LATEST MECHANICAL ENGINEERING BREAKTHROUGH IN THERMODYNAMICS FIELD (Jan.

29, 2014) Nanoscale heat engine exceeds standard efficiency limit Detail In 2012, a team of physicists from Germany proposed a scheme for realizing a nanoscale heat engine composed of a single ion. Like a macroscale heat engine, the theoretical nanoscale version can convert heat into mechanical work by taking advantage of the temperature difference between two thermal reservoirs. Because the single-ion heat engine is so small, at the time the physicists noted that it had the potential to tap into the quantum regime and experience quantum effects. Now in a new paper, the physicists, from the Universities of Mainz and Erlangen-Nrnberg in Germany, have theoretically shown that a nanoscale heat engine can take advantage of nonthermal effects. "Our theoretical and numerical findings show that the performance of quantum heat engines may be enhanced by coupling them to engineered nonthermal reservoirs, like squeezed reservoirs," said coauthor Eric Lutz, Physics Professor at the University of Erlangen Nrnberg . "These results follow from the application of the second law of thermodynamics to a reservoir configuration that is more general than usually considered in textbooks. From a theoretical point of view, they indicate that the second law is less restrictive away from equilibrium." In their paper, the physicists showed that when the high-temperature thermal reservoir to which the quantum heat engine is attached is "squeezed," the heat engine's efficiency at maximum power dramatically increases and can exceed the standard Carnot limit by a factor of two. Since the power of an engine vanishes at maximum efficiency, the efficiency at maximum power is the quantity of prime interest for practical applications. As an expression of the second law of thermodynamics, Carnot's result places a fundamental limit on a heat engine's maximum efficiency. However, this limit holds only for the particular configuration that involves two thermal reservoirs at different temperatures. The engine proposed here has only one thermal reservoir, since the reservoir that is squeezed is considered nonthermal. While thermal reservoirs are characterized only by their temperatures, nonthermal reservoirs can be controlled in additional ways, such as by squeezing. As the physicists explain, squeezing is a quantum optics concept that has been shown to be a useful tool in high-precision spectroscopy, quantum information, quantum cryptography, and other areas. However, the use of squeezed thermal reservoirs in quantum thermodynamics has been largely unexplored until now. The physicists' simulations showed that this heat engine can be experimentally realized with current technology involving a single ion and laser reservoirs. The simulations revealed that such a heat engine could realistically operate at maximum power with an efficiency that is up to four times larger than the efficiency obtained with two thermal reservoirs, and a factor of two above the standard Carnot limit. In the future, these dramatic improvements in efficiency through squeezing could lead to the realization of more efficient nanoengines. "We succeeded recently to trap ions and plan to verify the predicted results in the lab," Lutz said. "We are currently investigating heat pumps and the options to scale the

number of ions up."

Vikrant Sharma Date:29/05/2011 URL:http://www.thehindu.com/2011/05/29/stories/2011052950910200.htmBack Tamil Nadu Women Can Excel in Mechanical Engineering Large number of students, completed higher secondary are looking for their higher studies in engineering. The option in front of them is very wide. Though they have to choose the institutions based on reputation, location and fee, the branch of study is an important factor to be decided at this stage. The options can be classified like (1) Circuit branches Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE), Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE), Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), Information Technology (IT), Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering (E&I) etc. Though these branches have their own specialization the career opening is mostly in the software field. (2) Core branches Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering. These branches have a very long reputation and their career openings are very wide. Though there is modest attraction towards core branches of engineering now-a-days, if you ask a girl candidate or their parent the reply will be like, I don't want mechanical engineering for my child she cannot carry the machine, Why mechanical engineering for girls? However, the branch of mechanical engineering is not simply limited to rough labour. The branch has got major subdivision like (1) Manufacturing Engineering (2) Thermal Engineering (3) Engineering Design (4)

Industrial Engineering. Need for manufacturing engineering exists in all fields. This includes manufacturing of cars, buses, trains, railway infrastructure, ships, aeroplanes, heavy machinery, rockets, satellite, electrical equipments and accessories, transformers, generators etc. Career opportunities in this field is very wide. Also, all the machines are now operated by Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) method. Girls can work in this field for designing, programming and administering manufacturing process. Thermal Engineering is the pulse of human life. This field includes the study and design of engines used in automobiles, aeroplanes, ships and rockets, the boilers used in power plants, cooling systems like AC, fridge and heating systems. All these technologies are being taught in this division. Girls can very well learn this and excel in their career. In Engineering Design, design of engines, machines, equipments, machine structures are taught. Also, design and programming for Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) using CNC machines and robots are being taught. For designing components, machines etc. is software like AutoCAD, CATIA, UniGraphics and Solid works are used. To work in this software, deep knowledge in mechanical engineering and training is required. Girls can work in this field and excel than boys. The career opportunities and perks are more attractive than software industry. In the past decade all bright students were attracted towards software industry. So there is a shortage of intellectual capabilities in this field. It would be wise to choose mechanical engineering now. Industrial Engineering teaches the method of administering small, medium and large industries efficiently and effectively. This division teaches optimization techniques, work study and method study, manufacturing planning, quality engineering etc. This division is most suitable for girls. They can excel in factory administration. To conclude, girls need not omit the option of joining mechanical engineering branch as the career opportunities are wide, attractive and stable. All the above fields of specialization are taught at UG level and further specialization can be taken at PG level. Dr. SM. Kannan Principal ULTRA College of Engineering & Technology for Women, Madurai. Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu