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A heat engine operating between 2 temperatures, Thot, the heat source, and Tcold, the heat sink, can be 100% efficient only when Tcold is absolute zero.

Carnot worked out the equation to determine the best possible efficiency of a heat engine designed to produce mechanical energy ("Work") from heat energy:

Wout = (Heat Energy in at Thot) x (Thot - Tcold)/(Thot)

Note that (Thot - Tcold)/(Thot) is 1 only if Tcold is zero. In every other case, the ratio is less than 1.

The amount of heat energy discharged to the heat sink at Tcold is:

(Heat Energy in at Thot) - Wout.

(You can work this out from the equation. It reflects the law of conservation of energy. )

This just means that all the heat energy absorbed by the heat engine is converted into either mechanical energy or heat energy at a lower temperature. No energy is lost and no extra energy is created.

"Efficiency" according to Carnot's equation tells us the best possible ratio between these two energy outputs that nature allows a heat engine to achieve.

You can think of a heat engine as a device that splits an amount of heat energy at some high temperature into mechanical energy and heat energy at some lower temperature.

Kind Regards,

Colin Dunstan

Author: "cyclic heat to work conversion systems"

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