# Can you have a heat engine without cooling?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-have-a-heat-engine-without-cooling/675218>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 1, 2013, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-have-a-heat-engine-without-cooling/675218 "2013-12-01T17:45:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Qwertol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Qwertol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertol)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-have-a-heat-engine-without-cooling/675218/1 "2013-12-01T17:45:29Z")

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Or in other words: is it possible to convert heat into kinetic energy if you only have one environment and not two with different temperatures?

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**Author:** ![The\_Niply\_Elder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@The\_Niply\_Elder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Niply_Elder)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-have-a-heat-engine-without-cooling/675218/2 "2013-12-01T17:46:49Z")

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No

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**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-have-a-heat-engine-without-cooling/675218/3 "2013-12-01T17:52:09Z")

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See the Laws of thermodynamics: [esdb.bg](http://www.kids.esdb.bg/basic_principles.html)

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**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-have-a-heat-engine-without-cooling/675218/4 "2013-12-01T18:05:39Z")

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are you asking about a running engine?

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**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-have-a-heat-engine-without-cooling/675218/5 "2013-12-01T18:52:53Z")

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> [@Qwertol](#):
>
> Or in other words: is it possible to convert heat into kinetic energy if you only have one environment and not two with different temperatures?

No. Heat, like mass, can be converted to work by letting it fall from a higher to a lower level. If there is no lower level to fall to there is no energy to be extracted. You can extract energy from water up in a lake by letting fall to a lower level but you cannot extract energy if you cannot let it fall.