Output power analyses of an endoreversible Carnot heat engine with irreversible heat transfer processes based on generalized heat transfer law

In this paper, an endoreversible Carnot heat engine with irreversible heat transfer processes is analyzed based on generalized heat transfer law. The applicability of the entropy generation minimization, exergy analyses method, and entransy theory to the analyses is discussed. Three numerical cases are presented. It is shown that the results obtained from the entransy theory are different from those from the entropy generation minimization, which is equivalent to the exergy analyses method. For the first case in which the application preconditions of the entropy generation minimization and entransy loss maximization are satisfied, both smaller entropy generation rate and larger entransy loss rate lead to larger output power. For the second and third cases in which the preconditions are not satisfied, the entropy generation minimization does not lead to the maximum output power, while larger entransy loss rate still leads to larger output power in the third case. For the discussed cases, the concept of entransy dissipation is not applicable for the analyses of output power.The problems in the negative comments on the entransy theory are pointed out and discussed. The related researchers are advised to focus on some new specific application cases to show if the entransy theory is the same as some other theories.

Optimization of combined endoreversible Carnot heat engines with different objectives

Taking the output power, thermal efficiency, and thermo-economic performance as the optimization objectives, we optimize the operation parameters of a thermodynamic system with combined endoreversible Carnot heat engines in this paper. The applicabilities of the entropy generation minimization and entransy theory to the optimizations are discussed. For the discussed cases, only the entransy loss coefficient is always agreeable to the optimization of thermal efficiency. The applicabilities of the other discussed concepts to the optimizations are conditional. Different concepts and principles are needed for different optimization objectives, and the optimization principles have their application preconditions. When the preconditions are not satisfied, the principles may be not applicable.