A thermodynamic cycle used in a heat engine and comprises four distinct steps: isothermal expansion, adiabatic expansion, isothermal compression, and then adiabatic compression (see Fig. 11). According to the Carnot principle, the efficiency of a heat (p. 54) engine depends on the temperatures at which it operates. The efficiency is the ratio of the work done, W, to the heat input, q1
where, according to the first law of thermodynamics, the work done is the difference between the heat in and heat out. The efficiency is therefore:
For maximum efficiency, T2 should be as small as possible and T1 should be as high as possible. It was developed by Nicolas Carnot in 1824.