Many people have seriously suggested that icebergs be used as sources of cooling
ID: 964090 • Letter: M
Question
Many people have seriously suggested that icebergs be used as sources of cooling, fresh water, energy, etc. Suppose an iceberg with a massof 1.00 x 10^13 kg is at a uniform temperature of 10.0 degrees celcius . A Carnot heat engine could use ocean water as a heat source and the iceberg as a heat sink. Assuming the waste heat of the engine providess all the heat neccesary to melt the iceberg, how much work can this engine do?
A typical coal burning power plant produces 2000 MW of power. If the Carnot engine in this problem was used to generate electricity, how long can the carnot replace a coal burning power plant before the iceberg melts?
A similiar process has been suggested as a way of reducing the emission of green house gases. Is this a realistic suggestion? Explain your reasoning?
Explanation / Answer
Temperature of source T1 = 283 K and temperature of sink T2 = 273 k
efficiency of engine = (T1-T2)/ T1 = .O35
Heat wasted
q = Lm m (1)
where
q = required heat (J, Btu)
Lm = latent heat of melting (J/kg, )
m = mass of substance (kg,)
q = 334 103 (J/kg) * 1.00×10^13 kg
= 334 * 1016 j
work done = 334 * 1016 j *.O35 = 1.1 * 1017 joule
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