⚙️ Carnot Heat Engine — Efficiency & PV Diagram

The Carnot cycle is the most efficient heat engine thermodynamically possible between two temperatures. Watch the animated PV diagram with all four strokes: isothermal expansion (absorbing heat from T_H), adiabatic expansion, isothermal compression (rejecting heat to T_C), and adiabatic compression.

T_H: 600 K

T_C: 300 K

n (moles): 1.0

Compression ratio: 4.0

Friction loss: 0%

η_Carnot: —%

η_actual: —%

W_net: — J

Q_H: — J

Q_C: — J

COP: —

Physics

Carnot efficiency: η = 1 − T_C/T_H. This is the maximum efficiency of any heat engine operating between those temperatures — no real engine can exceed it. The four strokes: (1) Isothermal expansion at T_H: W₁ = nRT_H·ln(V₂/V₁); (2) Adiabatic expansion: TV^γ−1 = const; (3) Isothermal compression at T_C; (4) Adiabatic compression. Net work W = Q_H − Q_C. For a refrigerator, COP = T_C/(T_H−T_C). For a heat pump, COP = T_H/(T_H−T_C).