All combustion engines, principally are mechanical devices that convert heat provided to them (by means of combustion of fuels) into work (obtained as rotation at crankshaft). Variety of designs of these devices (ENGINES) have been developed by engineers which differ in many technical aspects (not in principles though). However, despite all sorts of technical differences, all such designs have one thing alike - they can never convert all heat supplied to them to work. Whether it be a steam engine ( running steamy locomotives) or gas turbine-based jet engines (like those in AirBUS) or even the one making F1 cars vroom! - a heat engine (more suitable name for combustion engines) never converts all heat into work i.e “they all lose heat”.
This “inability” of engines can be reasoned out by the second law of thermodynamics, which evidently is a basic law and in relevance to engines is best captured by Kelvin-Planck’s statement -”No, process is possible whose sole result is the absorption of heat from a reservoir and the conversion of this heat into work”.
This in practical terms rules out the possibility of developing an engine that can ever convert all heat supplied to work.…show more content… In internal combustion engines some of the heat supplied to engine (by combustion of fuel) is used in turning the crank - which is used in automobiles to turn wheels, some part of this work gets used up in overcoming friction between parts of engines and automobiles, some part of this heat gets absorbed by the material of engine (results heating up of engine material and its parts) and some of this heat is ejected with exhaust gases coming out of the engine. The estimated amount of heat that escapes to each of above stated places is recorded by engineers in a data sheet - called “Heat Balance Sheet” used as reference for the designing