heat engines
Combustion power converters
Heat engines are devices that convert thermal energy into mechanical work.
The steam engine and internal combustion engine are classic examples—heat from burning fuel creates pressure that moves pistons or turbines.
All heat engines operate between a hot source and a cold sink, and thermodynamics dictates they can never be perfectly efficient: The efficiency of heat engines is limited by the temperature difference they exploit.
Fuel ignites in cylinders
- fuelEnergy source material
- ignitionStarting combustion process
- cylinderCircular-based solid form
- pistonReciprocating cylinder component
spark · diesel · gasoline · exhaust · injector · flame · oxidation · carburetor
Quantified chaos in systems
- enthalpyThermodynamic total heat quantity
- isothermalAt uniform temperature
- isobaricHaving uniform pressure
- thermal efficiencyUseful output per heat input
second law · reversible · irreversible · expansion · compression · ideal gas
Useful output per heat input
- fuel economyVehicle efficiency rating
- power outputEnergy delivered per time
- energy conversionChanging power between forms
- brake horsepowerEngine's usable power output
cogeneration · regenerator · intercooler · power density · thermal barrier
Blade-driven energy converter
- gas turbineFuel-to-rotation engine
- reciprocatingMoving back and forth
- locomotiveRailway pulling machine
- two-strokeEngine firing each revolution
internal combustion
Fuel ignites in cylinders
piston · spark · diesel · gasoline · exhaust · injector · flame · oxidation · carburetor · crankshaft
entropy
Quantified chaos in systems
- enthalpyThermodynamic total heat quantity
- isothermalAt uniform temperature
- isobaricHaving uniform pressure
thermal efficiency · second law · reversible · irreversible · expansion · compression · ideal gas
thermal efficiency
Useful output per heat input
- fuel economyVehicle efficiency rating
- power outputEnergy delivered per time
- energy conversionChanging power between forms
brake horsepower · cogeneration · regenerator · intercooler · power density · thermal barrier
turbine
Blade-driven energy converter
- gas turbineFuel-to-rotation engine
- reciprocatingMoving back and forth
- locomotiveRailway pulling machine
- heatthermal energy, heatwave, radiation, convection, insulators
- Heat Sciencethermal equilibrium, thermal expansion, thermal radiation, conduction, convection
- thermodynamicsentropy, enthalpy, free energy, second law, thermal equilibrium
- thermal processesburning, cooling, boiling, melting, freezing
heat engineselectric motors
Machines producing rotational force electrically
fuel cells · wind turbines · muscle power · photovoltaic cells · solar cells
heat enginesheat pumps
Devices transferring thermal energy
refrigerators · air conditioners · chillers · freezers · cooling systems
heat, engine, heated, heating, heater, reheat, heats, preheat, overheated