Carnot Engine Simulator

The Carnot cycle defines the absolute theoretical limit of thermodynamic efficiency...

The Carnot efficiency η = 1 − T_C/T_H depends only on the two reservoir temperatures — never on the fuel, the gas, or how cleverly the engine is built. Both temperatures must be in kelvin, so 300 °C is not '10× hotter' than 30 °C. The practical takeaway: to squeeze out more work, widen the temperature gap — raise T_H or lower T_C. You can never reach 100%, because T_C = 0 K is unreachable.

There's a catch textbooks skip: reaching the Carnot limit requires running the cycle infinitely slowly, so each stroke stays reversible. An infinitely slow engine delivers infinitesimal power — useless in practice. In 1975 Curzon and Ahlborn instead asked for the efficiency at maximum power output and found η = 1 − √(T_C/T_H). For an 1800 K / 600 K engine that gives ≈ 42%, far closer to real power plants than Carnot's 67%.