TECHNICAL PHYSICS

VOLUME 44, NUMBER 6

JUNE 1999

Efciency of reverse cycles

Yu. B. Barkovski, E. N. Moos, and N. I. Tabunov
P. A. Kostychev Ryazan State Agricultural Academy, 390044 Ryazan, Russia

Submitted January 5, 1997; resubmitted April 22, 1998 Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 69, 1114 June 1999 It is demonstrated that the generally accepted treatment of the second law of thermodynamics is incorrect when the statement of the maximum limiting efciency of the forward Carnot cycle is applied to the reverse cycles. An analysis of reversible cycles compared with the Carnot cycle shows that the reverse Carnot cycle has the lowest efciency of all reverse cycles. A new characteristic is proposed the thermal efciency of reverse cycles, and a generalized theorem is put forward for the additivity of the thermal efciencies of the forward and reverse cycles. A formulation of the second law of thermodynamics is suggested from the point of view of the efciency of reverse cycles. 1999 American Institute of Physics. S1063-7842 99 00206-8

INTRODUCTION

W c /Q 1

T 1 T 2 /T 1 .

Erroneous statements and conclusions are frequently encountered in treatments of the principles of thermodynamics.1 In particular, the thermal efciency of reverse equilibrium processes and the position of the Carnot cycle in this group of cyclic processes have yet to be determined. One formulation of the second law of thermodynamics indicates that some limit exists for thermal efciency whose boundary is determined by the most efcient forward Carnot cycle. In the forward and reverse cycles the conversion of some types of energy into others is considered under conditions where the conservation law is satised. Nonequilibrium is allowed for by a correction in analyses of processes for real cycles. The efciency and direction of energy conversion can be formulated in terms of efciency, and in terms of entropy. Thus, analyses of forward and reverse cycles may be useful in chemical and technical thermodynamics. Reversible cycles subsequently we shall not specically refer to the condition of reversibility are compared with the Carnot cycle as the standard2 which is considered to be the most favorable in the forward and reverse forms. It is postulated36 that the reverse Carnot cycle has superior economic characteristics, i.e., cooling and heating coefcients. This is demonstrated either on the basis of fallacious premises or the conditions of comparison are taken to be arbitrary.79 The statement see Refs. 3 and 5 that the Carnot cycle has the highest cooling coefcient compared with other reverse cycles at given heat-source temperatures is incorrect. In particular, the following inequality9 is assumed to hold for reverse cycles Q 2 /W c T 2 / T 1 T 2 , where Q 2 /W c is the cooling coefcient, W c is the work of the cycle, and T 1 and T 2 are the temperatures of the hot and cold heat sources. However, this expression contradicts the principle of the heat engine the second Carnot theorem , i.e., the inequality
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At the same time, the relationship between the cooling coefcient and the thermal efciency is such10 that the more efcient the forward cycle, the less efcient will be the reverse cycle. It is difcult to envisage the position of the Carnot cycle among the other reverse cycles because of the absence of any characteristic similar to the thermal efciency of forward cycles. Thus, an explanation of the impossibility of spontaneous concentration of energy using a heat pump in violation of the second law of thermodynamics is of no signicance.11 It is impossible to formulate the second law of thermodynamics in terms of the existing efciency characteristics of reverse cycles. As will be shown, the statement that the Carnot cycle is the most efcient of the forward cycles cannot be transferred mechanically to reverse cycles.
COMPARISON OF REVERSE CYCLES

For the analysis we give the well-known theorems. First Carnot theorem: the thermal efciency C of the forward Carnot cycle depends only on the temperatures of the heat sources
C

1 T 2 /T 1 .

Second Carnot theorem: the forward Carnot cycle has the highest thermal efciency of any cycle for given temperatures T 1 and T 2
C

The efciency of reverse cycles is characterized by the heating coefcient Q 1 /W C Q 1 / Q 1 Q 2 . Since the thermal efciency of an arbitrary forward cycle is Q 1 Q 2 /Q 1 , it follows that
1999 American Institute of Physics

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should be dened as the ratio of the difference between the energy Q 1 supplied to the working medium and the compensation energy E to the energy Q 1 , i.e., Q 1 E /Q 1 . 4 For forward cycles E is the heat Q 2 removed from the working medium and then Q 1 Q 2 /Q 1 , whereas for reverse cycles it is the work mechanical energy W c needed to transfer heat from the cold to the hot medium so that Q 1 W c /Q 1 Q 2 /Q 1 . 1/ . The second Carnot theorem indicates that 1/
c c

FIG. 1.

