Ecological optimization of an irreversible harmonic oscillators Carnot heat engine

A model of an irreversible quantum Carnot heat engine with heat resistance, internal irreversibility and heat leakage and many non-interacting harmonic oscillators is established in this paper. Based on the quantum master equation and semi-group approach, equations of some important performance parameters, such as power output, efficiency, exergy loss rate and ecological function for the irreversible quantum Carnot heat engine are derived. The optimal ecological performance of the heat engine in the classical limit is analyzed with numerical examples. Effects of internal irreversibility and heat leakage on the ecological performance are discussed. A performance comparison of the quantum heat engine under maximum ecological function and maximum power conditions is also performed.     

Influence of quantum degeneracy on the performance of a gas Stirling engine cycle

Based on the state equation of an ideal quantum gas, the regenerative loss of a Stirling engine cycle working with an ideal quantum gas is calculated. Thermal efficiency of the cycle is derived. Furthermore, under the condition of quantum degeneracy, several special thermal efficiencies are discussed. Ratios of thermal efficiencies versus the temperature ratio and volume ratio of the cycle are made. It is found that the thermal efficiency of the cycle not only depends on high and low temperatures but also on maximum and minimum volumes. In a classical gas state the thermal efficiency of the cycle is equal to that of the Carnot cycle. In an ideal quantum gas state the thermal efficiency of the cycle is smaller than that of the Carnot cycle. This will be significant for deeper understanding of the gas Stirling engine cycle.     

Optimization Modeling of Irreversible Carnot Engine from the Perspective of Combining Finite Speed and Finite Time Analysis

An irreversible Carnot cycle engine operating as a closed system is modeled using the Direct Method and the First Law of Thermodynamics for processes with Finite Speed. Several models considering the effect on the engine performance of external and internal irreversibilities expressed as a function of the piston speed are presented. External irreversibilities are due to heat transfer at temperature gradient between the cycle and heat reservoirs, while internal ones are represented by pressure losses due to the finite speed of the piston and friction. Moreover, a method for optimizing the temperature of the cycle fluid with respect to the temperature of source and sink and the piston speed is provided. The optimization results predict distinct maximums for the thermal efficiency and power output, as well as different behavior of the entropy generation per cycle and per time. The results obtained in this optimization, which is based on piston speed, and the Curzon–Ahlborn optimization, which is based on time duration, are compared and are found to differ significantly. Correction have been proposed in order to include internal irreversibility in the externally irreversible Carnot cycle from Curzon–Ahlborn optimization, which would be equivalent to a unification attempt of the two optimization analyses.     

Modeling and Performance Optimization of an Irreversible Two-Stage Combined Thermal Brownian Heat Engine

Based on finite time thermodynamics, an irreversible combined thermal Brownian heat engine model is established in this paper. The model consists of two thermal Brownian heat engines which are operating in tandem with thermal contact with three heat reservoirs. The rates of heat transfer are finite between the heat engine and the reservoir. Considering the heat leakage and the losses caused by kinetic energy change of particles, the formulas of steady current, power output and efficiency are derived. The power output and efficiency of combined heat engine are smaller than that of single heat engine operating between reservoirs with same temperatures. When the potential filed is free from external load, the effects of asymmetry of the potential, barrier height and heat leakage on the performance of the combined heat engine are analyzed. When the potential field is free from external load, the effects of basic design parameters on the performance of the combined heat engine are analyzed. The optimal power and efficiency are obtained by optimizing the barrier heights of two heat engines. The optimal working regions are obtained. There is optimal temperature ratio which maximize the overall power output or efficiency. When the potential filed is subjected to external load, effect of external load is analyzed. The steady current decreases versus external load; the power output and efficiency are monotonically increasing versus external load.     

Performance characteristics of low-dissipative generalized Carnot cycles with external leakage losses

Under the assumption of low-dissipation, a unified model of generalized Carnot cycles with external leakage losses is established. Analytical expressions for the power output and efficiency are derived. The general performance characteristics between the power output and the efficiency are revealed. The maximum power output and efficiency are calculated. The lower and upper bounds of the efficiency at the maximum power output are determined. The results obtained here are universal and can be directly used to reveal the performance characteristics of different Carnot cycles, such as Carnot heat engines, Carnot-like heat engines, flux flow engines, gravitational engines, chemical engines, two-level quantum engines,etc.     

