Carnot Efficiency Calculator (η = 1 − T_c / T_h)
Enter the hot-reservoir temperature T_h and cold-reservoir T_c (any mix of °C / K / °F); by Carnot's theorem the tool returns the upper-bound efficiency η = 1 − T_c / T_h for any heat engine operating between those temperatures, plus the matching coefficients of performance COP_R and COP_HP for refrigerators and heat pumps — the right benchmark for coal-fired power stations, IC engines, geothermal plants and HVAC analysis.
Common scenarios (click to load)
Enter valid temperatures (must be above absolute zero: 0 K / −273.15 °C / −459.67 °F).
Results
Carnot maximum efficiency η
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η = 1 − T_c / T_h, using absolute temperatures (K). The theoretical ceiling for any real heat engine.
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Refrigeration / heat-pump COP
Cooling COP_R
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Heating COP_HP
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COP_R = T_c / (T_h − T_c); COP_HP = T_h / (T_h − T_c). The Carnot upper bounds when the cycle runs in reverse.
By Carnot's theorem every real cyclic heat engine falls below this bound; practical plants and engines reach only ~50–70 % of the Carnot ceiling.
Formula
η_Carnot = 1 − T_c / T_h (T in absolute units, K) Reverse (refrigerator) COP_R = T_c / (T_h − T_c) Reverse (heat pump) COP_HP = T_h / (T_h − T_c) Identity: COP_HP = COP_R + 1
- · Assumes the two reservoirs stay at fixed temperatures and the cycle is fully reversible (no friction, no irreversibilities). Every real engine — Otto, Diesel, Rankine, Brayton — is bounded above by the Carnot efficiency at the same T_h, T_c. That is exactly the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
- · Temperatures must enter the formula in absolute (Kelvin) units. Conversions: K = °C + 273.15 = (°F − 32) · 5/9 + 273.15. The tool handles this automatically.
- · Practical anchors: coal-fired steam plant 540 °C → 25 °C, Carnot ≈ 63 %, real 35–45 %; petrol IC engine 2200 °C flame → 100 °C exhaust, Carnot ≈ 85 %, real 20–30 %; geothermal binary 150 °C → 20 °C, Carnot ≈ 31 %.
- · Run the same cycle in reverse and you get a refrigerator or heat pump. Higher COP means more heat moved per joule of work: a household fridge has theoretical COP_R ≈ 6.4 but real units land at 1.5–3; an air-source heat pump has COP_HP ≈ 6.6 ideally and 3–5 in practice (falls in cold weather).
- · η is always < 1 unless T_c = 0 K, which the Third Law makes physically unreachable. Common misconception: adding more fuel does NOT raise efficiency — to raise it you must raise T_h or lower T_c.
- · Sources: Carnot, "Réflexions sur la puissance motrice du feu", 1824 (the original work); Cengel & Boles, "Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach", 9th ed., §6.10; Schroeder, "An Introduction to Thermal Physics", §4.1.
Frequently asked
Why must the formula use absolute temperatures (K)?
Because the Carnot formula η = 1 − T_c / T_h depends on the ratio of two temperatures. Celsius and Fahrenheit are relative scales (their zero points are arbitrary — the freezing point of water, of brine), so ratios on those scales carry no physical meaning. For example 0 °C / 100 °C = 0 but the actual Carnot efficiency is 1 − 273.15 / 373.15 ≈ 27 %, not 100 %. Kelvin's zero (0 K) corresponds to the theoretical state where molecular kinetic energy stops; only ratios measured from absolute zero reflect the real thermodynamic state. The tool converts any input unit to K before evaluating the formula.
Why do real power plants and car engines fall so far short of the Carnot ceiling?
The Carnot cycle is a thought experiment requiring (1) both reservoirs stay at fixed temperature forever, (2) every heat exchange is quasi-static (infinitely slow), and (3) zero friction, zero heat leak, zero turbulence. Real engines can't satisfy any of those: combustion releases heat in milliseconds (isothermal-expansion approximations break), turbines and pistons have friction and turbulence and leakage, cooling systems steal useful heat from hot components, and exhaust carries away far more heat than the ideal cycle predicts. So coal-fired plants land at 35–45 % (Carnot ≈ 63 %), diesel engines at 30–45 % (Carnot ≈ 87 %), petrol engines lower still. Practical efficiency gains come from supercritical steam cycles, combined cycles (gas-turbine + steam), and waste-heat recovery (cogeneration).
How does running the Carnot cycle in reverse give a refrigerator or heat pump, and how do COP and η compare?
Every step of the Carnot cycle (isothermal, adiabatic) is reversible, so running the cycle backwards turns it from "heat engine producing work" into "input work, pump heat from cold to hot". That is exactly how a fridge / AC (focused on the cold side T_c) or a heat pump (focused on the hot side T_h) works. The Coefficient of Performance, COP = heat moved / electrical work in, is defined differently from η: COP can be much greater than 1 (typically 3–6), because you are moving heat rather than creating it — no laws are violated. COP_R = T_c / (T_h − T_c); COP_HP = T_h / (T_h − T_c) = COP_R + 1. The smaller the temperature gap, the higher the COP — which is why setting a household AC to 26 °C is significantly more efficient than 18 °C.
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