EFFICIENCY AND THE SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS 9/11/08 NOTES 9/9/08 POSTED QUESTIONS ABOUT POWER AND ENERGY?
EFFICIENCY AND THESECOND LAW OF
THERMODYNAMICS
9/11/08
NOTES 9/9/08 POSTED
QUESTIONS ABOUT POWER AND ENERGY?
THE THREE LAWS OF THERMODYNAMICS
1ST LAW: ENERGY IS CONSERVED.
2ND LAW: THERMAL ENERGY CANNOT BE TURNED INTO USEFUL WORK WITH 100% EFFICIENCY.
3RD LAW: AS THE ABSOLUTE ZERO OF TEMPERATURE IS APPROACHED, ALL THERMAL MOTION CEASES. (BUT WE CAN NEVER GET THERE!)
YOU CAN’T WIN.
YOU CAN’T BREAK EVEN.
YOU CAN’T GET OUT OF THE GAME.
HEAT ENGINES AND THE RISE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION
~1ST CENTURY CE: HERO’S ENGINE
1769: WATT’S STEAM ENGINE
1824: CARNOT CYCLE
1877: NICOLAUS OTTO PATENTS A 4-STROKE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE
THERMAL ENERGY
THERMAL ENERGY CAN BE THOUGHT OF AS A FORM OF KINETIC ENERGY- THE ENERGY OF MOLECULES MOVING RANDOMLY. WE DON’T KNOW THE ENERGY OF INDIVIDUAL MOLECULES- JUST THE TOTAL ENERGY
TEMPERATURE IS A MEASURE OF AVERAGE ENERGY: THE AVERAGE KINETIC ENERGY OF AN ATOM OR MOLECULE IS PROPORTIONAL TO ABSOLUTE TEMPERATURE T
ABSOLUTE TEMPERATURE IS MEASURED IN DEGREES KELVIN: KELVIN=CELSIUS+273 (K = C + 273).
ZERO DEGREES KELVIN IS ABSOLUTE ZERO, WHERE THERMAL MOTION STOPS.
ENERGY AND USEFUL ENERGY
ENERGY IS NEVER LOST, BECAUSE IT IS CONSERVED (FIRST LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS).
THERMAL ENERGY CAN BE WASTED, IN THE SENSE THAT IT MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE TO DO USEFUL WORK.
ONE FORM OF THE SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS IS THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO CONVERT THERMAL ENERGY INTO USEFUL WORK WITH 100% EFFICIENCY.
A THOUGHT EXPERIMENT
HEAT ENGINES USE TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCES TO TURN THERMAL ENERGY INTO USEFUL WORK.
ONCE THE TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE IS GONE, THE ENERGY IS STILL THERE, BUT WE CANNOT TURN IT INTO USEFUL WORK.
THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HOT GAS PUSHING A PISTON (THERMAL ENERGY CONVERTED TO MECHANICAL ENERGY) AND FREE EXPANSION OF THE SAME HOT GAS.
ENTROPY AND ORDER
ENTROPY IS A THERMODYNAMIC QUANTITY THAT MEASURES THE DISORDER OF A THERMAL SYSTEM
GENERALLY, THE HIGHER THE TEMPERATURE, THE MORE DISORDERED (RANDOM) A SYSTEM IS.
ANOTHER FORM OF THE SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS IS THAT THE ENTROPY OF A CLOSED SYSTEM NEVER DECREASES!
THE SECOND LAW ALSO STATES THAT IT IS ONLY POSSIBLE TO PERFORM WORK BY TRANSFERRING HEAT FROM HOT BODIES TO COLD
STEAM ENGINE
WATER IS CONVERTED TO STEAM BY BURNING WOOD OR COAL
STEAM PUSHES PISTON BACK AND FORTH, TURNING WHEEL TO DO WORK
STEAM CONDENSES BACK INTO WATER AND SO ON ...
HEAT ENGINES
A HEAT ENGINE IS AN ENGINE POWERED BY THERMAL ENERGY.
EXAMPLES INCLUDE AUTO ENGINES, COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS, AND NUCLEAR REACTORS.
WE REPRESENT AN ABSTRACTION OF A HEAT ENGINE AS HAVING THREE PARTS: A HEAT SOURCE, AN ENGINE, AND A HEAT SINK.
HOT
COLD
W
Qh
Qc
HEAT ENGINES 2
HOT
COLD
W
Qh
Qc
Qh = W +Qc
1ST LAW:
EFFICIENCY:
! =WQh
= 1! Qc
Qh
2ND LAW- NO HEAT ENGINE IS 100% EFFICIENT:
! < 1 Qc != 0
REVERSIBLE ENGINES
HOT Th
COLD Tc
W
Qh
Qc
REVERSIBLE ENGINES CAN RUN FORWARDS AND BACKWARDS. THEY ARE MODELS FOR REFRIGERATORS AND HEAT PUMPS. THEY ARE ALSO CALLED CARNOT ENGINES.(FRICTIONLESS SO IDEALIZATION)
KEY FACT FOR REVERSIBLE ENGINES:
Qc
Qh=
Tc
Th
! = 1! Qc
Qh= 1! Tc
Th
NOTE: MUST USE ABSOLUTE TEMPERATURE!
NO SUPER-ENGINES EXIST!
A SUPER-ENGINE IS A HEAT ENGINE MORE EFFICIENT THAN A REVERSIBLE ENGINE
WE WILL PROVE THAT THE EXISTENCE OF A SUPER-ENGINE WOULD VIOLATE THE 2ND LAW
THEREFORE, A REVERSIBLE ENGINE IS THE MOST EFFICIENT ENGINE
HOT
COLD
W
Qh
Qc
PROOF BY CONTRADICTION
HOT
COLD
SUPER
W’Qh
Qc’
REV
W
Qh
Qc
W’>W
SUPER + REVERSIBLE=SUPER-DUPER ENGINE
EFFICIENCY BOUND FOR HEAT ENGINES
HOT
COLD
W
Qh
Qc
!! !rev = 1" Tc
Th
THIS IS AN ULTIMATE, IRREVOCABLE BOUND ON HEAT ENGINE EFFICIENCY