Question
What is Carnot heat engine? Discuss the essential parts of Carnot heat engine and draw its block diagram.
Solution
Carnot heat engine is an ideal, reversible and most efficient heat engine that converts heat energy into mechanical energy.
The block diagram for the Carnot engine is as shown:
The essential parts of Carnot heat engine are discussed below:
(i) Cylinder: The cylinder of Carnot’s engine has perfectly insulating walls, perfectly insulating base fitted with perfectly insulating, massless and frictionless piston.
(ii) Working substance: It is an ideal gas filled in the cylinder.
(iii) Source: It is a hot body at high temperature (T1) having infinite heat capacity.
The working substance draws the heat Q1 once in each cycle of operation.
(iv) Sink: It is a cold body at low temperature (T2) having infinite heat capacity. The working substance rejects the heat Q2 once in each cycle of operation.
(v) Insulated pad: In one cycle of operation, the gas in the cylinder is to expand and compress adiabatically.
The cylinder is placed on an insulated pad to make in order to carry out the adiabatic process.
The block diagram for the Carnot engine is as shown:
The essential parts of Carnot heat engine are discussed below:
(i) Cylinder: The cylinder of Carnot’s engine has perfectly insulating walls, perfectly insulating base fitted with perfectly insulating, massless and frictionless piston.
(ii) Working substance: It is an ideal gas filled in the cylinder.
(iii) Source: It is a hot body at high temperature (T1) having infinite heat capacity.
The working substance draws the heat Q1 once in each cycle of operation.
(iv) Sink: It is a cold body at low temperature (T2) having infinite heat capacity. The working substance rejects the heat Q2 once in each cycle of operation.
(v) Insulated pad: In one cycle of operation, the gas in the cylinder is to expand and compress adiabatically.
The cylinder is placed on an insulated pad to make in order to carry out the adiabatic process.
