The truism on energy is based on Kelvin’s declaration of universal dissipation of
mechanical energy into heat and, once dissipated, the dissipated mechanical energy
cannot be restored in accordance with General Conclusion 2. The claim of universality amounts to the proposition that the phenomena of entropy growth are
exhausted by the dissipation of high-grade energy to low-grade energy, i.e., “everything that happens involves entropy growth” is synonymous with “everything
that happens involves conversion of energy.”
The restoration process is an example of energy conversion in the reverse
direction. While the spontaneous transformation from work to heat is limitless,
convertibility from heat to work is subject to strict limitation because, otherwise, an
unrestricted reverse transformation would have contradicted the Kelvin–Planck
statement that heat in itself cannot be converted into work. This was how Kelvin
and Clausius incorporated the lesson from the Carnot heat engine to conclude as
shown in Sect. 4.6 that
GS-4.b. Heat cannot be converted 100% into work.
But, are the interconvertibility principle and General Statement-4.b true? The
inference was what Carnot had difficulty with; he did not have a problem of
accepting the doctrine of heat energy and MEH (as his unpublished writing [4]
showed) and certainly did not deny the role of heat as falling caloric in the production of work. But, he had difficulty with the idea of heat expenditure alone
without the transfer of heat as the cause for the production of work.
Carnot’s doubt did not die completely. Many have since questioned the validity of
universal interconvertibility with regard to heat as a cause of work [6–12]. Yet, none of
these arguments has succeeded in refuting universal interconvertibility. One reason is
that most of those who argued against interconvertibility advocated a return to the idea
of caloric, i.e., against the doctrine of heat energy. That obviously was a mistake.
The attraction of returning to the idea of caloric, wrong though it is, does provide
a hint: what we are looking for is the real “drive” of change or process, if not heat.
For facilitating the following discussion, a summary list of the conventional
takeaways of MTH is given as the following general statements (GSs):
GS-1. Heat’s ontology. Heat is a high-entropy form of energy.
GS-2. Equivalence principle. Equivalence exists between consumed mechanical energy
and produced heat, and consumed heat and produced mechanical energy.
GS-2.a. Inter-convertibility principle. Heat energy and mechanical energy are universally
convertible to each other.
GS-4 or GC of Kelvin. Energy conversion doctrine. Entropy growth is exhausted by the
spontaneous dissipation of high-grade energy; everything that happens is the result of
energy and its transformation from one form to another; Conversion of energy can be
classified into two kinds: natural energy conversion and reverse energy conversion.
GS-4.a. or the amended GC of Kelvin. Spontaneous energy conversion: Natural energy
conversions are spontaneous and limitless.
GS-4.b. Reverse energy conversion. Reverse energy conversions are subject to strict
limitation and heat cannot be converted 100% into mechanical energy.
8.1 Introduction: The Energy Conversion Doctrine Truism
191
mechanical energy into heat and, once dissipated, the dissipated mechanical energy
cannot be restored in accordance with General Conclusion 2. The claim of universality amounts to the proposition that the phenomena of entropy growth are
exhausted by the dissipation of high-grade energy to low-grade energy, i.e., “everything that happens involves entropy growth” is synonymous with “everything
that happens involves conversion of energy.”
The restoration process is an example of energy conversion in the reverse
direction. While the spontaneous transformation from work to heat is limitless,
convertibility from heat to work is subject to strict limitation because, otherwise, an
unrestricted reverse transformation would have contradicted the Kelvin–Planck
statement that heat in itself cannot be converted into work. This was how Kelvin
and Clausius incorporated the lesson from the Carnot heat engine to conclude as
shown in Sect. 4.6 that
GS-4.b. Heat cannot be converted 100% into work.
But, are the interconvertibility principle and General Statement-4.b true? The
inference was what Carnot had difficulty with; he did not have a problem of
accepting the doctrine of heat energy and MEH (as his unpublished writing [4]
showed) and certainly did not deny the role of heat as falling caloric in the production of work. But, he had difficulty with the idea of heat expenditure alone
without the transfer of heat as the cause for the production of work.
Carnot’s doubt did not die completely. Many have since questioned the validity of
universal interconvertibility with regard to heat as a cause of work [6–12]. Yet, none of
these arguments has succeeded in refuting universal interconvertibility. One reason is
that most of those who argued against interconvertibility advocated a return to the idea
of caloric, i.e., against the doctrine of heat energy. That obviously was a mistake.
The attraction of returning to the idea of caloric, wrong though it is, does provide
a hint: what we are looking for is the real “drive” of change or process, if not heat.
For facilitating the following discussion, a summary list of the conventional
takeaways of MTH is given as the following general statements (GSs):
GS-1. Heat’s ontology. Heat is a high-entropy form of energy.
GS-2. Equivalence principle. Equivalence exists between consumed mechanical energy
and produced heat, and consumed heat and produced mechanical energy.
GS-2.a. Inter-convertibility principle. Heat energy and mechanical energy are universally
convertible to each other.
GS-4 or GC of Kelvin. Energy conversion doctrine. Entropy growth is exhausted by the
spontaneous dissipation of high-grade energy; everything that happens is the result of
energy and its transformation from one form to another; Conversion of energy can be
classified into two kinds: natural energy conversion and reverse energy conversion.
GS-4.a. or the amended GC of Kelvin. Spontaneous energy conversion: Natural energy
conversions are spontaneous and limitless.
GS-4.b. Reverse energy conversion. Reverse energy conversions are subject to strict
limitation and heat cannot be converted 100% into mechanical energy.
8.1 Introduction: The Energy Conversion Doctrine Truism
191