Thermodynamic simulation of performance of an Otto cycle with heat transfer and variable specific heats of working fluid

The performance of an air-standard Otto cycle with heat transfer loss and variable specific heats of working fluid is analyzed by using finite-time thermodynamics. The relations between the power output and the compression ratio, between the thermal efficiency and the compression ratio, as well as the optimal relation between power output and the efficiency of the cycle are derived by detailed numerical examples. Moreover, the effects of heat transfer loss and variable specific heats of working fluid on the cycle performance are analyzed. The results show that the effects of heat transfer loss and variable specific heats of working fluid on the cycle performance are obvious, and they should be considered in practice cycle analysis. The results obtained in this paper may provide guidance for the design of practice internal combustion engines. (c) 2004 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.