Carnot cycle work & efficiency

In summary, to produce 30 kg of liquid oxygen at room temperature, one would need to supply energy equal to 6.42 MJ from outside the container. The reverse Carnot cycle operating between 290K and 90K has an efficiency of 0.69, so the work needed would be 9.3 MJ.
  • #1
Incand
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Homework Statement


The oxygen contained in a thermally insulated container will be cooled down to its boiling point (-183 C), and then condensed. Thereby one uses a reverse Carnot process operating between the oxygen gas (instantaneous) temperature and the room temperature (17 C). What is the minimum amount of work that must be supplied from outside to 30.0 kg liquid oxygen to be produced if you start with oxygen at room temperature. The Enthalpy of vaporization for oxygen is ##214\cdot 10^3 J/kg## and the heat capacity can be set to ##117 J/(kg \cdot K)## in the entire range.
(The question was translated so if there's any confusion just ask!)

Homework Equations


Carnot cycle efficiency (is this true both for an heat engine and a heat pump?)
##\eta = \frac{T_1-T_2}{T_1}##

The Attempt at a Solution


##m = 30kg##
Enthalpy of vaporization:
##H = 214\cdot 10^3 J/Kg##
heat capacity
##c = 917J/(kg\cdot K)##
##T_1 = 290K##
##T_2 = 90K##

Not really sure how to even start but let's give it a try:
The energy needed to vaporize the gas should be
##E_1 = m \cdot H = 6.42 MJ##
But the efficiency for a carnot cycle operating between ##T_1## and ##T_2## would be
##\eta = 0.69##
so the work needed would be
##E_1/\eta = 9.3MJ##
The work needed to cool the gas is harder since the temperature is changing. The total energy should be
##E_2 = mc(T_2-T_1) = -5.5MJ##
And then maybe I could use something along the lines of
##dW_2 = \frac{mcdT}{\eta}##
and then
##W_2 = mT_1c\int \frac{dT}{T_1-T} = - mT_1cln(T_1-T_2)##
but really I'm clueless at this point.
 
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  • #2
The Carnot cycle in reverse is a heat pump or refrigerator. The Coefficient of Performance (COP) of the reverse Carnot cycle is:

COP = ##\frac{Q_c}{W} = \frac{Q_c}{Q_h - Q_c} = \frac{1}{\frac{Q_h}{Q_c} - 1} = \frac{1}{\frac{T_h}{T_c} - 1}##

So ##dW = \frac{dQ_c}{COP}= \frac{mc dT}{COP}##

AM
 
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  • #3
The problem is the chapter this is on doesn't take up the COP at all (nor do any other chaptors in this book) so I'm not sure that's what I'm supposed to use.
I also seem to be getting a divergent integral?
##\frac{1}{\frac{T_h}{T_c}-1} = \frac{T_c}{T_h-T_c}##
##dW = mc \int_{T_h}^{T_c} \frac{T}{T_h-T}dT = [-T_hln(T_h-T) -T ]_{T_h}^{T_c} = lim_{T\to T_h} T_h ln(T_h-T) =-\infty##
 
  • #4
Incand said:
The problem is the chapter this is on doesn't take up the COP at all (nor do any other chaptors in this book) so I'm not sure that's what I'm supposed to use.
I also seem to be getting a divergent integral?
##\frac{1}{\frac{T_h}{T_c}-1} = \frac{T_c}{T_h-T_c}##
##dW = mc \int_{T_h}^{T_c} \frac{T}{T_h-T}dT = [-T_hln(T_h-T) -T ]_{T_h}^{T_c} = lim_{T\to T_h} T_h ln(T_h-T) =-\infty##
Sorry. I confused you with the error in my post (since corrected). It should be:

##W = \int_{T_h}^{T_c}dW = mc \int_{T_h}^{T_c} (\frac{T_h}{T} - 1)dT ##

AM
 
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Likes Incand
  • #5
Cheers! I seem to be getting the right answer now!
I guess even if the book doesn't mention it it's just like thermal efficiency but for an heat pump instead so maybe the author left that as part of the exercise.
 

FAQ: Carnot cycle work & efficiency

What is the Carnot cycle?

The Carnot cycle is a theoretical thermodynamic cycle that describes the most efficient way to convert heat into work. It consists of two isothermal processes and two adiabatic processes.

How does the Carnot cycle work?

The Carnot cycle works by transferring heat from a high-temperature reservoir to a low-temperature reservoir through a working fluid. The working fluid expands and does work during the isothermal processes and compresses and absorbs heat during the adiabatic processes.

What is the efficiency of the Carnot cycle?

The efficiency of the Carnot cycle is given by the formula e = 1 - (Tlow/Thigh), where Tlow is the temperature of the low-temperature reservoir and Thigh is the temperature of the high-temperature reservoir. This means that the efficiency of the Carnot cycle is dependent on the temperature difference between the two reservoirs.

What are the applications of the Carnot cycle?

The Carnot cycle is a theoretical concept and is not used in practical applications. However, it serves as an idealized model for understanding the maximum possible efficiency of real-world heat engines.

How does the Carnot cycle differ from other thermodynamic cycles?

The Carnot cycle differs from other thermodynamic cycles in that it is a reversible cycle, meaning that it can be run in both forward and reverse directions without any change in the system or surroundings. It also has the highest possible efficiency among all thermodynamic cycles.

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