Heat Engines and Refrigerators
PHYS 220 · Module 4
This module applies the first and second laws to cyclic devices. Students analyze heat engines, Carnot limits, refrigerators, heat pumps, and real thermodynamic cycles.
Lessons in this module
Heat engines and efficiency
Heat engines convert some thermal energy into work while rejecting waste heat. This lesson introduces cyclic operation, efficiency, and second-law limits.
The Carnot cycle
The Carnot cycle is an ideal reversible engine cycle that sets the maximum possible efficiency between two reservoirs. This lesson explains its steps and significance.
Refrigerators and heat pumps
Refrigerators and heat pumps use work to move heat from colder regions to warmer regions. This lesson explains coefficients of performance and thermodynamic limits.
Real-world thermodynamic cycles
Real engines and power systems approximate ideal cycles but include irreversibilities. This lesson surveys Otto, Diesel, Brayton, Rankine, and refrigeration cycles.
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