Temperature gradient —drives→ Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle)

Conditions

• a hot reservoir to heat the working fluid and a cold reservoir to condense or cool it

Evidence · 2

1. [1]
   A. Bejan. Advanced Engineering Thermodynamics (4th ed.) (2016)

   Wiley · doi:10.1002/9781119245964 · crossref ✓ 2026-09-19 · record
2. [2]
   G. Walker. Stirling Engines (1980)

   Oxford University Press · book, no DOI · record

Matrix cells this relation feeds

D = disequilibrium row · C = coupling family column. A cell reads the state of the atlas for that pair.

Uses of this claim

• Steam Rankine cycle (shaft work)commercial · 3 steps
• Steam Rankine plantcommercial · 5 steps
• Concentrating solar-thermal plantcommercial · 7 steps
• Nuclear fission steam plantcommercial · 7 steps

• Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Electromagnetic induction → Charge carriers → Electrical work5/5 established · candidate
• Chemical potential difference → Combustion → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Mechanical work5/5 established · extends a recorded pathway
• Electric potential difference → Peltier effect → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Mechanical work5/5 established · extends a recorded pathway
• Electric potential difference → Ettingshausen effect → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Mechanical work5/5 established · extends a recorded pathway
• Incident radiation flux → Photothermal absorption → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Mechanical work5/5 established · extends a recorded pathway
• Radiative imbalance with the sky → Radiative sky cooling → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Mechanical work5/5 established · extends a recorded pathway
• Nuclear binding-energy difference → Nuclear fission → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Mechanical work5/5 established · extends a recorded pathway
• Nuclear binding-energy difference → Nuclear fusion → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Mechanical work3/5 established · extends a recorded pathway
• Chemical potential difference → Combustion → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Electromagnetic induction → Charge carriers → Electrical work7/7 established · extends a recorded pathway
• Chemical potential difference → Combustion → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Rotating-machine generator action → Charge carriers → Electrical work7/7 established · extends a recorded pathway
• Electric potential difference → Peltier effect → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Electromagnetic induction → Charge carriers → Electrical work7/7 established · same energy form
• Electric potential difference → Peltier effect → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Rotating-machine generator action → Charge carriers → Electrical work7/7 established · same energy form
• Electric potential difference → Ettingshausen effect → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Electromagnetic induction → Charge carriers → Electrical work7/7 established · same energy form
• Electric potential difference → Ettingshausen effect → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Rotating-machine generator action → Charge carriers → Electrical work7/7 established · same energy form
• Incident radiation flux → Photothermal absorption → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Electromagnetic induction → Charge carriers → Electrical work7/7 established · extends a recorded pathway
• Radiative imbalance with the sky → Radiative sky cooling → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Electromagnetic induction → Charge carriers → Electrical work7/7 established · candidate
• Radiative imbalance with the sky → Radiative sky cooling → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Rotating-machine generator action → Charge carriers → Electrical work7/7 established · extends a recorded pathway
• Nuclear binding-energy difference → Radioactive decay → Beta particles → Radioisotope heating → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Mechanical work7/7 established · extends a recorded pathway
• Nuclear binding-energy difference → Radioactive decay → Alpha particles → Radioisotope heating → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Mechanical work7/7 established · extends a recorded pathway
• Nuclear binding-energy difference → Nuclear fission → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Electromagnetic induction → Charge carriers → Electrical work7/7 established · extends a recorded pathway
• Nuclear binding-energy difference → Nuclear fusion → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Electromagnetic induction → Charge carriers → Electrical work5/7 established · candidate
• Nuclear binding-energy difference → Nuclear fusion → Temperature gradient → Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle) → Mechanical motion → Rotating-machine generator action → Charge carriers → Electrical work5/7 established · extends a recorded pathway

Cite this claim

Physical Transformation Atlas (2026). claim claim:expansion-drives: Temperature gradient —drives→ Working-fluid expansion (heat-engine cycle). Dataset revision rbfbfcbb70e57 (hash of the canonical data). https://physical-transformation-atlas.wldud5192.workers.dev/claim/expansion-drives

Ids and matrix addresses are stable across revisions; the revision hash identifies the exact canonical files the record was compiled from and is meta.data_hash in every /api export. Reuse terms: see the license field in any export.