Exergy and Anergy

This chapter is dedicated to the thermodynamic evaluation of energy. It is examined to what extent different forms of energy can be converted into work. In particular, it is shown that, for example, thermal energy, i.e. heat, cannot be completely converted into mechanical work in cyclic processes. For example, every combustion engine releases part of the heat produced in the combustion chamber to the environment in the radiator, i.e. part of the thermal energy is not converted into mechanical energy. For this purpose, the energy, which is a conservation variable, is theoretically divided into a part that can be converted into work and is called exergy, and another part that cannot be further converted in a given environment and is called anergy. In the tasks dealt with in this chapter, the concept of exergy is further sharpened.