This problem compares the energy output and heat transfer for the environment by two different types of nuclear power stations - one with normal efficiency of 34% and another one of 40%. Suppose both have the same heat transfer into the engine one day, 2.50x 1014J a) how much more electrical energy is produced by the more efficient power station b) how much less heat transfer occurs to the environment by the more efficient power station?

You are hired to build a geothermal power plant that absorbs heat from a hot water spring and discards heat into the surrounding air, which is at a temperature of 17°. The plant is designed for a maximum (Carnot) efficiency of 0.21.   What is the temperature, in degrees Celsius, of the hot water gushing from the spring?    If the rate of energy supplied to the plant by the hot-water source is 4.6 kW, what is the plant’s maximum rate of power output, in kilowatts?

An electric power plant uses energy from burning coal to generate steam at 450oC. The plant is cooled by 20oC water from a nearby river. If burning coal provides 100MJ of heat, what is the theoretical minimum amount of heat that must be transferred to the river during the conversion of heat to electric energy? a- 100MJ B- 90MJ c- 60MJ D- 40MJ

Would you be willing to financially back an inventor who is marketing a device that she claims has 25 kJ of heat transfer at 600o K, has heat transfer to the environment at 300o K, and does 12 kJ of work? Explain your answer.