Sadi Carnot & Heat Engine - Research Paper Example

Any device that converts heat into work by means of a cyclic process is called a heat engine. This is the principle under which physician Carnot developed the Carnot heat engine. A Carnot heat engine is a theoretical engine that functions on the Principle of Carnot cycle which is the process of how heat engine operates in terms of its efficiency and energy conversion. The Carnot model was first developed by Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot in the year 1824 and later advanced in terms of its mathematical computation.

This resulted to a concept of entropy which is the conversion of energy from one level to another. The Carnot heat engine operates by transferring energy from two reservoirs i.e hot to cold region. The most efficient process for energy conversion that supersedes the second law of thermodynamics is the Carnot cycle. The cycle consists of isothermal phase and two adiabatic processes. According to the second law of thermodynamics, not all heat is used to do work in a machine hence the efficiency depends on the rate of heat conversion.

Under the Carnot cycle, the efficiency of the machine is improved since it sets the limit value of heat energy that can be used to do work. In order for a machine to obtain the Carnot efficiency threshold, the processes involved in the heat engine cycle must be reversible and there should be no heat loss or change in entropy. Therefore in any given machine, the Carnot cycle is the core central function in the machine system. The P-V diagram below illustrates the operation of a Carnot engine. The concept of Carnot engines and Carnote cycle is dated way back in eighteenth century when it was first discovered by a scientist, Nicolas L.

Sadi Carnote. Sir Carnote discovery was on how efficient can engines convert thermal energy to mechanical energy than the existing engines which were based on second law of thermodynamics. He discovered that "perfect