An Introduction to Heat Engine and Heat Pump
Heat engines and heat pumps are intriguing machines with numerous uses in a variety of industries and aspects of daily life. Although they have diverse goals, these devices use the laws of thermodynamics to transmit and manipulate heat energy. Consider the air conditioner in your home, which effectively cools down the indoor environment by extracting heat and transferring it outside. This instance exemplifies a heat pump in action, showcasing its ability to regulate temperatures. By exploring the difference between heat engine and heat pump, we can gain insight into their respective functions and applications in our daily lives.
Heat Engine:
Heat engines use thermal energy to produce mechanical work. They frequently follow a cycle of operations that include absorbing heat from a high-temperature source, converting that heat into work, and then dissipating extra heat into a low-temperature sink. The internal combustion engine used in cars is a real-world example of a heat engine since it burns gasoline to provide the thermal energy required to do mechanical labour.
The work done will be,
$W_e=Q_2-Q_1$
Where Q₁ is heat removed and Q₂ is the heat supplied.
Coefficient of performance $=\frac{{{Q}_{2}}-{{Q}_{1}}}{{{Q}_{2}}}$
Image: Heat Engine
Heat Pump:
The equipment that is used to absorb heat from low temperatures and supply it to high temperatures is called a heat pump. The heat pump operates by providing temperatures that range from ambient to high, or from low to high, increasing the rate of heat transfer. The Coefficient of performance of the heat pump is always greater than that of the refrigerator. The rate of heat transport affects this. Heat absorbed and work done by the pump replace heat rejected.
It uses heat energy from a source with a lower temperature to change mechanical energy into heat energy from a source with a higher temperature. In contrast to natural convection, heat pumps transport heat energy in the opposite direction. The Clausius assertion is the foundation of the heat pump. In the winter, homes are heated with it. Water heating and commercial heating are both accomplished by heat pumps.
Image: Heat Pump
FAQs on Difference Between Heat Engine and Heat Pump
1. Can a heat engine also function as a heat pump?
Yes, in theory. When used in reverse, certain reversible heat engines act as heat pumps by transporting heat from a cold reservoir to a hot reservoir. However, actual implementations could call for other plans and factors.
2. Are there any unusual examples of heat engines and heat pumps?
Yes, there are some uncommon instances, such as thermoelectric heat pumps that employ the Seebeck effect to create a temperature differential and thermoacoustic heat engines that transform heat into sound waves.
3. How does the idea of entropy apply to heat engines and heat pumps?
The rules of thermodynamics, which include the idea of entropy, apply to both heat engines and heat pumps. Entropy measures a system's disorder or unpredictability, and changes in it are correlated with the movement of heat and work.
