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Heat Engines01:10

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A heat engine is a device used to extract heat from a source and then convert it into mechanical work used for various applications. For example, a steam engine on an old-style train can produce the work needed for driving the train.
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Sublimation is the direct transformation of a solid to a gaseous state. For instance, at standard pressure and room temperature, solid carbon dioxide sublimes to gaseous carbon dioxide. The phase diagram depicts the conditions required for sublimation. This process occurs at the solid-gas phase boundary and is not observed above the triple point of the substance. The reverse of sublimation is called deposition, where a gaseous substance condenses directly into a solid. Sublimation and...
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The Carnot Cycle01:30

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Converting work to heat is an irreversible process, and the purpose of a heat engine is to reverse the effect partially. Heat engines aim to increase the efficiency of the reversal, that is, maximize the work retrieved from heat. If the efficiency of a heat engine were 100%, it would imply reversing the process completely without introducing any other effect. Thus, it would violate the second law of thermodynamics.
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Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition02:33

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Some solids can transition directly into the gaseous state, bypassing the liquid state, via a process known as sublimation. At room temperature and standard pressure, a piece of dry ice (solid CO2) sublimes, appearing to gradually disappear without ever forming any liquid. Snow and ice sublimate at temperatures below the melting point of water, a slow process that may be accelerated by winds and the reduced atmospheric pressures at high altitudes. When solid iodine is warmed, the solid sublimes...
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The second law of thermodynamics can be stated in several different ways, and all of them can be shown to imply the others. The Clausius’ statement of the second law of thermodynamics is based on the irreversibility of spontaneous heat flow. It states that heat will not flow from the colder body to the hotter body unless some other process is involved. Additionally, as per the Kelvin’s statement, it is impossible to convert the heat from a single source into work without any other...
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The Carnot engine works between two heat reservoirs of fixed temperatures. The Carnot cycle begs the following question: Is it possible to devise a heat engine that is more efficient than a Carnot engine between two fixed temperatures? The answer lies in designing a Carnot refrigerator.
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A sublimation heat engine.

Gary G Wells1, Rodrigo Ledesma-Aguilar1, Glen McHale1

  • 1Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering, Northumbria University, Ellison Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK.

Nature Communications
|March 4, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study introduces a novel sublimation heat engine that converts temperature differences into mechanical work using the Leidenfrost effect. This low-friction energy harvesting method is applicable to both liquids and ices for diverse applications.

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Area of Science:

  • Thermodynamics
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Heat engines commonly utilize the liquid-vapour Rankine cycle.
  • The Leidenfrost effect describes the phenomenon of a liquid repelling from a surface at high temperatures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present a novel sublimation heat engine.
  • To demonstrate the conversion of temperature differences into mechanical work using the Leidenfrost effect.
  • To explore energy harvesting from liquids and ices.

Main Methods:

  • Controlled experiments with levitating dry-ice blocks on heated turbine-like surfaces.
  • Quantification using a hydrodynamic model.
  • Conversion of rotational motion to electric power via a magnetic coil system.

Main Results:

  • Dry-ice blocks levitate and rotate on hot surfaces, with rotation rate dependent on turbine geometry, temperature difference, and material properties.
  • The concept is extendable to liquid loads, enabling energy harvesting through both sublimation and instantaneous vaporization.
  • Demonstrated feasibility of low-friction in situ energy harvesting.

Conclusions:

  • A novel sublimation heat engine based on the Leidenfrost effect is feasible.
  • This technology offers potential for efficient energy harvesting in challenging environments.
  • Applications include deep drilling, space exploration, and micro-mechanical manipulation.