Carnot cycle

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noun Thermodynamics.

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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Origin of Carnot cycle

After N. L. S. Carnot

Words nearby Carnot cycle

Carnivora, carnivore, carnivorous, carnose, Carnot, Carnot cycle, Carnot engine, carnotite, Carnot principle, Carnot refrigerator, Carnot's theorem

How to use Carnot cycle in a sentence

It almost mirrors the Buddhist cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
The Buddhist Business of Poaching Animals for Good Karma|Brendon Hong|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Eventually, the mistletoe bush grows, blooms, and forms berries, and the cycle begins anew.
Mistletoe is the Vampire of Plants|Helen Thompson|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Newsroom aired its final episode on Sunday, already an eternity ago in news-cycle terms.
A Few Great Men Too Many: Aaron Sorkin Doesn’t Think You Can Handle the Truth|Arthur Chu|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To break her self-destructive cycle and heal, she decides to hike 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail solo.
Exclusive: The Making of Reese Witherspoon’s Golden Globe-Nominated ‘Wild’|Marlow Stern|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Especially given that we just spent almost $4 billion during the 2013-14 election cycle?
Just What We Needed: More Campaign Spending|Mark McKinnon|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The sexual cycle can take place only within the body of one genus of mosquito, anopheles.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Here they enter red corpuscles as young malarial parasites, and the majority pass through the asexual cycle just described.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
So, in March, 1794, he was sent to take command of a new army which Carnot had been raising during the winter.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Still hanging to Clip's canteen, he jerked the motor-cycle away from the bushes, got into the saddle, and started the pedals.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
Matt went down, with the motor-cycle on top of him, head and shoulders over the brink of the precipice.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews

British Dictionary definitions for Carnot cycle

Carnot cycle

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012