Carnot's theorem

It states that no heat engine working between two fixed temperature reservoirs can be more efficient than a reversible Carnot engine, giving the upper limit on its thermal efficiency. It is used to judge how much work any real engine could ideally extract from a given hot and cold temperature.

\eta \le 1 - \frac{T_\mathrm{c}}{T_\mathrm{h}}

What the symbols mean

thermal efficiency of the heat engine (dimensionless)
absolute temperature of the cold reservoir (K)
absolute temperature of the hot reservoir (K)

About this formula

  • FieldPhysics
  • TopicThermodynamics
  • LevelUniversity
  • Also calledCarnot's rule, Carnot efficiency bound, maximum efficiency of heat engine, Carnot theorem heat engine efficiency, carnot efficiency formula
  • SourceWikidata Q2347139

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