Steam turbine vs Gas turbine.

Rankine cycle vs Brayton cycle

Power plants generate electricity by one of several means. Two common elements used to create electricity are
steam and gas, each of which require a different device and operating condition to maximize performance. The
thermodynamic power cycles can be categorized as gas cycles and vapor cycles. In gas cycles, the working fluid
remains in the gas phase throughout the entire cycle. In vapor cycles, the working fluid exits as a vapor during one
part of the cycle and as a liquid during another part of the cycle.
Steam turbine
Steam turbines receive power from expanding steam. Fuels such as fossil fuels or natural gas heat water in a boiler.
The heated water evaporates into steam, and then superheated to high temperature and pressure. The high-
pressure steam when expands in a turbine it rotates turbine blades to create power. The internal temperature
reaches 500 to 650 degc. This water-based cycle is the Rankine Cycle.
Gas turbine
Gas turbines receive power from a combustion reaction. Fossil fuels in presence of compressed air combust to
produce extremely hot exhaust gases. These gases expand in the turbine and turn the turbine blades to produce
electricity. Important components in gas turbines include the upstream air compressor, the combustion system
where the reaction takes place, in addition to turbine blades. The combustion reaction produces exhaust gases as
hot as 1,500 degc, which is significantly hotter than a steam turbine’s operating temperature.
Difference between steam and gas turbine

One major difference is that the gas turbine has a second turbine acting as an air compressor mounted on the same
shaft. The air turbine (compressor) draws in air, compresses it and feeds it at high pressure into the combustion
chamber increasing the intensity of the burning flame. It is a positive feedback mechanism. As the gas turbine
speeds up, it also causes the compressor to speed up forcing more air through the combustion chamber which in
turn increases the burn rate of the fuel sending more high-pressure hot gases into the gas turbine increasing its
speed even more. Uncontrolled runaway is prevented by controls on the fuel supply line which limit the amount of
fuel fed to the turbine thus limiting its speed.
Brayton cycle

Image credit: Google

Brayton cycle:
In contrast to Carnot cycle, the Brayton cycle does not execute isothermal processes, because these must be
performed very slowly. In an ideal Brayton cycle, the system executing the cycle undergoes a series of four
processes:
1-2 Isentropic compression (in a compressor)
2-3 Constant pressure heat addition
 3-4 Isentropic expansion (in a turbine)
4-1 Constant pressure heat rejection
Heat is added to the cycle at a constant pressure process (process 2-3).

Q [in] = h3 - h2 = Cp (T3 - T2)

Heat is rejected at a constant pressure process (process 4 -1).
Q [out] = h4 - h1 = Cp (T4 - T1)
Brayton cycle efficiency = 1 – [P1/P2] ^(k-1)/k

P1/P2 is the pressure ratio and k is the specific heat ratio. In most designs, the pressure ratio of
gas turbines ranges from about 11 to 16.

The energy output from a gas turbine

is proportional to pressure ratio,
temperature and flow rate of the
stream. The higher the flow rate and
pressure differential, the higher the
potential energy output.

Image credit: Twisted Oak Corporation The image on LHS is a simple Rankine cycle. Point 1-2:
water is heated in boiler at constant pressure, no work
Rankine cycle done in boiler. Point 2-3 : steam expands in turbine and
does work isentropically. Point 3-4: Steam condenses in
condenser at constant pressure, no work done in
condenser. Point 4-1: Feed pump compresses water
and feed pump does work on water.
All four components associated with the ideal Rankine
cycle are steady-flow devices, and thus all four
processes that make up the Rankine cycle can be
analysed as steady-flow process. The kinetic and
potential energy changes of water are small relative to
the heat and work terms, are thus neglected
Work in = [h2-h1], Work out = [[h2—h3] – [ h1-h4]] ,
Rankine efficiency = ((h2 – h3) – (h1 – h4)) / (h2 – h1).
h is enthalpy.

A large single-cycle gas turbine typically produces for example 300 megawatts of electric
power and has 35–40% thermal efficiency. Modern Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT)
plants, in which the thermodynamic cycle of consists of two power plant cycles (e.g. the
Brayton cycle and the Rankine cycle), can achieve a thermal efficiency of around 55%.