Physics

Describe Carnot’s reversible engine

Any heat engine is used to convert heat into mechanical work. An ideal engine free from all in perfections of practical engines was conceived by Sadi Carnot, a French scientist, in 1824. The ideal engine consists of the following essential components:

Carnot's Reversible Engine

  1. Cylinder: A perfect gas is used as working substance. The gas is contained in a cylinder with perfectly non-conducting walls, having a frictionless non-conducting piston.
  2. Source (S): A source or heat reservoir (S) is a thermal system kept at higher temperature T1K of high thermal capacity.
  3. Sink: The sink (B) is also a thermal system kept at lower temperature T2K, where T1>>T2. It has also very high thermal capacity. It can reject heat.
  4. Platform: The engine has a platform which is kept on non-conducting cap (D). Since the source and sink are of very high thermal capacity, so due to exchange of heat there will be no change of temperature.

A Carrot’s engine, the working substance under goes two successive thermal expansions and two successive compressions—one is isothermal and other is adiabatic.