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Carnot Efficiency Calculator — η = 1 − Tc/Th

No heat engine can beat the Carnot limit — it depends only on the hot and cold reservoir temperatures (in kelvin), not on the engine's design.

Carnot Efficiency Calculator — η = 1 − Tc/Th

η=1−TcTh\eta = 1 - \frac{T_c}{T_h}

How to interpret the result

A steam plant at 800 K exhausting to 300 K can never exceed 62.5% efficiency — real plants manage ~40%. The rest must become waste heat.

Assumptions

  • Reversible (ideal) engine — an upper bound only
  • Temperatures in kelvin
  • Th must exceed Tc