Summarizing Carnot’s Perfect Heat Engine

Summary

• The Carnot cycle is a theoretical cycle that is the most efficient cyclical process possible. Any engine using the Carnot cycle, which uses only reversible processes (adiabatic and isothermal), is known as a Carnot engine.
• Any engine that uses the Carnot cycle enjoys the maximum theoretical efficiency.
• While Carnot engines are ideal engines, in reality, no engine achieves Carnot’s theoretical maximum efficiency, since dissipative processes, such as friction, play a role. Carnot cycles without heat loss may be possible at absolute zero, but this has never been seen in nature.

Glossary

Carnot cycle

a cyclical process that uses only reversible processes, the adiabatic and isothermal processes

Carnot engine

a heat engine that uses a Carnot cycle

Carnot efficiency

the maximum theoretical efficiency for a heat engine