Connection between maximum-work and maximum-power thermal cycles

Abstract

A new connection between maximum-power Curzon-Ahlborn thermal cycles and maximum-work reversible cycles is proposed. This linkage is built through a mapping between the exponents of a class of heat transfer laws and the exponents of a family of heat capacities depending on temperature. This connection leads to the recovery of known results and to a wide and interesting set of results for a class of thermal cycles. Among other results it was found that it is possible to use analytically closed expressions for maximum-work efficiencies to calculate good approaches to maximum-power efficiencies. Behind the proposed connection is an interpretation of endoreversibility hypothesis. Additionally, we suggest that certain reversible maximum-work cycles depending on working substance can be used as reversible landmarks for FTT maximum-power cycles, which also depend on working substance properties.