Author(s)

Jovan Mitrovic

Stuttgart, Germany.

James Watt’s thermodynamic works belong to the field of irreversible thermodynamics. In order to reduce heat dissipation from the steam engine to the environment, he devised and applied a method that essentially enabled reversible heat transfer. With this idea Watt paved the way for the next generations of scientists, but he is not credited in the literature as its creator. In recent papers the author has presented the James Watt’s formulation of the first law of thermodynamics. An inspection of the energy conversion equation according to the first law shows that Watt simultaneously formulated also the second law. His results claim that heat cannot be fully converted into work.

James Watt, Irreversible Thermodynamics, Energy Conservation and Conversion, Thermal Efficiency, First Law, Second Law of Thermodynamics

Mitrovic, J. (2022) Irreversible Thermodynamics of James Watt. Advances in Historical Studies, 11, 119-128. doi: 10.4236/ahs.2022.113011.