Experiments on nonlinear dynamics and thermodynamics of autonomous heat engine

Shoichi Toyabe, Yuki Izumida

Published 2019-11-07Version 1

An autonomous heat engine operates far from equilibrium and is highly complex, involving an intimate coupling among heat, gas flow, and mechanics. Our experiments demonstrate that the nonequilibrium dynamics of a low-temperature-differential Stirling engine, which is a model system of autonomous heat engines, is well described by a simple two-variable dynamical model. The results provide a novel concept that this autonomous heat engine is characterized as a thermodynamic pendulum driven by temperature difference. Our approach based on the simple dynamical modeling of an autonomous engine would contribute to the development of nonequilibrium thermodynamics.