Optimizing low-dissipation Carnot-like thermal devices with heat leak

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ye, Zhuolin, Holubec, Viktor
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866908521760555008
author Ye, Zhuolin
Holubec, Viktor
author_facet Ye, Zhuolin
Holubec, Viktor
contents Delimiting the bounds of optimal performance for heat engines (HEs), refrigerators (REs), and heat pumps (HPs) is a central goal in thermodynamics. While low-dissipation (LD) models have proven valuable for this purpose, the role of heat leak in such models has received limited attention. Here, we present a unified framework for LD Carnot-like (CL) HEs, REs, and HPs that incorporates heat leaks, and derive new results for the efficiency at maximum power and the power at maximum efficiency. We further investigate the relationship between the bounds of power at fixed efficiency and efficiency at fixed power, demonstrating that these bounds coincide and are described by identical curves across all thermal devices. Finally, we show that the optimal performance of all three devices can be achieved by optimizing the average entropy production rate over the cycle, a result that holds for any CL device and extends beyond the LD assumption.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_12655
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Optimizing low-dissipation Carnot-like thermal devices with heat leak
Ye, Zhuolin
Holubec, Viktor
Statistical Mechanics
Delimiting the bounds of optimal performance for heat engines (HEs), refrigerators (REs), and heat pumps (HPs) is a central goal in thermodynamics. While low-dissipation (LD) models have proven valuable for this purpose, the role of heat leak in such models has received limited attention. Here, we present a unified framework for LD Carnot-like (CL) HEs, REs, and HPs that incorporates heat leaks, and derive new results for the efficiency at maximum power and the power at maximum efficiency. We further investigate the relationship between the bounds of power at fixed efficiency and efficiency at fixed power, demonstrating that these bounds coincide and are described by identical curves across all thermal devices. Finally, we show that the optimal performance of all three devices can be achieved by optimizing the average entropy production rate over the cycle, a result that holds for any CL device and extends beyond the LD assumption.
title Optimizing low-dissipation Carnot-like thermal devices with heat leak
topic Statistical Mechanics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.12655