Carnot Engine

The idealized Carnot engine was envisioned by the French physicist Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot, who lived during the early 19th century. The Carnot engine is theoretically perfect, that is, it converts the maximum amount of energy into mechanical work. Carnot showed that the efficiency of any engine depends on the difference between the highest and lowest temperatures reached during one cycle. The greater the difference, the greater the efficiency. An automobile engine, for example, would be more efficient if the fuel burned hotter and the exhaust gas came out of the cylinder at a lower temperature.

Appears in these articles:

Carnot, Nicolas Léonard Sadi; Thermodynamics

*	Exclusively for MSN Encarta Premium Subscribers. Join Now