Carnot Cycle

Reversible and Irreversible Process

• A process of a system is reversible if the system and all parts of its
surroundings can be exactly restored to their respective initial state
after the process has taken place.

•Process can be:

•Total Reversible / Reversible
•Internal Reversible
•External Reversible
Carnot’s Theorem
• No heat engine can be more efficient than a reversible engine
operating between the same temperature limits.
• All reversible heat engines operating between same temperature
limits have the same efficiency
Carnot Cycle
• The cycle efficiency of a heat engine can be approximated by using
reversible process
• Reversible cycles cannot be achieved practically because the
irreversibility associated with each process can not be eliminated
• However, reversible cycles provide upper limits on the performance
of real cycles
• The best known cycle is the Carnot Cycle
• The theoretical heat engine that operates on Carnot Cycle is called
Carnot Engine
Carnot Cycle
Carnot Cycle is composed of four reversible
processes:
• Two isothermal and two adiabatic
processes
• Consider a closed system that consists of a
gas contained in an adiabatic piston cylinder
device. The insulation of cylinder head is such
that it may be removed to bring the cylinder into
contact with reservoirs to provide heat transfer.

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Carnot Cycle
Reversible Isothermal Expansion.
(Process 1-2, TH = constant).

At state 1 the temperature of gas is TH and the

cylinder head is in close contact with a source
at temperature TH. The gas is allowed to
expand slowly doing work on surrounding. As
the gas expands the temperature of the gas
tends to decrease but as soon as the
temperature drops by an amount dT, some heat
flows from the reservoir raising the gas
temperature to TH.
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 1
TH=constant
QH
2

Specific Volume

Process 1-2 Reversible isothermal heat

addition at high temperature, TH > TL to the gas
in a piston-cylinder device which does some
work

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Carnot Cycle
Reversible Adiabatic Expansion.
(Process 2-3, temp drops from TH to TL).

At state 2, the reservoir that was in contact with

the cylinder is removed and is replaced by
insulation so that it becomes adiabatic. The gas
continues to expand slowly doing work on
surroundings until its temperature drops from TH
to TL .

8
Process 2-3 Reversible adiabatic expansion during
which the system does work as the gas temperature
decreases from TH to TL.

1
QH
TH=constant

TL=constant

Specific Volume

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Carnot Cycle
Reversible Isothermal Compression.
(Process 3-4, TH = constant).

At state 3, the insulation is removed and the

cylinder is brought in contact with a sink at a
temperature TL. Now the piston is pushed
inwards by an external force doing work on the
gas. As the gas is compressed, its temperature
tends to rise but as soon as it rises by an
amount dT, heat flows from the gas to the sink
causing the gas temperature to drop to TL. Thus
the gas temperature is maintained at TL. It
continues till it reaches point 4. 10
 1
TH=constant
QH
2

4
QL
3

TL=constant

Specific Volume

Process 3-4 The system is brought in contact with a

heat reservoir at TL < TH and a reversible isothermal
heat exchange takes place while work of compression
is done on the system

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Carnot Cycle
Reversible Adiabatic Compression.
(Process 4-1, Temp rises from TL to TH).

State 4 is such that when the low temperature

reservoir is removed and the insulation is put
back on the cylinder and the gas is compressed
in a reversible manner, the gas returns to its
initial state 1. Temperature rises from TL to TH
during this adiabatic compression completing
the cycle.

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Process 4-1 A reversible adiabatic compression
process increases the gas temperature from TL to
TH

1
TH=constant
QH
2

4
QL
3

TL=constant

Specific
SpecificVolume
Volume

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