Carnot cycle

Idealized thermodynamic cycle

A Carnot cycle (English: kar-NOH, French: [kaʁno]) is an ideal thermodynamic cycle proposed by French physicist Sadi Carnot in 1824 and expanded upon by others in the 1830s and 1840s. By Carnot's theorem, it provides an upper limit on the efficiency of any classical thermodynamic engine during the conversion of heat into work, or conversely, the efficiency of a refrigeration system in creating a temperature difference through the application of work to the system. In a Carnot cycle, a system or engine transfers energy in the form of heat between two thermal reservoirs at temperatures TH and TC (referred to as the hot and cold reservoirs, respectively), and a part of this transferred energy is converted to the work done by the system.

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