Applicability of the low-dissipation model: Carnot-like heat engines under Newton's law of cooling.

Abstract

We investigate the validity of using the low-dissipation model (LD model) to describe the maximum power regime of the endoreversible model under Newton's law of cooling. We find it valid only when the temperature difference of heat reservoirs (T_{h}-T_{c}, T_{h}>T_{c}) is small. Thus the efficiency at maximum power derived from the LD model is valid to the first order of Carnot efficiency when describing endoreversible heat engines. We conclude that the LD model produces the Curzon-Ahlborn efficiency (η_{CA}=1-sqrt[T_{h}/T_{c}]) in the maximum power regime with no dependence on dissipation ratios.