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Is that analogous to how turbochargers can get ICE engines to exceed carnot limits?
by AtlasBarfed 5y ago
Is that analogous to how turbochargers can get ICE engines to exceed carnot limits?
- ncmncm 5y agoTurbochargers run in open-cycle engines that are not bound by Carnot limits. Diesels run on the Rankine cycle, and gasoline engines run on the (similar) Otto cycle. Both of those take in cold air and exhaust hot air, so can be more efficient than an engine that runs a fixed supply of working fluid around the Carnot cycle. Turbo- and super-charging enables an engine with a given displacement to take in more air, and thus can burn more fuel, than one that must fill cylinders with no more than ambient air pressure; and can thereby deliver more power. It doesn't change the engine's thermodynamic profile.