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In nature heat only moves naturally from warmer systems to cooler systems. One direction only. Never naturally from something cold into something hot.

We can pump heat out of a system by doing work on it, such as a refrigerator where the refrigerant is compressed - making it much hotter than the surroundings - then letting it give off heat to the surroundings, then expanding it across a valve where the evaporation and expansion causes it to get colder than the inside of the fridge - then allowing it to absorb heat from the inside of the fridge, then sending it back to the compressor to start all over again.

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Why does the 2nd law of thermodynamics relate to the direction of heat flow and efficiency of heat engines?

One of the consequences of the 2nd law is that it is impossible for a power plant to achieve 100% efficiency. In fact the maximum efficiency is limited by the temperature of the boiler and temperature of the condenser for power plants powered by heat (like coal, gas fired, and nuclear).


What is a 2nd law of energy?

You must be referring to the two Laws of Thermodynamics. Stated in terms of energy: 1. The First Law of Thermodynamics is the Law of Conservation of Energy, meaning that energy can not be created or destroyed. 2. However, useful energy is continuously being converted into unusable energy. This is irreversible. This is the Second Law of Thermodynamics.


What are the thermodynamics of heat engines?

1st. Principle-- If two bodies are in thermal equilibrium with a third body, they are also in thermal equilibrium with each other. 2nd. Principle-- Heat energy and mechanical work are mutually convertible. 3rd.-- It is impossible to construct a mechanical device ( engine) whose sole purpose is to convert all of the heat energy supply to it into equal amount of work. 4th.-- The entropy of a pure crystalline substance at absolute zero temperature is zero


What does the 1st and 2nd law of thermodynamics state?

I like the quote from Charles Percy Snow, Baron Snow, CBE (or possibly Allen Ginsberg - depending on who you ask) which applies equally well to thermodynamics and ultimately gambling. 1st Law: You'll never get ahead of the house - or - you can't win 2nd Law: not only that - you'll never break even.(the house always takes its percentage) In more scientific terms: 1st Law - the energy of the universe is conserved in any process - or - you can neither create no destroy energy. With the famous equation E=mc², we have to modify that to say that the matter and energy of the universe is constant - or - you can't create or destroy matter/energy - just change its form. 2nd Law - you cannot covert all energy in the form of heat to an equivalent amount of work - some will be lost as heat to the environment - or - You cannot create a heat engine which extracts heat and converts it ALL to useful work - or - whenever any source of energy is used to do work, there will always be an increase in the entropy of the universe from the heat lost from the process (in this case we might think of entropy as the "house" in gambling).


The 2nd law of thermodynamics has three forms?

It has several forms, all of which are more or less equivalent, even though they don't seem so, at first glance. For example:No heat engine can be more efficient than a theoretical Carnot engine. In a closed system, entropy can never decrease.There are irreversible processes.

Related Questions

Which law is Some energy is released as unusable heat energy into the environment?

This statement is based on the second law of thermodynamics, which states that in any energy transformation, some energy is lost as waste heat and cannot be converted back into usable energy. This principle underlies many natural processes and technological systems.


Which law of thermodynamics applies to percent of harvested energy?

The 2nd law of thermodynamics can yield predictions on the maximum efficiency of a process that seeks to extract useful energy. An example would be the Carnot cycle which gives the maximum percent of energy that can be harvested and turned into useful work as heat moves from a heat source to a heat sink.


On which thermodynamic law a thermodynamics cycle based?

Thermodynamic cycle is based on 2nd law of thermodynamics.


Is entropy closely related to the 1st law of thermodynamics?

Entropy is closely related to the 2nd law of thermodynamics, not the 1st law. The 1st law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or converted. Entropy, on the other hand, is a measure of the disorder or randomness of a system, which increases over time according to the 2nd law of thermodynamics.


Does a truck crashing into a wall demonstrates the second law of thermodynamics?

No, a truck crashing into a wall does not directly demonstrate the second law of thermodynamics. The second law deals with the flow of energy and the tendency of systems to increase in entropy over time, which are more related to processes like heat transfer and chemical reactions.


How is a refrigerator example of heat mover?

Normally, heat moves from a higher temperature to a lower temperature. Devices that use work to move heat are called heat movers. A refrigerator is an example of a heat mover because it takes the heat from inside of the refrigerator and moves it to the outside. The 2nd law of thermodynamics allows this to occur if work is done in the process. A refrigerator does work as it moves the heat from inside the refrigerator to the warmer room.


How is a refrigerator an example of a mover?

Normally, heat moves from a higher temperature to a lower temperature. Devices that use work to move heat are called heat movers. A refrigerator is an example of a heat mover because it takes the heat from inside of the refrigerator and moves it to the outside. The 2nd law of thermodynamics allows this to occur if work is done in the process. A refrigerator does work as it moves the heat from inside the refrigerator to the warmer room.


What happens to the 62 percent of the total energy of glucose that is not used to make ATP molecules?

The remaining energy is lost as heat due to the 2nd law of thermodynamics. According to that law, only part of the energy will transfer and the rest will be lost as heat. For example, and engine uses part of the energy for motion and the rest dissipates through heat.


What is the direction thermal energy flows?

it's from hotter one to the cooler one,because when electron of the body from which it is flowing gets energy and gets excited and goes to its extrime position and they gets colides with another atom and transfers some energy to it . and the 2nd atom to the third atom and so on and the energy gets transmited.


Why does the 2nd law of thermodynamics relate to the direction of heat flow and efficiency of heat engines?

One of the consequences of the 2nd law is that it is impossible for a power plant to achieve 100% efficiency. In fact the maximum efficiency is limited by the temperature of the boiler and temperature of the condenser for power plants powered by heat (like coal, gas fired, and nuclear).


How is a refrigerator an example of a heat mover?

Normally, heat moves from a higher temperature to a lower temperature. Devices that use work to move heat are called heat movers. A refrigerator is an example of a heat mover because it takes the heat from inside of the refrigerator and moves it to the outside. The 2nd law of thermodynamics allows this to occur if work is done in the process. A refrigerator does work as it moves the heat from inside the refrigerator to the warmer room.


What is a 2nd law of energy?

You must be referring to the two Laws of Thermodynamics. Stated in terms of energy: 1. The First Law of Thermodynamics is the Law of Conservation of Energy, meaning that energy can not be created or destroyed. 2. However, useful energy is continuously being converted into unusable energy. This is irreversible. This is the Second Law of Thermodynamics.