THE CARNOT CYCLE

The efficiency of a heat engine cycle greatly depends on how the individual processes are executed. The net work can be maximized by using reversible processes. The best known reversible cycle is the Carnot cycle. Note that the reversible cycles cannot be achieved in practice because of irreversibilities associated with real processes. But, the reversible… Continue reading THE CARNOT CYCLE

REVERSIBLE AND IRREVERSIBLE PROCESSES

In reversible process things happen very slowly, without any resisting force, without any space limitation, everything happens in a highly organized way (it is not physically possible; it is an idealization). Internally reversible process—a system undergoes through a series of equilibrium states, and when the process is reversed, the system passes through exactly the same… Continue reading REVERSIBLE AND IRREVERSIBLE PROCESSES

Violation of Clausius Statement by Violating Kelvin–Plank’s Statement

From Figure 1.14 (a), let us assume that a heat engine receives heat QH from high temperature reservoir and converts it into work rejecting no heat to sink, thus violating Kelvin–Plank’s statement. Refrigerator receives heat QL from low temperature reservoir and supplies an amount (QH + QL) to high temperature reservoir when W = QH work is supplied to it. Thus, it operates to conform Clausius statement.… Continue reading Violation of Clausius Statement by Violating Kelvin–Plank’s Statement

Equivalence of Kelvin–Planck and Clausius Statement

Violation of Kelvin–Plank Statement by Violating Clausius Statement From Figure 1.13 (a) let us assume that a heat pump receives heat QL from low temperature reservoir at TL and supplies it to high temperature sink at TH without any external work, thus violating the Clausius statement. A larger quantity of heat (QH + QL) is supplied to heat engine (by high temperature source at TH) which… Continue reading Equivalence of Kelvin–Planck and Clausius Statement

THE SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS

Second law of thermodynamics overcomes the limitations of first law of thermodynamics. First law of thermodynamics does not tell how much of heat is changed into work. Second law of thermodynamics shows that the total heat supplied to a system cannot be transferred solely into the work using single reservoir, i.e., some part of heat… Continue reading THE SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS