Why should a Comot cycle have two
isothermal so adiabatic processes?
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:
The Carnot cycle is trying to be the most efficient at generating work given two heat reservoirs at different temperatures.
To be the most efficient, it needs to minimize entropy generation. The prototypical example of entropy generation is heat flowing across a non-zero temperature gradient. That’s because as it leaves the hot object it removes entropy δQ/TH, and as the exact same heat enters the cold body, it adds entropy δQ/TC. Since TH>TC, this is more entropy arriving than leaving, that is, a net increase.
Therefore if you want efficiency, your candidate cycle elements are adiabatic (no heat flows at all) and isothermal at a temperature infinitesimally close to that of one of the reservoirs (heat flows infinitesimally slowly but with infinitesimally small entropy generation).