Power and Refrigeration Cycles

Thermodynamics cycles can be divided into two general categories: power cycles and refrigeration cycles Thermodynamics cycles can be categorized as closed and open cycles
In closed cycles, the working fluid is returned to the initial state at the end of the cycle and is recirculated In open cycles, the working fluid is renewed at the end of each cycle

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Power Cycles
Steam is the most common working fluid used in vapor power cycles because of its many desirable characteristics, such as:
Low cost Availability High enthalpy of vaporization

Steam power plants are commonly referred to as

Coal plants Nuclear plants Natural gas plants

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Power Cycles
Most power-producing devices operate on cycles, and the study of power cycles is an important part of thermodynamics The cycles encountered in actual devices are difficult to analyze because of the presence of complicating effects, such as friction, and the absence of sufficient time for establishment of equilibrium conditions during the cycle. The idealizations and simplifications commonly employed in the analysis of power cycles can be summarized as follows: The cycle does not involve any friction. Therefore, the working fluid does not experience any pressure drop as it flows in pipes or devices such as heat exchangers All expansion and compression processes take place in quasi-equilibrium manner The pipes connecting the various components of a system are well insulated, and heat X-fer through them is negligible WMM

Refrigeration Cycles
Refrigerators Air conditioners Heat pumps The most frequently used refrigeration cycle is the vapor-compression refrigeration cycle in which the refrigerant is vaporized and condensed alternately and is compressed in the vapor phase
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Power Cycles
The Carnot cycle (totally reversible, int. and ext.) is the ideal cycle for heat engines The Otto cycle is the ideal cycle for spark ignition automobile engines The Diesel cycle is the ideal cycle for compression ignition engines The Brayton cycle is the ideal cycle for gas turbine engines The Rankine cycle is the ideal cycle for vapor power plants

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Carnot Cycle
The Carnot cycle is composed of four totally reversible processes Two isothermal (constant temp. processes) Two isentropic (a process with no heat x-fer) It can be executed either in a closed or in a steadyflow system Is a totally reversible cycle Considered the ideal cycle for heat engines It is the most efficient cycle operating between two specified temperature reservoirs (TH and TL)

HEAT ENGINE

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Carnot Cycle

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Carnot Cycle
QH
Isothermal Expansion heat addition (1 --- 2) TH = constant
T (1) (2) TH

T-s diagram

qin
(1) (2)

Isentropic Expansion (2 --- 3) TH goes to TL

TL
(4) (3)

(2)

(3)

QL

(4) (3)

qout

Isothermal Compression Heat rejection (3 --- 4) TL = constant

s1=s4

s2=s3

(1) (4)

Isentropic Compression (4 --- 1) TL goes to TH

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Carnot Cycle

TL th = 1 TH Wnet = qin qout

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Carnot Cycle
T-s diagram Carnot cycle P-v diagram Carnot cycle

s1=s4

s2=s3 s
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Carnot Cycle
T Qin, qin Qin, qin
(2) (1) (2)

TL

(1)

Qout, qout

TH
(4) (3)

(4)

(3)

Qout, qout s1=s4 s2=s3 s

A1 = qin Wnet = A1-A2 = qin -qout

A2 = qout

All four processes that comprise the Carnot cycle are reversible, and thus the area under each process curve represents the heat transfer for that process.
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Carnot Cycle
T-s diagram Carnot cycle P-v diagram Carnot cycle

s1=s4

s2=s3 s Wnet = qin -qout

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Carnot Cycle

Carnot Efficiency

CARNOT

= 1 T L

Temperatures must be in Kelvin or Rankine

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Carnot Cycle
Show that the thermal efficiency of a Carnot cycle operating between the temperature limits of TH and TL is solely a function of these two temperatures.

CARNOT

= 1 T L

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Carnot Cycle
Show that the thermal efficiency of a Carnot cycle operating between the temperature limits of TH and TL is solely a function of these two temperatures.
Start with the definition of the thermal efficiency of a power cycle in terms of net work output and total heat input. w = q q

Th

Wnet = Qin

or

Th

wnet = qin

net

in

out

Per unit mass basis Introduce the temperatures

2

Th

w q q out q = net = in = 1 out qin qin qin

q out qin

f (T )

f (T )

Qint, rev = TdS

qin = TH (s 2 s1 )

Qint, rev = TdS

1

qint, rev = Tds = Ts

1

q out = TL (s3 s 4 ) = TL (s 2 s1 )

s3 = s 2 s1 = s 4
th = 1
TL TH
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Note that

q T (s s ) T th = 1 out = 1 L 2 1 = 1 L qin TH (s 2 s1 ) TH

Carnot Cycle
Notice that the thermal efficiency of a Carnot cycle is independent of the type of working fluid used (therefore it is good for Ideal and Non-ideal) or that the cycle is executed in a closed (pistonassembly) or steady-flow system (engine or open systems).

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