On Wed, Jul 23, 2003 at 01:12:34PM +0000, Robert J. Chassell wrote: > ... there is no thermodynamic limit on the efficiency, heat pumped > over work input, of a heat pump that is pumping heat from a higher > T region to a lower T region .... > > I don't understand. I thought that Carnot first discovered that the > limit on thermodynamic efficiency has to do with the ratio of the > input absolute temperature to the output absolute temperature. > > Thus, if the input temperature is 600 degrees Kelvin (if I remember > rightly, this is the temperature of the water heated by some kinds of > nuclear reactor) and the output temperature is 300 degrees Kelvin (27 > deg C, 80 deg F), the maximum efficiency for converting heat to work > is 50%. Is this right?
Right. You are talking about a heat ENGINE. Not to be confused with a heat PUMP. -- "Erik Reuter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.erikreuter.net/ _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
