Thermodynamics 1

An external combustion engine (EC engine) is a heat

engine where an (internal) working fluid is heated by
combustion in an external source, through the
engine wall or a heat exchanger.
 Thermodynamics 1

The ideal cycle for Gas-Turbine Engines (It is also

sometimes known as the Joule cycle) named after
George Brayton an American engineer.
 Operation of Simple Gas Turbine Power Plant
Gas turbines usually operate on an open cycle,
as shown in Fig. 26 (a)

Diagrammatic Layout of Gas Turbine Units

1. Air continuously enters compressor 1.
2. As air enters, some go around the outside of the
combustion chamber & the remainder furnishes
oxygen for burning the fuel, which is continuously
injected in the combustion chamber.
3. Temperature rise cause the gases to expand &
enter the turbine in state 3.
4. After expansion through the turbine, the exhaust to
the atmosphere is in some condition 4.

“In an ordinary power plant arrangement, the work of the turbine

W1 is great enough to drive the compressor Wc & deliver brake
work WB to drive a generator or propeller; WT = WB +Wc. An
external source of power is needed to start a gas turbine unit.”
The open gas-turbine cycle described above can be modeled as a
closed cycle, as shown in Fig. 26 (b), by utilizing the air-standard
assumptions. Here the compression and expansion processes remain
the same, but the combustion process is replaced by a constant-
pressure heat-addition process from an external source heat
exchanger), and the exhaust process is replaced by a constant
pressure heat-rejection process to the ambient air (or heat sink heat
exchanger). The ideal cycle that the working fluid undergoes in this
closed loop is the Brayton cycle, which is made up
of four internally reversible processes:
 Air-Standard Brayton (Joule) Cycle

1-2: isentropic compression

2-3: constant-pressure addition of heat
3-4: isentropic expansion
4-1: constant-pressure rejection of heat

Air-standard cycle means that air alone is the working medium

QA = mcP (T3 – T2)
QR = mcP (T1 – T4)
= - mcP (T4- T1)
W = QA - QR = mcP (T3 − T2 ) - mcP (T4 − T1 )
𝑊 mcP (T3 − T2 ) − mcP (T4 − T1 )
e = =
QA mcP (T3 − T2 )
(T4 − T1 )
e =1- {1}
(T3 − T2 )
1 1
e = 1 - 𝑘−1 = 1 - 𝑘−1
𝑟𝑘
𝑟𝑝 𝑘

