Table of Contents

Start here Why is it necessary to start with history?

Myth of irreversibility Where does the myth of irreversibility come from?

Learning from the 1800's? What did Carnot and Kelvin know that we don't know?

1800 Dawn of Heat Engine Science

1840 First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics, Conservation of Energy, Heat Flow

day before yesterday Today's Enlightened Heat Engine Model?

tomorrow Tomorrow's Heat Engine Model

A perfect Heat Engine A sample 100% efficient heat engine model

Math Rigorous math for a sample 100% efficient heat engine model

Description of cycle Devices and steps to create the cycle

Every formula Every constant, ratio and formula is wrong.

Being Practical We say Chaos because we used to, we say vibration because ...?

Entropy Maximum Entropy and the measure of Entropy don't match

Second Law Second Law for smart people, Entropy of a closed system cannot decrease.

Thermodynamics is? What is Thermodynamics?

A Heat Engine is? What is a Heat Engine?

Kinds of Heat Engines There are Two Types of Heat Engines (or are there?)

You get work how? How is Heat Converted to Work?

Work can make Heat? How is Work Converted to Heat?

Work ratio The math of the Heat ratio and Work ratio

How Much Work? Is there a precise amount of work for a given amount of heat?

What is Gamma? Gamma is the exponent of the Work Transfer Curve

1820 Gamma How they calculated Gamma in the early 1800's (from Specific Heat)?

Gamma doesn't matter Gamma makes little or no difference to heat engine design.

Action = Reaction An object in motion stays in motion, until opposed by a force.

Newton on Thermo Molecules make perfect elastic collisions, preserving energy.

What is Work? Do Newtons Laws of Motion (and Work) apply to vapor and heat engines?

Sadi Carnot Why does Carnot's name appear on so many concepts and formulas?

Magic shapes The Carnot cycle is created by connecting two "insulated" and two "uninsulated" curves

Carnot Cycle Fact The disconnect between myth and fact

Carnot Cycle Work The Work done and the Heat Lost (discarded)

Carnot Vs 4 Stroke Comparing the 4 stroke cycle to the Carnot Cycle, the 4 stroke wins.

No Reservoirs needed Neither Cold nor Hot Reservoirs are needed to run a Carnot Cycle.
The 'Carnot-Clapeyron-Kelvin' Work ratio actually does not remotely apply to the Carnot Cycle.
Why? Because heat in a Carnot cycle cannot be measured by temperature difference.

Clapeyron Ratio The funniest thing about the Carnot Ratio Clapeyron Ratio is that Carnot did not author it.

What is it? How do you derive the Carnot Ratio Clapeyron Ratio aka Work Ratio?

Ask the Author Don't take FuelScience.org's word for it, ask the actual author, Benoit Pierre Emile Clapeyron

Nonsense Reversibility Cannot Affect Efficiency

Energy or Probability Reversibility of the Work Curve requires no extra energy

Rule of Crayons All engine cycles are reversible by Kelvin & Carnot\s use of the word.

Reversible Diffusion Reversible Diffusion

Almost reversible... Almost reversible Heat Transfer, counterflow heat exchanger device efficiency limit approaches 100%

Reversible irrelevant Why? Because the law of conservation of momentum (and energy).

Construction What is the ideal construction for a heat engine?

Perfect Heat Engines What makes a perfect heat engine?

Enclosability What properties are necessary for Enclosability, and what are its characteristics?

Frictionless? You can't REALLY make it frictionless, can you?

Exportable Work Exportability

Asymmetric Conversion Why is complete conversion in both directions not equally easy

100% efficiency What is everything needed for 100% fuel to usable work efficiency?

Faux Carnot Theorems Faux Carnot Theorems, mythology of disappearing energy

Carnot-Kelvin Theorem Carnot-Kelvin Theorem, There can be no engine that produces more work from heat.