Optimization criteria of a Bose Brayton heat engine

An irreversible cycle model of the quantum Bose Brayton engine is established, in which finite-time processes and irreversibilities in two adiabatic processes are taken into account. Based on the model, expressions for the power output and the efficiency are derived. By using a numerical computation, the optimal relationship between the power output and the efficiency of an irreversible Bose Brayton engine is obtained. The optimal regions of the power output and the efficiency are determined. It is found that the influences of the irreversibility and the quantum degeneracy on the main performance parameters of the Bose Brayton engine are remarkable. The results obtained in the present paper can provide some new theoretical information for the optimal design and the performance improvement of a real Brayton engine.     

一维晶格中费曼棘齿-棘爪热机

研究了一维晶格中费曼棘齿-棘爪热机模型. 用粒子的概率主方程来描述粒子在晶格中的动力学特性, 推导出热流、 功率和效率的表达式. 通过数值计算分析势垒高度、 外力和温比对热流以及热机功率和效率的影响. 研究表明: 在粒子稳态概率流为零时, 存在非零的热流从高温库流入低温库, 类似于经典不可逆卡诺模型中的热漏; 热漏的存在使得热机的效率远远小于卡诺效率, 功率与效率之间为闭合的关系曲线, 热机为不可逆热机; 对热机性能参数进行优化, 可以使热机工作在最优性能状态下.     

以一维谐振子势阱中的单粒子为工质的量子热机性能分析

建立了以一维谐振子势阱中的单粒子为工质的量子热机模型.当势阱壁宽度和粒子的量子态缓慢改变时, 该热机类似于经典卡诺热机对外做功.假设势阱壁移动速度非常缓慢并且考虑热漏, 推导出量子热机循环的输出功率和效率等重要性能参数的一般表达式.通过优化分析, 获得了热机循环中各主要性能参数的最佳优化值和优化区间.     

Fundamental optimal relation of a generalized irreversible Carnot heat pump with complex heat transfer law

The fundamental optimal relation between heating load and coefficient of performance (COP) of a generalized irreversible Carnot heat pump is derived based on a new generalized heat transfer law, which includes the generalized convective heat transfer law and generalized radiative heat transfer law, q ∝ (ΔT ⁿ ) ^m . The generalized irreversible Carnot heat pump model incorporates several internal and external irreversibilities, such as heat resistance, bypass heat leakage, friction, turbulence and other undesirable irreversibility factors. The added irreversibilities besides heat resistance are characterized by a constant parameter and a constant coefficient. The effects of heat transfer laws and various loss terms are analysed. The heating load vs. COP characteristic of a generalized irreversible Carnot heat pump is a parabolic-like curve, which is consistent with the experimental result of thermoelectric heat pump. The obtained results include those obtained in many literatures and indicated that the analysis results of the generalized irreversible Carnot heat pump were more suitable for engineering practice than those of the endoreversible Carnot heat pump.     

工质变比热对不可逆Otto循环性能的影响

用有限时间热力学的方法分析空气标准Otto循环,由数值计算给出了存在不可逆损失和工质变比热时循环功率与压缩比、效率与压缩比以及功率和效率的特性关系,分析了工质变比热对不可逆Otto循环性能的影响特点,通过分析可知工质变比热特性对不可逆Otto循环性能有较大影响,在实际循环分析中应该予以考虑,本文所得结果对实际内燃机的设计有一定的指导意义。     

工质变比热条件下内燃机循环普适特性

用有限时间热力学的方法分析空气标准不可逆内燃机循环,导出了考虑工质变比热情况下,存在摩擦及传热损失时,由两个加热过程、两个放热过程和两个绝热过程组成的普适的空气标准不可逆内燃机循环的功率与压缩比、效率与压缩比以及功率和效率的最佳特性关系,同时由数值计算分析了工质变比热和循环过程对循环性能的影响特点,比较了工质恒、变比热时循环性能差异。所得结果包含了不可逆往复式Diesel、Otto、Brayton、Atkinson、Dual和Miller 循环的性能特性。     

