An inventor proposes to make a heat engine using water/ice as the working substa

Question

An inventor proposes to make a heat engine using water/ice as the working substance, taking advantage of the fact that water expands as it freezes. A weight to be lifted is placed on top of a piston over a cylinder of water at 1oC. The system is then place in thermal contact with a low-temperature reservoir at -1oC until the water freezes into ice, lifting the weight. The weight is then removed and the ice is melted by putting it in contact with a high-temperature reservoir at 1oC. The inventor is pleased with this device because it can seemingly perform an unlimited amount of work while absorbing only a finite amount of heat. Explain the flaw in the inventor's reasoning, and use the Clausius-Clapeyron relation to prove that the maximum efficency of this engine is still given by the Carnot formula, 1-(TC/TH).

Explanation / Answer

see here http://www.scribd.com/doc/44530279/Thermodynamics-Homework-5 problem 5.33. solution is very well explained

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse A
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.