Devices and steps to create the cycle

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Steps necessary to make this particular perfect cycle..

Components

There are several components needed to assemble this cycle.

Two cylinders, each with a mechanism to lock them in place, and a mechanism to sweep a fixed volume through a heat exchanger. In the animation, this is shown as a pair of pistons.

Every part of cylinders and pistons is constructed from ideal insulator.

An ideal counter flow heat exchanger, meaning it can completely move excess heat from one fluid to another (where the fluids are same weight and material).

Valves and control.

 

Steps, in steady state.

  1. The initial steady state condition is 1 liter of air in a locked piston, heated to +420° with +350 Joules of heat energy. (To initiate the steady state cycle, start with 1 Liter ambient air, add 350 Joules of heat.)
  2. Add 60 Joules of heat energy (+70° temperature).
  3. Unlock and allow expansion until pressure equalizes. This exports 60 Joules of usable work, stores 100 Joules in the atmosphere* and leaves cylinder volume at 2 liters, pressure at 1 bar, matching ambient pressure.
  4. Fill opposite cylinder with 1 liter ambient air, then lock opposite cylinder.
  5. Open paths to counter flow heat exchanger. Completely exhaust 2 liters heated air through heat exchanger, cooling it to ambient and re-compressing it to 1 liter at constant pressure of 1 bar. Simultaneously sweep opposite cylinder air through heat exchanger in counter flow direction, capturing both excess heat and heat of compression. Close paths.
  6. The system is now in the mirror state, and repeating mirror steps 1 through 5 will return to initial state.

*Expanding 1 liter inside the atmosphere is equal to lifting a 100 kg man 10 cm (a 220 pound man 4 inches). This represents a significant amount of energy, which will be returned in some form when the expansion is reversed.