热光伏能量转换器件的热力学极限与优化性能预测

受不可逆损失的影响,热光伏能量转换器件在高品位热能回收与利用方面受到限制.本文揭示不可逆损失来源,提供热光伏能量转换器件性能提升方案.利用半导体物理和普朗克热辐射理论,确定热光伏能量转换器件在理想条件下的最大效率.进而考虑Auger与Shockley-Reed-Hall非辐射复合和不可逆传热损失对光伏电池的电学、光学和热学特性的影响,预测热光伏器件优化性能.确定功率密度、效率和光子截止能量的优化区间.结果表明:相比于理想热光伏器件,非理想热光伏器件的开路电压、短路电流密度和效率有所降低;优化热光伏电池电压、光子截止能量和热源温度,可提升器件的功率密度和效率.通过对比发现理论与实验结果较一致,所得结果可为实际热光伏能量转换器件的研制提供理论指导.     

Four-Objective Optimizations for an Improved Irreversible Closed Modified Simple Brayton Cycle

An improved irreversible closed modified simple Brayton cycle model with one isothermal heating process is established in this paper by using finite time thermodynamics. The heat reservoirs are variable-temperature ones. The irreversible losses in the compressor, turbine, and heat exchangers are considered. Firstly, the cycle performance is optimized by taking four performance indicators, including the dimensionless power output, thermal efficiency, dimensionless power density, and dimensionless ecological function, as the optimization objectives. The impacts of the irreversible losses on the optimization results are analyzed. The results indicate that four objective functions increase as the compressor and turbine efficiencies increase. The influences of the latter efficiency on the cycle performances are more significant than those of the former efficiency. Then, the NSGA-II algorithm is applied for multi-objective optimization, and three different decision methods are used to select the optimal solution from the Pareto frontier. The results show that the dimensionless power density and dimensionless ecological function compromise dimensionless power output and thermal efficiency. The corresponding deviation index of the Shannon Entropy method is equal to the corresponding deviation index of the maximum ecological function.     

Quantum point contacts as heat engines

The efficiency of macroscopic heat engines is restricted by the second law of thermodynamics. They can reach at most the efficiency of a Carnot engine. In contrast, heat currents in mesoscopic heat engines show fluctuations. Thus, there is a small probability that a mesoscopic heat engine exceeds Carnot's maximum value during a short measurement time. We illustrate this effect using a quantum point contact as a heat engine. When a temperature difference is applied to a quantum point contact, the system may be utilized as a source of electrical power under steady state conditions. We first discuss the optimal working point of such a heat engine that maximizes the generated electrical power and subsequently calculate the statistics for deviations of the efficiency from its most likely value. We find that deviations surpassing the Carnot limit are possible, but unlikely.     

Reprint of : Quantum point contacts as heat engines

The efficiency of macroscopic heat engines is restricted by the second law of thermodynamics. They can reach at most the efficiency of a Carnot engine. In contrast, heat currents in mesoscopic heat engines show fluctuations. Thus, there is a small probability that a mesoscopic heat engine exceeds Carnot's maximum value during a short measurement time. We illustrate this effect using a quantum point contact as a heat engine. When a temperature difference is applied to a quantum point contact, the system may be utilized as a source of electrical power under steady state conditions. We first discuss the optimal working point of such a heat engine that maximizes the generated electrical power and subsequently calculate the statistics for deviations of the efficiency from its most likely value. We find that deviations surpassing the Carnot limit are possible, but unlikely.     

The performance analysis of a micro-/nanoscaled quantum heat engine

A new model of micro-/nanoscaled heat engines consisting of two thin long tubes with the same length but different sizes of cross section, which are filled up with ideal quantum gases and operated between two heat reservoirs, is put forward. The working fluid of the heat engine cycle goes through four processes, which include two isothermal processes and two isobaric processes with constant longitudinal pressure. General expressions for the power output and efficiency of the cycle are derived, based on the thermodynamic properties of confined ideal quantum gases. The influence of the size effect on the power output and efficiency is discussed. The differences between the heat engines working with the ideal Bose gas and Fermi gas are revealed. The performance of the heat engines operating at weak gas degeneracy and high temperatures is further analyzed. The results obtained are more general and significant than those in the current literature.     

