It is well known that the thermal efficiency of heat engines increases as the temperature of the energy source increases. In an attempt to improve the efficiency of a power plant, somebody suggests transferring heat from the available energy source to a higher-temperature medium by a heat pump before energy is supplied to the power plant. What do you think of this suggestion? Explain.

Question

Engineering

Juliana Rowland

29 January, 15:15

It is well known that the thermal efficiency of heat engines increases as the temperature of the energy source increases. In an attempt to improve the efficiency of a power plant, somebody suggests transferring heat from the available energy source to a higher-temperature medium by a heat pump before energy is supplied to the power plant. What do you think of this suggestion? Explain.

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Answers (1)

Know the Answer?

Elliott Parrish · Answer 1

Answer: The suggestion is wrong.

Explaination:

This is because the increase in the work produced will equal the work consumed by the heat pump. In real live, the work consumed by the heat pump is always more than the additional work produced, resulting to a decrease in thermal efficiency of the power plant.