The second Carnot theorem gives 1 T 2 /T 1 1 Q 2 /Q 1 , and T 2 /T 1 Q 2 /Q 1 , and we obtain 1/ or 2

C

Thus, any reverse cycle with given temperature limits has a higher heating coefcient that the corresponding Carnot cycle. The same result can be achieved by comparing the Carnot cycle and an arbitrary reverse cycle on the B,T diagram. The cycles being compared should be situated between the limiting temperatures T 1 and T 2 in order to eliminate any ambiguity. The other efciency characteristic of reverse cycles is the cooling coefcient Q 2 /W c Q 2 / Q 1 Q 2 . Having inscribed an arbitrary cycle into the Carnot cycle Fig. 1 , we can see that Q 2,c is equal to the area of the rectangle 1456 whereas the same heat of the arbitrary cycle Q 2 is the sum of the areas 1456 c a, so that Q 2,c Q 2 . The work of the Carnot cycle W c,C , which is equal to the area of the rectangle 1234, exceeds the work of the arbitrary cycle W c by the amount a b c d, whence W c,C W c . Consequently we nd Q 2,C /W c,C Q 2 /W c or
C

Inequality 5 is consistent with inequalities 2 and 3 , i.e., the reverse Carnot cycle is most inefcient.

MULTIPLICITY OF EFFICIENCY CHARACTERISTICS OF FORWARD AND REVERSE CYCLES AND THEIR INTERRELATIONSHIP

It can be shown that the introduction of a third efciency characteristic for the reverse cycle is excessive. However, the thermal coefcient t is known for the forward cycle which indicates the possibility of utilizing the heat dumped in the forward cycle
t

Q 2 /Q 1 .

For the forward cycle we can also suggest the ecological characteristic
e

W c /Q 2 ,

which is consistent with the conclusion 2 . This means that the heating and cooling coefcients of an arbitrary reverse cycle are greater than the corresponding characteristics of the reverse Carnot cycle. The characteristics and are convenient for estimating the useful properties of the reverse cycle but do not reect the appearance of the second law, as may be achieved using the thermal efciency of the forward cycle. The absence of such a characteristic, i.e., the thermal efciency of the reverse cycle, makes it difcult to obtain unambiguous results in thermodynamic analyses.

which at the same time characterizes the working efciency of the engine if e 1, the engine operates in the most perfect cycle . As a result, the forward and reverse cycles can be characterized by a system of interrelated characteristics. We know13 that 1 1. 6

However, this relation is not unique since and also

e

1,

1,

which is equivalent to Eq. 6 . The efciency characteristics of the reverse cycles are related analytically / . 9

THERMAL EFFICIENCY OF REVERSE CYCLES

By denition, in all cases the efciency should be a proper fraction12 given by the ratio of the useful effect to the energy consumption. Heat pumps operating on reverse cycles can transfer heat from cold to hot media. The efciency for heat engines

It follows from Eqs. 6 8 that for the Carnot cycle, e and have the highest values while , , and have the lowest values compared with other cycles. Hence, the forward Carnot cycle is most efcient in terms of all characteristics while the reverse cycle is least efcient.

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or
i

1,

where the subscript i refers to irreversible processes.

CONCLUSIONS

FIG. 2.

THEOREM OF ADDITIVITY OF THE EFFICIENCY OF FORWARD AND REVERSE CYCLES

The property of additivity of the efciencies is the most general from the point of view of the rst law of thermodythat in any cynamics. It is easily shown by introducing clic process the sum of the thermal efciencies is one 1. 10

This statement can be taken as the theorem of additivity of the efciencies of the forward and reverse cycles whose analytic expression together with Eqs. 6 9 combines the characteristics of both groups of cyclic processes. As the difference between the temperatures of the hot and cold sources in any cycle increases, increases and decreases. Formula 10 is a rational expression for the condition of reversibility of the heat and work conversion in a cyclic process conducted in the forward and then in the reverse direction or in a system of two identical coupled cycles, one being forward and the other reverse Fig. 2 , and is equivalent to writing this condition in the form 6 8 . The theorem 10 shows the erroneous nature of the conclusion14 that the efciencies of coupled cycles are equal. The second law of thermodynamics can be formulated from the point of view of the efciency of the reverse cycle: it is impossible to completely transfer energy from a cold to a hot medium without an additional expenditure of energy compensation energy in the implementation of this process, i.e., it is impossible to achieve a value of unity for . Equilibrium conditions give the highest efciency for the forward and reverse cycles. We obtain a certain inverse Carnot principle: the greater the temperature difference between the two sources, the lower the efciency of engines and devices operating in the reverse cycle. For nonequilibrium processes we clearly have
i

In reverse cycles the ratio Q 2 /Q 1 indicates the efciency of transferring heat from a cold source to a hot one by analogy with the expression 1 Q 2 /Q 1 , which describes the efciency of transferring heat into work in accordance with the second law of thermodynamics. From this similarity we suggest that the ratio Q 2 /Q 1 should be called the thermal efciency of the reverse cycle. The introduction of the thermal efciency as a universal characteristic means that the reverse cycle can be assessed from common viewpoints regardless of the conditions of application of the heat pump cooling, heating, and combined heating-cooling devices and the condition for reversibility of the energy conversions in a cyclic process can be expressed rationally. The conclusion is conrmed that among the reverse cycles the Carnot cycle ceases to be a means that this standard cycle. The proposed efciency can be made equal to by formulating the second law of thermodynamics for equilibrium and nonequilibrium processes.
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