Applicability of minimum entropy generation methodto optimizing thermodynamic cycles

Entropy generation is often used as a figure of merit in thermodynamic cycle optimizations. In this paper, it is shown that the applicability of the minimum entropy generation method to optimizing output power is conditional. The minimum entropy generation rate and the minimum entropy generation number do not correspond to the maximum output power when the total heat into the system of interest is not prescribed. For the cycles whose working medium is heated or cooled by streams with prescribed inlet temperatures and prescribed heat capacity flow rates, it is theoretically proved that both the minimum entropy generation rate and the minimum entropy generation number correspond to the maximum output power when the virtual entropy generation induced by dumping the used streams into the environment is considered. However, the minimum principle of entropy generation is not tenable in the case that the virtual entropy generation is not included, because the total heat into the system of interest is not fixed. An irreversible Carnot cycle and an irreversible Brayton cycle are analysed. The minimum entropy generation rate and the minimum entropy generation number do not correspond to the maximum output power if the heat into the system of interest is not prescribed.     

Applicability of the minimum entropy generation method for optimizing thermodynamic cycles

Entropy generation is often used as a figure of merit in thermodynamic cycle optimizations. In this paper, it is shown that the applicability of the minimum entropy generation method to optimizing output power is conditional. The minimum entropy generation rate and the minimum entropy generation number do not correspond to the maximum output power when the total heat into the system of interest is not prescribed. For the cycles whose working medium is heated or cooled by streams with prescribed inlet temperatures and prescribed heat capacity flow rates, it is theoretically proved that both the minimum entropy generation rate and the minimum entropy generation number correspond to the maximum output power when the virtual entropy generation induced by dumping the used streams into the environment is considered. However, the minimum principle of entropy generation is not tenable in the case that the virtual entropy generation is not included, because the total heat into the system of interest is not fixed. An irreversible Carnot cycle and an irreversible Brayton cycle are analysed. The minimum entropy generation rate and the minimum entropy generation number do not correspond to the maximum output power if the heat into the system of interest is not prescribed.     

Performance Optimizations with Single-, Bi-, Tri-, and Quadru-Objective for Irreversible Diesel Cycle

Applying finite time thermodynamics theory and the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II), thermodynamic analysis and multi-objective optimization of an irreversible Diesel cycle are performed. Through numerical calculations, the impact of the cycle temperature ratio on the power density of the cycle is analyzed. The characteristic relationships among the cycle power density versus the compression ratio and thermal efficiency are obtained with three different loss issues. The thermal efficiency, the maximum specific volume (the size of the total volume of the cylinder), and the maximum pressure ratio are compared under the maximum power output and the maximum power density criteria. Using NSGA-II, single-, bi-, tri-, and quadru-objective optimizations are performed for an irreversible Diesel cycle by introducing dimensionless power output, thermal efficiency, dimensionless ecological function, and dimensionless power density as objectives, respectively. The optimal design plan is obtained by using three solution methods, that is, the linear programming technique for multidimensional analysis of preference (LINMAP), the technique for order preferences by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), and Shannon entropy, to compare the results under different objective function combinations. The comparison results indicate that the deviation index of multi-objective optimization is small. When taking the dimensionless power output, dimensionless ecological function, and dimensionless power density as the objective function to perform tri-objective optimization, the LINMAP solution is used to obtain the minimum deviation index. The deviation index at this time is 0.1333, and the design scheme is closer to the ideal scheme.     

能造出功率和效率都高的热机吗?——有限时间热力学的发展与展望

在热力学中,功率和效率是衡量热机性能的两个主要参数。根据经典热力学,可逆热机效率的上限是卡诺效率,但相应的功率为零。这是因为卡诺效率的实现依赖于时间无穷长的准静态假设。因此,如何根据实际需求,在保证热机功率前提下提高热机效率成为热力学一个重要的科学挑战问题。在20世纪上半叶应运而生的有限时间热力学,今天得到了蓬勃发展,为应对这个挑战提供了必要的科学支撑。文章主要介绍有限时间热力学的发展及现状,特别是最近对于有限时间热机功率效率约束关系及其优化问题上的研究。针对有限时间热力学循环功率—效率约束与不可逆性的关系,文章还简介最近作者关于有限时间等温过程中不可逆熵产生的理论和实验研究工作。最后展望未来有限时间热力学及有限系统非平衡物理的可能发展与应用。