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ISSN Online: 2377-424X

ISBN Print: 0-89116-909-1

International Heat Transfer Conference 9
August, 19-24, 1990 , Jerusalem, Israel

NATURAL CONVECTION AS AN IRREVERSIBLE THERMODYNAMIC HEAT ENGINE: PREDICTING THE EARTH'S AVERAGE WIND ENERGY

Get access (open in a dialog) DOI: 10.1615/IHTC9.3180
pages 485-488

Sinopsis

By modeling natural convection as an irreversible heat engine, we develop a procedure for placing an upper bound on the annual average energy in the earth's winds. The specific example of wind energy is selected because it is one of the few cases of natural convection for which estimates of the work associated with fluid motion is available. Our method employs the formalism of finite-time thermodynamics. The earth's atmosphere is viewed as the working fluid of a heat engine where the heat input is solar radiation, the heat rejection is to the surrounding universe, and the work output is the energy in the earth's winds. The upper bound for the annual average power in the earth's winds is found to be 17 W/m2, which can be contrasted with the actual estimated annual average wind power of 7 W/m2. Our thermodynamic model also predicts the average extreme temperatures of the earth's atmosphere.