efficiency of a Carnot Engine
• For a reversible cycle the amount of heat transferred
is proportional to the temperature of the reservoir.

Only true for the

reversible case

12
COP of a Reversible Heat Pump and a Reversible Refrigerator

Only true for the

reversible case

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How do Reversible Carnot Heat Engine compare with real engines?

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How do Carnot Refrigerator compare with real Refrigerator?

COP of Refrigerator COP of Carnot Refrigerator

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 How do Carnot Heat Pump compare with real one?

COP of real Heat Pump COP of Carnot Heat Pump

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How to increase the efficiency of a real heat engine?

1- Increase TH but you are limited with melting temperature

of the engine material.
2- Decrease TL but you are limited with your environment.

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Example (1): Heating a House by a
Carnot Heat Pump
A heat pump is to be used to heat a
house during the winter, as shown in
the figure at right. The house is to be
maintained at 21oC at all times. The
house is estimated to be losing heat at
a rate of 135,000 kJ/h when the
outside temperature drops to -5oC.
Determine the minimum power
required to drive this heat pump.

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Example 2 Heat Engines and the Second Law
The heat reservoir in a steam turbine is 400 K (127°C)
and the sink is 300 K (27°C), the ideal efficiency is

Under ideal conditions, 25% of the internal energy of the

steam can become work, while the remaining 75% is
expelled as waste.
Increasing operating temperature to 600 K yields an
efficiency of (600 — 300)/600 = 1/2, twice the efficiency
at 400 K.
 Example (3)

Example: 4
In a typical nuclear power plant, TH = 3000C (~570K), TC = 400C (~310K), and the maximum efficiency
emax=0.45. If the plant generates 1000 MW of “work”, its waste heat production is at a rate.

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