Question

What are the applications of the second law of thermodynamics?

Answer 1

The second law of thermodynamics:

1. German physicist Rudolph Clausius states the second law of thermodynamics, “Heat can never pass from a colder to a warmer body without some other change, connected therewith, occurring at the same time”.
2. Scottish physicist Lord Kelvin states, “It is impossible for a self-acting machine, unaided by any external agency, to convey heat from one body to another at a higher temperature”.
3. Simply put, transferring heat from lower to higher temperatures is impossible without external force.

Applications:

1. The law states that heat always moves from a body that is warmer to a colder body. All heat engine cycles, including Otto, Diesel, etc., as well as all working fluids employed in the engines, are covered by this rule. Modern automobiles have advanced as a result of this law.
2. Another illustration of how this idea is used is in reverse-cycle refrigerators and heat pumps. If we want to move heat from a body with a lower temperature to a body with a higher temperature, we must perform external work. The original Carnot cycle uses heat to create work, as opposed to the reversed Carnot cycle, which transfers heat from a lower temperature reservoir to a higher temperature reservoir using work.