Carnot cycle

American  

noun

Thermodynamics.

1. an ideal cycle of reversible engine operations in which a substance at one temperature is compressed adiabatically to a second temperature, expanded isothermally at the second temperature, expanded adiabatically from the second temperature to the first temperature, and compressed isothermally at the first temperature.

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Carnot cycle British  

noun

1. an idealized reversible heat-engine cycle giving maximum efficiency and consisting of an isothermal expansion, an adiabatic expansion, an isothermal compression, and an adiabatic compression back to the initial state

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Etymology

Origin of Carnot cycle

After N. L. S. Carnot

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Carnot cycle

The concept is illustrated by the Carnot cycle, an idealized model that defines the maximum theoretical efficiency of a heat engine by carefully regulating the movement of heat between hot and cold regions.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026

Figure 15.23 shows the PV diagram for a Carnot cycle.

From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015

The second law of thermodynamics can be restated in terms of the Carnot cycle, and so what Carnot actually discovered was this fundamental law.

From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015

He devised a theoretical cycle, now called the Carnot cycle, which is the most efficient cyclical process possible.

From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015

In reality the fraction of the heat of combustion available, even in an ideal engine and apart from practical limitations, is much less than might be inferred from the efficiency formula of the Carnot cycle.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 2 "Hearing" to "Helmond" by Various