Serway & Jewett — Heat Engines, Entropy, and the Second Law of Thermodynamics: Problem 19

An idealized diesel engine operates in a cycle known as the air-standard diesel cycle shown in Figure P21.19. Fuel is sprayed into the cylinder at the point of maximum compression, \( B \). Combustion occurs during the expansion \( B \to C \), which is modeled as an isobaric process. Show that the efficiency of an engine operating in this idealized diesel cycle is \[ e = 1 - \frac{1}{\gamma} \left( \frac{T_D - T_A}{T_C - T_B} \right) \]