All Problems

Second law of thermodynamics, entropy

Problem 2.122

An ideal gas goes through a cycle consisting of isothermal, polytropic, and adiabatic lines, with the isothermal process proceeding at the maximum temperature of the whole cycle. Find the efficiency of such a cycle if the absolute temperature varies \(n\) -fold within the cycle.

Reveal Answer
η=1n1nlnn\eta=1-\frac{n-1}{n \ln n}