Adiabatic means there's no heat transference during the process;
Isothermal means the process occurs at constant temperature.
The compression and expansion processes are adiabatic, whereas the heat transfer from the hot reservoir and to the cold reservoir are isothermal.
Those are the two adiabatic and isothermal processes.
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The Carnot cycle consists of two adiabatic processes, where there is no heat transfer, and two isothermal processes, where temperature remains constant. The adiabatic processes involve compression or expansion of the gas without heat exchange, while the isothermal processes occur at constant temperature with heat exchange. This combination allows the Carnot cycle to achieve maximum efficiency in a heat engine.
The efficiency of a quasi-static or reversible Carnot cycle depends only on the temperatures of the two heat reservoirs, and is the same, whatever the working substance. A Carnot engine operated in this way is the most efficient possible heat engine using those two temperatures
The Carnot engine is the most efficient heat engine possible, but it does not produce maximum energy. It operates between two temperature reservoirs and has an upper limit on efficiency based on those temperatures. The efficiency of a Carnot engine is determined by the difference in temperature between the hot and cold reservoirs.
The maximum work obtainable from two bodies at temperatures T1 and T2 is given by the difference in their temperatures multiplied by the change in entropy associated with the process. This is derived from the second law of thermodynamics, specifically the Carnot efficiency equation for a heat engine. The maximum work is represented by the equation: Wmax = (T1 - T2)ΔS.
You must insert the temperatures, in Kelvin, into the formula. Freezing point of water: 273 K; boiling point of water: 373 K. Thus, you get a Carnot efficiency of (373 - 273) / 373, or about 27%.
The work of Sadi Carnot, a French engineer, on the efficiency of heat engines in the early 19th century led to the formulation of the second law of thermodynamics. Carnot's insights on the limitations of heat engine efficiency laid the foundation for the development of the second law, which eventually became a fundamental principle in thermodynamics.