Carnot Cycle

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Carnot Cycle

An idealized reversible thermodynamic cycle. The Carnot cycle consists of four stages: (a) an isothermal expansion of the gas at temperature T₁; (b) an adiabatic expansion to temperature T₂; (c) an isothermal compression at temperature T₂; (d) an adiabatic compression to the original state of the gas to complete the cycle. See Carnot engine, thermodynamic efficiency.
In a Carnot cycle, the net work done is the difference between the heat inputQ₁at higher temperatureT₁and the heat extractedQ₂at the lower temperatureT₂.

References

This article is based on NASA's Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use