Question

A proposed ocean thermal-energy conversion (otec) system is a heat engine that would operate between warm water (23°c) at the ocean's surface and cooler water (6°c), 1720 m below the surface. what is the maximum possible (carnot) efficiency of the system (express the answer as a percent, not a decimal, and don't enter the percent symbol)?

Answer 1

The maximum possible Carnot efficiency for the proposed OTEC system operating between water temperatures of 23°C and 6°C is 5.74%.

Step-by-step explanation:

The maximum possible efficiency of a Carnot engine is dependent on the temperatures of the hot and cold reservoirs, which are expressed in Kelvin. In this case, an ocean thermal-energy conversion (OTEC) system is proposed to operate between warm water at 23°C and cooler water at 6°C. To find the Carnot efficiency, we first need to convert these temperatures to Kelvin by adding 273 to each Celsius temperature: warm water would be 296 K (23+273) and cold water 279 K (6+273). The Carnot efficiency is calculated using the formula Effc = 1 - (Tc/Th). Plugging in the values, the efficiency is 1 - (279/296), which equals to 0.05743, or 5.74% when converted into a percentage.