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Chin. Phys. B, 2012, Vol. 21(2): 020513    DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/21/2/020513
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Recent advance on the efficiency at maximum power of heat engines

Tu Zhan-Chun(涂展春)
Department of Physics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Abstract  This review reports several key advances on the theoretical investigations of efficiency at maximum power of heat engines in the past five years. The analytical results of efficiency at maximum power for the Curzon-Ahlborn heat engine, the stochastic heat engine constructed from a Brownian particle, and Feynman's ratchet as a heat engine are presented. It is found that: the efficiency at maximum power exhibits universal behavior at small relative temperature differences; the lower and the upper bounds might exist under quite general conditions; and the problem of efficiency at maximum power comes down to seeking for the minimum irreversible entropy production in each finite-time isothermal process for a given time.
Keywords:  efficiency at maximum power      heat engine      universality      bounds  
Received:  29 September 2011      Revised:  02 November 2011      Accepted manuscript online: 
PACS:  05.70.Ln (Nonequilibrium and irreversible thermodynamics)  
Fund: Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11075015) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.
Corresponding Authors:  Tu Zhan-Chun,tuzc@bnu.edu.cn     E-mail:  tuzc@bnu.edu.cn

Cite this article: 

Tu Zhan-Chun(涂展春) Recent advance on the efficiency at maximum power of heat engines 2012 Chin. Phys. B 21 020513

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