Bill Theorem Bill Theorem 1, There can be no engine that produces less work from heat,
than produced by a reversible engine, whether the engine is reversible or irreversible.
and Corollaries

Carnot theorems Carnot's assertions stated as Theorems.

Kelvin theorems Kelvin's assertions stated as Theorems.

Disproved theorems Assertions and theorems inconsistent with current physics models of heat, gases, movement and energy.

More theorems FuelScience.org offers more theories of Heat Engines, a respectful addendum to the work of past physicists.

Four Laws The funniest thing about the three laws, is that there are 4 of them.

So many Choices! The second funniest thing, is that there are so many laws to choose from!

Pop Physics The popular physics version(s) of the three laws

Clausius & Nernst The original and most credited authors of the three laws

English Or, you might say the 'three' laws for dummies.

Fifth Law Thermodynamics is relative.

Review Ways thermodynamics is supposed to lose energy

A real limit Work Energy will be less than or equal to the available Heat Energy.
Total Energy is constant. Unconverted Heat = Original Heat - Work.

Naive recycling Naive models lead to false conclusions

Steam Recycling Simple steam recycling model demonstrates the 'Carnot Limit' fallacy.

Complete recycling Complete heat recycling yields a theoretical 100% conversion.

Old News Some guy named Thompson (Kelvin!) in 1848 showed how to go beyond any limit and convert all heat to work.

Carnot Limit Hey, my Physics Professor showed me a Proof of the Carnot Limit!

Carnot Limit 0%? An engine you can buy today with efficiency over 90%, and a Carnot Limit of 0%!

Quick Lies Quick Lies, Quick Facts.

Nature's Pollution Crude Oil polluted the surface long before mankind was around.

Something Silly A car engine is just below boiling, and that is COLD?
Cooling heat engines is silly if the goal is fuel efficiency.

Where energy goes Back of the envelope calculations on where energy goes for typical car engines.

Better Engine Cycles Are there special engine cycles that yield radically better results?

50,000? How many ways are there NOT to make a heat recycling engine?

Baby Step Done that. Already successful. Been around decades.

Theory What theory makes heat recycling possible?

Steam Theory Recycling a state change (steam) engine.

Carnot Cycle solution? The Carnot Cycle and CarnotWork Ratio have nothing whatsoever to do with each other.
And, .... wait for it ....
The Carnot Cycle is the only known engine cycle in which the CarnotWork Ratio is not even part of the solution to the amount of work it does!
. . . Avast: Thar be the dredded eenty grails herein.

Reversible Herring Lord Kelvin's choice of words misleads text 'skimmers'.
An unintended red herring for the casual reader.
Reversibility is irrelevant.

Carnot Said Of all the stuff with Carnot's name glued on, which did he actually author?

No Reservoirs The only thing a Cold Reservoir could do is lose energy that could be turned into work.

Why Pressure-Volume Why Pressure-Volume graphs are used, what they mean, and how to use Heat drop to calculate Work.

Finding Gamma & Beta If your book still has Heat Capacity Ratio, the methodology printed is likely nonsense.

Entropy & Reversibility Does Entropy prove or disprove Reversibility?

Universal Reversibility Is Reversibility Universal, or are there truly Irreversible operations?

Energy States What about Atoms and Energy states?

Formula 1 Not wimpy.

Efficient Engines A class of Heat Recycling Air engines

Isothermal compressor High efficiency, lossless Isothermal pressure exchange.

Steam Generators Capable of 70% to 90% conversion efficiency at lower cost than Combined Cycle turbines.

Small DC Generator A low cost, low part count, high efficiency thermodynamic DC Generator.
Performing 10 to 40 kilowatt in 1 to 2 cubic feet allows application to electric automobiles.
Hydrogen power comparable in size, power and efficiency to fuel cells, 100 times cheaper.

Green Mining A method for mining rare earth and precious metals from environment without use of polluting or dangerous chemicals.

Rare Earth Refining A method for Refining and separating Rare Earths metals without hazardous chemicals or centrifuges.

A word from the Author

Credits