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Re: [Phys-L] Carnot (?) efficiency of non-Carnot cycles




On Mar 4, 2015, at 11:15 AM, Carl Mungan <mungan@usna.edu> wrote:

The point remains that a Stirling cycle is quite
different from a Carnot cycle. It is not however
an "arbitrary" cycle.
a) Like a Carnot cycle, it is reversible.
b) Also like a Carnot cycle, it has a single
T(hot) and a single T(cold).

I think the preceding is the crux of the problem. Please explain in detail how you will accomplish a reversible isochoric process without a sequence of infinitesimally different temperature reservoirs.

So I think from an earlier message we do need to somehow average over each of these different temperature reservoirs in some clever fashion, perhaps tiling the Stirling cycle with a set of Carnot cycles?


Howdy,

Well said.

Not only that but point (b) is NOT true for a Stirling Engine (or any other reversible engine that isn't a Carnot Engine) since there is heat transfer at temperatures between T(hot) and T(cold).

I believe your suggestion is exactly what I explicitly suggested doing but said in a much better way.

Good Luck,

Herb Schulz
(herbs at wideopenwest dot com)