The work done by a deformable heat conductor (Q1116376)

This paper is concerned with the evaluation of work done by a thermoelastic heat conductor. The system under consideration is one- dimensional and is immersed into a medium with a time-dependent ambient temperature. It is further assumed that the motion is quasistatic, Fourier's law of heat conduction is valid and specific heat at constant stress is constant. These assumptions lead to a parabolic equation with a time-dependent coefficient. For a periodically varying ambient temperature the work done by the body in one period is computed. It is shown that homogeneous field approximation, which is common in all theories of heat engines, predicts that this work may be assigned any value by properly adjusting the periodic stress in the body. However, if a deformable body is considered the author proves by ingenuously employing Fourier analysis that the work has an upper bound which depends primarily on the ambient temperature and its rate of time. That the model is oversimplified limits its practical application at this stage. But it clearly indicates what insights can be gained by resorting to a field theory in developing a theory of heat engine.