9/11/08

NOTES 9/9/08 POSTED

QUESTIONS ABOUT POWER AND ENERGY?

EFFICIENCY AND THE

SECOND LAW OF
THERMODYNAMICS

THE THREE LAWS OF THERMODYNAMICS

1ST LAW: ENERGY IS CONSERVED.

YOU CANT WIN.

2ND LAW: THERMAL ENERGY

CANNOT BE TURNED INTO USEFUL
WORK WITH 100% EFFICIENCY.

YOU CANT BREAK EVEN.

3RD LAW: AS THE ABSOLUTE ZERO

YOU CANT GET OUT OF
OF TEMPERATURE IS APPROACHED,
THE GAME.
ALL THERMAL MOTION CEASES. (BUT
WE CAN NEVER GET THERE!)

HEAT ENGINES AND THE RISE OF

WESTERN CIVILIZATION

~1ST CENTURY CE: HEROS ENGINE

1769: WATTS STEAM ENGINE
1824: CARNOT CYCLE
1877: NICOLAUS OTTO PATENTS A 4-STROKE INTERNAL
COMBUSTION ENGINE

HERO OF ALEXANDRIAS ENGINE

AEOLIPILE = BALL OF AEOLUS

WATTS STEAM ENGINE

JAMES WATT 1736-1819

OTTO AND THE GASOLINE ENGINE

NICOLAUS OTTO
1832-1891

ANIMATION

THERMAL ENERGY
THERMAL ENERGY CAN BE THOUGHT OF AS A FORM OF KINETIC
ENERGY- THE ENERGY OF MOLECULES MOVING RANDOMLY. WE
DONT KNOW THE ENERGY OF INDIVIDUAL MOLECULES- JUST THE
TOTAL ENERGY
TEMPERATURE IS A MEASURE OF AVERAGE ENERGY: THE
AVERAGE KINETIC ENERGY OF AN ATOM OR MOLECULE IS
PROPORTIONAL TO ABSOLUTE TEMPERATURE T
ABSOLUTE TEMPERATURE IS MEASURED IN DEGREES KELVIN:
KELVIN=CELSIUS+273 (K = C + 273).
ZERO DEGREES KELVIN IS ABSOLUTE ZERO, WHERE THERMAL
MOTION STOPS.

ENERGY AND USEFUL ENERGY

ENERGY IS NEVER LOST, BECAUSE IT IS CONSERVED (FIRST

LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS).
THERMAL ENERGY CAN BE WASTED, IN THE SENSE THAT IT
MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE TO DO USEFUL WORK.
ONE FORM OF THE SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS IS
THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO CONVERT THERMAL ENERGY INTO
USEFUL WORK WITH 100% EFFICIENCY.

A THOUGHT EXPERIMENT
HEAT ENGINES USE TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCES TO
TURN THERMAL ENERGY INTO USEFUL WORK.
ONCE THE TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE IS GONE, THE
ENERGY IS STILL THERE, BUT WE CANNOT TURN IT
INTO USEFUL WORK.
THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HOT GAS
PUSHING A PISTON (THERMAL ENERGY CONVERTED TO
MECHANICAL ENERGY) AND FREE EXPANSION OF THE
SAME HOT GAS.

ENTROPY AND ORDER

ENTROPY IS A THERMODYNAMIC QUANTITY THAT MEASURES
THE DISORDER OF A THERMAL SYSTEM
GENERALLY, THE HIGHER THE TEMPERATURE, THE MORE
DISORDERED (RANDOM) A SYSTEM IS.
ANOTHER FORM OF THE SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS IS
THAT THE ENTROPY OF A CLOSED SYSTEM NEVER DECREASES!
THE SECOND LAW ALSO STATES THAT IT IS ONLY POSSIBLE TO
PERFORM WORK BY TRANSFERRING HEAT FROM HOT BODIES TO
COLD

STEAM ENGINE

WATER IS CONVERTED TO STEAM BY BURNING WOOD OR COAL

STEAM PUSHES PISTON BACK AND FORTH, TURNING WHEEL TO DO WORK
STEAM CONDENSES BACK INTO WATER AND SO ON ...

HEAT ENGINES
HOT
A HEAT ENGINE IS AN ENGINE
POWERED BY THERMAL ENERGY.

Qh
W

EXAMPLES INCLUDE AUTO ENGINES,

COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS, AND
NUCLEAR REACTORS.
WE REPRESENT AN ABSTRACTION OF
A HEAT ENGINE AS HAVING THREE
PARTS: A HEAT SOURCE, AN ENGINE,
AND A HEAT SINK.

Qc
COLD

HEAT ENGINES 2
1ST LAW:

HOT

Qh = W + Qc

EFFICIENCY:

Qh
W

W
Qc
=
= 1
Qh
Qh
2ND LAW- NO HEAT ENGINE IS
100% EFFICIENT:

<1

Qc != 0

Qc
COLD

REVERSIBLE ENGINES
REVERSIBLE ENGINES CAN RUN FORWARDS
AND BACKWARDS. THEY ARE MODELS FOR
REFRIGERATORS AND HEAT PUMPS. THEY
ARE ALSO CALLED CARNOT ENGINES.
(FRICTIONLESS SO IDEALIZATION)

HOT Th
Qh
W

KEY FACT FOR REVERSIBLE ENGINES:

Qc Tc
=
Qh Th
Qc
Tc
= 1
= 1
Qh
Th
NOTE: MUST USE ABSOLUTE TEMPERATURE!

Qc
COLD Tc

NO SUPER-ENGINES EXIST!
HOT
A SUPER-ENGINE IS A HEAT ENGINE
MORE EFFICIENT THAN A REVERSIBLE
ENGINE
WE WILL PROVE THAT THE EXISTENCE
OF A SUPER-ENGINE WOULD VIOLATE
THE 2ND LAW
THEREFORE, A REVERSIBLE ENGINE IS
THE MOST EFFICIENT ENGINE

Qh
W

Qc
COLD

PROOF BY CONTRADICTION
HOT
Qh

SUPER + REVERSIBLE=
SUPER-DUPER ENGINE

Qh
W

SUPER

REV

Qc

Qc
COLD

W>W

EFFICIENCY BOUND FOR HEAT ENGINES

Tc
rev = 1
Th

HOT
Qh
W

THIS IS AN ULTIMATE,
IRREVOCABLE BOUND ON
HEAT ENGINE EFFICIENCY

Qc
COLD

CERN

LHC
STANDARD MODEL
THREE FORCES
12 FERMIONS
BOSONS
TRANSMIT FORCE

COST OF THE LHC $3.8X109

IS IT WORTH IT?