Lecture

Thermodynamic Cycles

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Description

This lecture covers the fundamentals of thermodynamic cycles, including definitions, Carnot cycle, second law corollaries, and practical types of thermodynamic cycles. It also discusses reversible and irreversible evolutions, the Carnot cycle, and the second law corollaries. The lecture concludes with a discussion on real cycles and their components, types of thermodynamic cycles, and a brief overview of the program MOOCs for Africa.

In MOOC

Thermodynamics I

Professor J.-Ph. Ansermet from EPFL and his collaborator Dr. Sylvain Bréchet have brought together all the fundamental principles of thermodynamics in four lessons. The second part of the MOOC illustrates the thermodynamic approach through a series of applications presented by specialists from various partner institutions in the RESCIF network. The aim of the course is to help students understand and apply the fundamental concepts of thermodynamics. Following a presentation of the first and second princi

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Physics

Thermodynamics: Statistical mechanics

Related concepts (32)

Thermodynamic cycle

A thermodynamic cycle consists of linked sequences of thermodynamic processes that involve transfer of heat and work into and out of the system, while varying pressure, temperature, and other state variables within the system, and that eventually returns the system to its initial state. In the process of passing through a cycle, the working fluid (system) may convert heat from a warm source into useful work, and dispose of the remaining heat to a cold sink, thereby acting as a heat engine.

Carnot cycle

A Carnot cycle is an ideal thermodynamic cycle proposed by French physicist Sadi Carnot in 1824 and expanded upon by others in the 1830s and 1840s. By Carnot's theorem, it provides an upper limit on the efficiency of any classical thermodynamic engine during the conversion of heat into work, or conversely, the efficiency of a refrigeration system in creating a temperature difference through the application of work to the system.

Thermodynamics

Thermodynamics is a branch of physics that deals with heat, work, and temperature, and their relation to energy, entropy, and the physical properties of matter and radiation. The behavior of these quantities is governed by the four laws of thermodynamics which convey a quantitative description using measurable macroscopic physical quantities, but may be explained in terms of microscopic constituents by statistical mechanics.

Temperature

Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measured with a thermometer. Thermometers are calibrated in various temperature scales that historically have relied on various reference points and thermometric substances for definition. The most common scales are the Celsius scale with the unit symbol °C (formerly called centigrade), the Fahrenheit scale (°F), and the Kelvin scale (K), the latter being used predominantly for scientific purposes.

Thermodynamic process

Classical thermodynamics considers three main kinds of thermodynamic process: (1) changes in a system, (2) cycles in a system, and (3) flow processes. (1)A Thermodynamic process is a process in which the thermodynamic state of a system is changed. A change in a system is defined by a passage from an initial to a final state of thermodynamic equilibrium. In classical thermodynamics, the actual course of the process is not the primary concern, and often is ignored.

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