Thermodynamic Processes and Heat Pumps

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to thermodynamics, heat pumps, and the Carnot cycle.

Poisson’s equation

An equation relating temperature and volume in the context of adiabatic processes.

Compression ratio (r)

The ratio of the volume of the cylinder before and after compression, r = VA/VB.

Efficiency (ε)

A measure of how effectively a compression ratio converts energy, given by ε = 1 - r^{-1/c}.

Otto cycle

An ideal cycle for gasoline engines characterized by a typical compression ratio of r = 10 yielding an efficiency of 60%.

Heat Pumps

Devices that transfer heat from a cold reservoir to a hot reservoir using work, typically characterized by cycling processes where ΔU = 0.

Coefficient of Performance (COP)

A metric for heat pumps that measures efficiency; defined as COPcooling = Qs / W and COPheating = Qr / W.

Carnot heat engine

A theoretical engine operating in a reversible cycle between two thermal reservoirs with maximum efficiency.

Integrated first law of thermodynamics

States that ΔU=Q+W, relating internal energy changes to heat added and work done.

Isotherms

Lines on a diagram that represent constant temperature throughout a process.

Adiabats

Lines on a diagram representing adiabatic processes where no heat is exchanged with the environment.