Question 3.18.1: A heat engine is operating in a Carnot cycle: all processes ...

A heat engine is operating in a Carnot cycle: all processes are reversible (Figure 3.4). For each of the processes, obtain expressions for the change in entropy of the engine and the change in entropy of the surroundings after one cycle. Assume one mole of an ideal monatomic gas.

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The values of q for each process can be found in Section 3.11.
The engine :
1. For the reversible isothermal expansion process from A to B :

\Delta S_{engine} =\frac{q_2}{T_2}= R\ln\left\lgroup\frac{V_B}{V_A} \right\rgroup

2. For the reversible adiabatic expansion process from B to C :

\Delta S_{engine} =0,  since  q =0

3. For the reversible isothermal compression process from C to D :

\Delta S_{engine} =\frac{q_1}{T_1} = R\ln\left\lgroup\frac{V_D}{V_C} \right\rgroup

4. For the reversible adiabatic compression process from D to A :

\Delta S_{engine} =0,  since  q =0

The total change in entropy of the engine is therefore

\Delta S^{total}_{engine} = R\ln\left\lgroup\frac{V_B}{V_A} \right\rgroup+R\ln\left\lgroup\frac{V_D}{V_C} \right\rgroup=0, since \frac{V_B}{V_A}=\frac{V_D}{V_C}    (see Problem 3.7)

For each of the processes, the change in entropy of the surroundings is the negative of that for the engine. Thus, \Delta S^{total}_{surroundings} =0 .

Thus, for the Carnot cycle, \Delta S_{total} =\Delta S_{system} + \Delta S_{surrounds} =0.

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