Ch 5. Second Law of Thermodynamics     Multimedia Engineering Thermodynamics
Heat Engine The Second
Law		 Carnot
Cycle		 Carnot Heat
Engine		 Carnot
Refrigerator		      
Thermodynamics
 The Carnot Cycle Case Intro Theory Case Solution  
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Author(s):
Meirong Huang
Kurt Gramoll
 
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THERMODYNAMICS - CASE STUDY
    Introduction


A Power Plant

  

In order to win a design contract for a power plant, a company is soliciting ideas from its three design teams. The power plant receives heat from a underground hot spring and rejects the waste heat to the surrounding air. The three teams are required to submit the schematic of their design and report the efficiency of the power plant.

What is known:

  • The temperature of water in the underground hot spring is 140 oC
  • The temperature of the surrounding air is 30 oC
  • The thermal efficiencies reported by the three teams are:
    Team A: 18.0%
    Team B: 26.6%
    Team C: 28.0%
     
    Question


  Based on the Carnot Principles, determine which design is possible.
     
    Approach
    Compare the thermal efficiency reported by the three teams with the thermal efficiency of a Carnot Heat Engine (will be introduced in next section) working between 140 oC and 30 oC, which is:

      ηREV = 1 - (30 + 273)/(140 + 273) = 26.6%