Abstract
It is often taught in layman’s terms that “energy may be neither created nor destroyed” and this brings into question the meaning of “energy conservation.” Basic principles, such as energy conservation, stem from more general laws of Physics. The principles that govern the exchange and transformations of energy are succinctly examined in this chapter. The governing equations of energy conversion processes, or Laws of Thermodynamics, their corollaries and some of their applications to energy conversion processes are presented. A historical perspective is first given on the origins of modern energy conversion principles. The characteristics, significant variables/properties and types of Thermodynamic Systems are briefly explained. The two fundamental Laws of Thermodynamics (first and second) are postulated and the implications on the energy conversion processes are given succinctly. The operation of the simple gas and vapor power cycles is elucidated as well as several processes that are commonly used for the improvement of these cycles. Finally, the concept of exergy is introduced quantitatively and in detail. Based on exergy, several ways are presented on how this concept may be used to improve thermodynamic processes and cycles.
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Notes
- 1.
Sadi Carnot (1796–1832) was the fourth child of Lazare Carnot, a colleague and General of Napoleon, who was in charge of logistics during the early Napoleonic Wars and a member of the first Directorate. The father Carnot, a scientist in his own merit, contributed to the discipline of Mechanics and was often called “savant.” Almost every city in the francophone world, including several in the United States, has a street or avenue named “Carnot,” to honor Lazare Carnot (not Sadi). Other offspring of the same family became prominent statesmen in France.
- 2.
This statement is often attributed to Rudolf Clausius who also coined the term “entropy”.
- 3.
This statement is attributed to Lord Kelvin and Max Plank.
- 4.
If the heat to the cycle is “free,” as for example in the case of solar thermal power plants, one has to think carefully what the “thermal efficiency improvements” would mean for the operation of such a power plant.
References
Moran MJ, Shapiro HN (2008) Fundamentals of engineering thermodynamics, 6th edn. Wiley, New York
Michaelides EE (1984) Exergy and the conversion of energy. Int J Mech Eng Educ 12:65–73
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© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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(Stathis) Michaelides, E.E. (2012). Fundamentals of Energy Conversion. In: Alternative Energy Sources. Green Energy and Technology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20951-2_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20951-2_3
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