Optimization of Power and Efficiency in Irreversible Carnot Cycle

What is it about?

This study focuses on optimizing a heat engine that uses a Brownian particle as its working substance, based on an irreversible low-dissipation Carnot-like cycle. The goal was to improve both the power and efficiency of the engine. The optimization process involved creating an objective function derived from efficiency and power input equations, from which the best possible power and efficiency were calculated. The engine operates with two isothermal processes (constant temperature) and two adiabatic processes (no heat exchange). The optimized power and efficiency were scaled relative to their maximum power values. The efficiency at maximum power was set to 0.25, and the cold dissipation parameter was fixed at 1. The hot dissipation parameter, however, changes during the process. The results show that as the cold efficiency (ηC) increases, the scaled power increases. On the other hand, as the hot dissipation parameter (Σ2) increases, the scaled efficiency of the engine improves. The "figure of merit," a measure of performance, decreases as Σ2 increases from 2.2 to 6.2, but it becomes greater than one when ηC is higher than 0.65. This suggests that the engine performs better when optimized rather than at maximum power if ηC is greater than 0.65. However, if ηC is lower than 0.65, the engine performs better at maximum power. In summary, depending on the value of ηC, the engine can be tuned to operate in either mode for optimal performance.

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Why is it important?

Heat engines have been influential in forming society since the industrial revolution, and our contemporary way of life would not be feasible without them (Singh & Johal, 2018). The development of ever-smaller devices is happening concurrently with the advancement of miniaturization. It is even conceivable to scale down a macro-scale engine, like a car engine, while maintaining the same operating principles, which is one of the most important concerns in this discipline. In order to answer this crucial topic, the current thesis would look into enhanced power and efficiency, specifically in an irreversible Carnot-like heat engine. Additionally, research can be used as a reference for researchers in the field. It can also be used as a theoretical model for practical practitioners who wish to produce prototypes for such devices.