V1 P2
Where: 𝑟𝑘 = , the compression ratio and 𝑟𝑝 = , the pressure ratio
V2 P1
Derivation of the formula for e: Substituting equation {2} and
Process 1-2: {4} in {1}.
𝑇4 − 𝑇1
T2 V1 k−1 P2 k−1 e=1-
• =( ) =( ) k 𝑇4 𝑟𝑘 𝑘−1 − 𝑇1 𝑟𝑘 𝑘−1
T1 V2 P1
1 1
• T2 = T1 rk k−1 {2} e=1- =1- 𝑘−1
𝑟𝑘 𝑘−1
k−1 𝑟𝑝 𝑘
k−1
• rk = rp k {3} Total compressor work:
Process 3-4: Wc = -ΔH = -mcp (T2 – T1)
T3 P3 k−1 P2 k−1 Total turbine work:
• =( ) k =( ) k
T4 P4 P1 Wt = -ΔH = -mcp (T4 – T3)
• T3 = T4 rk k−1 {4} = mcp (T3 – T4)
Net work: W or WB = Wt - Wc
Sample Problem 1: Brayton Cycle
1. The intake of the compressor of an air standard Brayton cycle is
40,000 cfm at 15 psia and 90°F. The compression ratio, rk = 5 and the
temperature at the turbine inlet is 1440 degree Fahrenheit. The exit
pressure of the turbine is 15 psia. Determine the net work, thermal
efficiency and the mean effective pressure.
Sample Problem 1: Brayton Cycle Point 3:
Solution 𝑻𝟑 𝟏,𝟗𝟎𝟎 𝒇𝒕𝟑
• V3 = 𝒗𝟐 = 𝟐. 𝟕𝟐 = 𝟒. 𝟗𝟒
V1 = 40,000 cfm 𝑻𝟐 𝟏,𝟎𝟒𝟕 𝒍𝒃
Point 4:
P1 = 15 psia
𝑷 𝟏 𝟏𝟒𝟐.𝟖 𝟏 𝒇𝒕𝟑
T1 = 550°R • V4 = 𝒗𝟑 ( 𝟑 )𝑲 = (𝟒. 𝟗𝟒)( )𝟏.𝟒 = 24.7
𝑷𝟒 𝟏𝟓 𝒍𝒃
T3 = 1,990°R • T4 =
𝑽 𝟏
𝑻𝟑 ( 𝟑 )𝑲 =
𝟒.𝟗𝟒
(𝟏, 𝟗𝟎𝟎)( )𝟏.𝟒−𝟏 = 998°R
P4 = 15 psia 𝑽𝟒 𝟐𝟒.𝟕
𝑽 Compressor work, Wc = -Cp (T2 – T1)
rk= 𝟏 = 𝟓 𝐁𝒕𝒖
𝑽𝟐
𝑷 𝑽 𝟏𝟓 𝟏𝟒𝟒 (𝟒𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎) 𝐥𝐛
= - (0.24)(1,047 – 550) = -119.3
𝒍𝒃
m = 𝟏 𝟏 = = 𝟐, 𝟗𝟒𝟓 Turbine work, Wt = Cp(T3 – T4)
𝐑𝑻𝟏 𝟓𝟑.𝟑𝟒 (𝟓𝟓𝟎) 𝐦𝐢𝐧
𝐁𝒕𝒖
Point 1: = (0.24)(1,900 -998) = 216.5
𝒍𝒃
𝐕𝟏 𝟒𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐟𝐭 𝟑 Net work, WB = Wt – Wc
• V1= = = 𝟏𝟑. 𝟓𝟖 𝐁𝒕𝒖
𝐦 𝟐,𝟗𝟒𝟓 𝐥𝐛 = 216.5 -119.3 = 97.2
𝒍𝒃
Point 2: Heat added, QA = cp (T3 – T2)
𝐯𝟏 𝟏𝟑.𝟓𝟖 𝐟𝐭 𝟑 𝐁𝒕𝒖
• V2= = = 𝟐. 𝟕𝟐 = (0.24)(1,900 – 1,047) = 204.7
𝐫𝐤 𝟓 𝐥𝐛 𝒍𝒃
𝑾 𝟗𝟕.𝟐
• P2 = 𝐩𝟏 𝐫𝐤 𝐤−𝟏 𝟏.𝟒
= 𝟏𝟓 (𝟓) = 142.8 psia e= = = . 𝟒𝟕𝟒𝟖 𝐨𝐫 𝟒𝟕. 𝟒𝟖%
𝑸𝑨 𝟐𝟎𝟒.𝟕
• T2 = T1rkk-1 = 𝟓𝟓𝟎 (𝟓)𝟏.𝟒−𝟏 = 𝟏, 𝟎𝟒𝟕°R Pm =
𝒘
=
𝑾
=
𝟗𝟕.𝟐 (𝟕𝟕𝟖)
= 𝟐𝟑. 𝟖𝟗 𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐚
𝒗𝑫 𝑽𝟒 −𝑽𝟐 𝟐𝟒.𝟕−𝟐.𝟕𝟐 (𝟏𝟒𝟒)
Sample Problem 2: Brayton Cycle
2. There are required 2,238 kW net from a gas turbine unit for pumping
of crude oil from the North Alaskan Slope. Air enters the compressor
section at 99.975kPa, 278K; the pressure ratio rp = 10. The turbine
section receives the hot gases at 1,111k. Assume the closed Brayton
cycle and find (a) the required air flow and (b) the thermal
efficiency.
Sample Problem 2: Brayton Cycle
Solution
WB = 2,238 Kw
P1 = 99.975 kPa
T1 = 278 K
𝐏
rp = 𝟐 = 𝟏𝟎
𝐏𝟏

Point 2:
• P2 = 𝐩𝟏 𝐫𝐩 = 𝟗𝟗. 𝟗𝟕𝟓 𝟏𝟎 = 𝟗𝟗𝟗. 𝟕𝟓 𝐤𝐏𝐚
𝐏 𝐤−𝟏 𝟏.𝟒−𝟏
• T2 = 𝐓𝟏 ( 𝟐 ) 𝐤 = (𝟐𝟕𝟖)(𝟏𝟎) 𝟏.𝟒 = 𝟓𝟑𝟔. 𝟕 𝐊
𝐏𝟏
Point 4:
𝐏𝟒 𝐊−𝟏 𝟏 𝟏.𝟒−𝟏
• T4 = 𝐓𝟑 ( ) 𝐊 = 𝟏, 𝟏𝟏𝟏 ( ) 𝟏.𝟒 = 𝟓𝟕𝟓. 𝟒 𝐊
𝐏𝟑 𝟏𝟎
𝐤𝐉
• QA= 𝐜𝐩 𝐓𝟑 − 𝐓𝟐 = 𝟏. 𝟎𝟎𝟔𝟐 𝟏, 𝟏𝟏𝟏 − 𝟓𝟑𝟔. 𝟕 = 𝟓𝟕𝟕. 𝟗
𝐤𝐠
𝐤𝐉
• QR= 𝐜𝐩 𝐓𝟏 − 𝐓𝟒 = 𝟏. 𝟎𝟎𝟔𝟐 𝟐𝟕𝟖 − 𝟓𝟕𝟓. 𝟒 = −𝟐𝟗𝟗. 𝟐
𝐤𝐠
𝐤𝐉
• W= 577.9 – 299.2 = 278.7
𝐤𝐠
𝐤𝐠
a) m (278.7) = 2,238 = 8.03
𝐬
𝐖 𝟐𝟕𝟖.𝟕
b) e = = = . 𝟒𝟖𝟐𝟑 𝐨𝐫 𝟒𝟖. 𝟐𝟑%
𝐐𝐀 𝟓𝟕𝟕.𝟗
 Thermodynamics 1

Reference: Sta. Maria, H. B. (1990). Thermodynamics 1. Mandaluyong City, Philippines: National Book Store.

Presentation made by David Anthony C. Manalo & Gino Carlo O. Cadao