Glossary
Basic concepts of energy converters

Energy; anergy

It complements exergy to form the energy of a system. It is directly linked to entropy by its product with the ambient temperature.

Coefficient of performance

For a thermal generator, this is the ratio between the heat supplied to the hot well in the case of a heat pump, or received from the cold source in the case of a refrigeration machine, and the energy used (or converted).

energy converter; convertisseur d'énergie

A special system for transforming one type of energy into another. Its operation must be cyclical and – in principle – infinite.

Carnot converter; Convertisseur de Carnot

It's a special thermal energy converter because it operates in a totally reversible way between two thermostats (internally...