Yeroc.us Artwork
Second Law
CARNOT'S THEOREM - IT'S ALL ABOUT TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE
The expression in the center foreground is a form of Carnot's Theorem, developed by Sadi Carnot when he determined that the amount of useful work produced by a heat engine is dependent upon the difference in temperature ( ΔT ) between the heat source and the heat sink. The maximum possible amount of work which may be extracted by an ideal heat engine is the product of the volume of heat entering the engine from the heat source multiplied by the temperature difference between the heat source and sink divided by the temperature of the heat source.
In addition to governing the thermodynamic efficiency of electric power plants and motor vehicle engines, Carnot's Theorem expresses the struggles which lie ahead for industrial society in a world of dwindling high-grade energy sources and material resources. Carnot's Theorem also gives us the tools and understanding to reinvent our society to utilize more of the low-grade energy from the sun, wind, water, and "waste" from current manufacturing processes in order to to better utilize what nature has provided for us in raw form, rather than creating all of the excessive waste and complexity which is associated with industrialized society.
The drawing on the left is a theoretical diagram of a heat engine, in particular a Rankine cycle. Heat engines take heat from a source and produce useful mechanical work, while throwing away a portion of heat which is unusable in the creation of work. The universe works just like a massive heat engine, and all of the beauty and order that we see is a mere product of heat moving from hot to cold!
The graphics on the right represent the element carbon. Carbon is the basis of all life on this planet and also represents the sources of energy (fossil fuels) used by humans to operate our engineered systems. Fossil fuels gave the human race seemingly infinite power, power over our environment and the power to make whatever we could come up with a reality. Now the time is approaching when the "inifinite" power of fossil energy is beginning to lose steam. How we approach this conundrum is one of the most serious questions yet to be answered. We're quickly blowing our lottery winnings. Soon we may have to return to work.
delta Society
DELTA SOCIETY - INSIGHTS ON THE FUTURE OF INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY
The background is a field of transmission lines leading from the Sunbury power plant in Shamokin Dam, PA. Power plants such as this serve as a reminder that even our squeaky clean "service economy" is still propped up by smokestack industry. The ice in your drink at the bar is a mere representation of the burning of coal at some power station in a faraway land, so far out of sight and mind that as a society we have come to the point where the majority of citizens believe electricity comes from "the wall" and that the consumer economy can be sustained perpetually.
Last Modified: August 17, 2009. 20:41:49 pm