โ๏ธ Carnot, Reversed Carnot & Heat Pump
Analyze Carnot cycle limits for heat engines, refrigerators, and heat pumps. Compute maximum COP, minimum work input, and compare with real cycle estimates.
๐ Configuration
ฮทCarnot = 1 โ TL/TH
COPref = TL / (TH โ TL)
COPHP = TH / (TH โ TL)
COPHP = COPref + 1
QH = QL + W
๐ Results
Configure inputs and click Analyze to view results.
๐ Methodology
Carnot Theorem
No heat engine operating between two thermal reservoirs can be more efficient than a Carnot (reversible) engine. The Carnot efficiency ฮท = 1 โ TL/TH sets the upper bound for all real engines.
Reversed Carnot
A reversed Carnot cycle operates as either a refrigerator (extracting heat from cold space) or a heat pump (delivering heat to warm space). The COP defines performance: COPref = QL/W, COPHP = QH/W.
Real vs Ideal
Real cycles achieve 40โ60% of Carnot performance due to irreversibilities (friction, heat transfer across finite ฮT, non-ideal compression/expansion). The real cycle factor provides a quick engineering estimate.