Effects of Variable Specific Heat Ratio on Performance οf an Endoreversible Otto Cycle

Using finite-time thermodynamics, the relations between the work output and the compression ratio, between the thermal efficiency and the compression ratio for an endoreversible Otto cycle are derived with variable specific heat ratio of working fluid. The results show that if compression ratio is less than certain value, the increase of specific heat ratio makes the work output and the thermal efficiency higher; on the contrary, if compression ratio exceeds certain value, the increase of specific heat ratio makes the work output and the thermal efficiency less. The results also show that the maximum work output, the compression ratio at the maximum work output point, the working range of the cycle and the compression ratio at maximum thermal efficiency point decrease as the specific heat ratio increased. The results obtained from this work can be helpful in the thermodynamic modeling and in the evaluation of real Otto engines.