Thermodynamic optimization selection: ecological analysis of low-dissipation heat devices

The low dissipation(LD) model of heat devices provides a valuable platform for studying the optimization of thermodynamic systems. Here, we conduct the thermodynamic optimization of LD heat devices under the ecological criterion which indicates the best compromise between the energy benefit and the unavailable energy . We not only derive the general formulas of the power (cooling power) as well as the efficiency (coefficient of performance, i.e., COP), but also obtain the bounds of the efficiency(COP) with the special conditions. These thermodynamic bounds determine the physically allowed regions of the reasonable operation of heat devices. Interestingly, we find that the results obtained earlier for LD heat devices under the trade-off optimization are special case of our general results. Furthermore, the optimal energetic features of LD heat devices are elaborated in detail. Our results might offer instructions for optimizing and designing actual heat devices when the environmental aspect is seriously taken into account.