Question

Derive an expression for the

efficiency of a Carnot engine in terms

of source and sink temperatures

Answer 1

the cold sink is the Earth's environment. This means that the coldsink is at a temperature of around 310 Kelvin, and the hot sources we can achieve in heat engines from burning fuels burn at a temperature of approximately 650 Kelvin. Thesetemperatures give a Carnot efficiencyvalue of η m a x = 0.52 .