I'm doing a study on piston materials and I'm wondering if low thermal conductivity would be advantageous. Assuming the cylinder walls could be perfectly insulated and all engine components could still function as intended my thinking is that minimising heat loss through the piston head would promote adiabatic conditions in which all of the energy obtained during combustion would be transferred as useful work, thus increasing power. I've read however, that a colder engine with less heat in the cylinders produces more power whilst a hot engine increases efficiency, why is this?
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