Faculty of Engineering

ENGINEERING THERMODYNAMICS I (MECH-TDY-3-1)

BEE, BME, BIE, BAE

Lecturer: Griffin Salima, MRE

Tutorial
VAPOUR CYCLE (RANKINE CYCLE AND VAPOUR COMPRESSION CYCLE)

Steam supplied as of dry saturated steam at pressure of 4MPa to a turbine. The condenser
pressure is 3.5 kPa. Sketch the cycle on a T-S diagram. Determine:
a) Work ouput neglecting pump work
b) Work required for the pump.
c) Heat transferred to the water in the condenser and amount of cold water needed through a
condenser if increases of water temperature is assumed as 5.5K
d) Heat supplied
e) Cycle efficiency,
f) Specific Steam Consumption
g) For same steam condition, determine efficiency and specific steam consumption for Carnot
cycle.

(983.1kJ/kg, 4kJ/kg, 1707. IkJ/kg, 2686kJ/kg, 36.6%, 3.67kg/kWh, 42.7%, 3.14kg/kWh)

1. Exercise 1
Consider a steam power plant operating on the ideal Rankine cycle. Steam enters the turbine at 3
MPa and 350°C and is condensed in the condenser at a pressure of 10 kPa. Determine
(a) The thermal efficiency of this power plant
(b) The thermal efficiency if steam is superheated to 600°C instead of 350°C
(c) The thermal efficiency if the boiler pressure is raised to 15 MPa while the turbine inlet
temperature is maintained at 600°C.
334 373 430

2. Exercise 2
Consider a steam power plant operating on the ideal reheat Rankine cycle. Steam enters the high-
pressure turbine at 15 MPa and 600°Cand is condensed in the condenser at a pressure of 10 kPa.
If the moisture content of the steam at the exit of the low-pressure turbine is not to exceed 10.4
percent, determine
(a) the pressure at which the steam should be reheated
(b) the thermal efficiency of the cycle.
Assume the steam is reheated to the inlet temperature of the high-pressure turbine.

3. Exercise 3
A steam power plant operates on the reheat Rankine cycle. Steam enters the high-pressure
turbine at 12.5 Mpa and 550°C at a rate of 7.7 kg/s and leaves at 2 MPa. Steam is then reheated
at constant pressure to450°C before it expands in the low-pressure turbine. The isentropic
efficiencies of the turbine and the pump are 85 percent and 90percent, respectively. Steam leaves
the condenser as a saturated liquid. If the moisture content of the steam at the exit of the turbine
is not to exceed 5percent, determine
(a) the condenser pressure
(b) the net power output
(c) the thermal efficiency
Answers: (a) 9.73 kPa, (b) 10.2 MW, (c) 36.9 percent
THERMODYNAMICS - THEORY
Thermodynamic cycles can be divided into two general categories: power cycles, which produce
a net power output, and refrigeration and heat pump cycles, which consume a net power input.
The thermodynamic power cycles can be categorized as gas cycles and vapour cycles. In gas
cycles, the working fluid remains in the gas phase throughout the entire cycle. In vapour cycles,
the working fluid exits as vapour phase during one part of the cycle and as liquid phase during
another part of the cycle.
Steam power plants run vapour power cycles with water as the working fluid. This section
introduces the ideal cycle for vapour power cycle - Rankine cycle.

Rankine cycle - the Ideal Cycle for Vapour Power Cycle

Schematic of a Vapour Power Plant

Vapour power plants generate electrical power by using fuels like coal, oil or natural gas. The
schematic of a vapour power plant is shown on the left. The entire power plant can be broken
down into four major subsystems.
 Subsystem A: Energy conversion from heat to work
 Subsystem B: Energy source and waste removal required to vaporize the water
 Subsystem C: Electric generator
 Subsystem D: Cooling water system

The focus of this chapter is subsystem A. The thermodynamic cycle in subsystem A is called the
Rankine cycle. Subsystem A consists of a boiler, turbine, condenser and a pump. Fuel, burned in
the boiler, heats the water to generate superheated steam (subsystem B). This steam is used to
run the turbine which powers the generator. Electrical energy is generated when the generator
windings rotate in a strong magnetic field (subsystem C). After the steam leaves the turbine, it is
cooled to its liquid state in the condenser by transferring heat to the cooling water system
(subsystem D). The liquid is pressurized by the pump prior to going back to the boiler.
Schematic of the Rankine Cycle

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 analyzed as steady-flow process. The
kinetic and potential energy changes of water are small relative to the heat and work terms, are
thus neglected. Energy analysis of the four components are given below.

Pump (process 1-2): Pump pressurized the liquid water from the condenser prior to going back
to the boiler. Assuming no heat transfer with the surroundings, the energy balance in the pump
is
wpump, in = h2 - h1

Boiler (process 2-3): Liquid water enters the boiler and is heated to superheated state in the
boiler. The energy balance in the boiler is
qin = h3 - h2

Turbine (process 3-4): Steam from the boiler, which has an elevated temperature and pressure,
expands through the turbine to produce work and then is discharged to the condenser with
relatively low pressure. Neglecting heat transfer with the surroundings, the energy balance in the
turbine is
wturbine, out = h3 - h4

Condenser (process 4-1): Steam from the turbine is condensed to liquid water in the condenser.
The energy balance in the condenser is
qout = h4 - h1

For the whole cycle, the energy balance can be obtained by summarizing the four energy
equations above. It yields,
(qin- qout) - (wturbine, out - wpump, in) = 0

The thermal efficiency of the Rankine cycle is determined from

ηth = wnet ,out/qin = 1 - qout/qin

where the net work output from the cycle is

wnet ,out = wturbine, out - wpump, in
 T-s Diagram of an Ideal Rankine Cycle

The Rankine cycle is an ideal cycle if water passes through the four components without
irreversibilities and pressure drops. The ideal Rankine cycle consists of the following four
processes, as shown on the T-s diagram on the left:
 1-2: Isentropic compression in a pump
 2-3: Constant pressure heat addition in a boiler
 3-4: Isentropic expansion in a turbine
 4-1: Constant pressure heat rejection in a condenser

Actual Vapour Power Cycle

Deviation of Actual Vapour Cycle from the Ideal Rankine Cycle

The actual vapour power cycle differs from the ideal Rankine cycle as a result of irreversibilities
in various components. The two common source of irreversibilities are the friction and
undesired heat loss to the surroundings. Fluid friction causes pressure drops in the boiler, the
condenser, and the connecting pipes. To compensate for these pressure drops, the water needs
to be pumped to a higher pressure. Heat loss from steam to surroundings takes place when
steam flows through the connecting pipes and the various components. To maintain the same
work output, more heat needs to be transferred to the steam in the boiler. The deviation of
actual pumps and turbines from the isentropic ones can be accounted for by utilizing adiabatic
efficiencies:

where the subscript a means the actual value and subscript s means the isentropic value.

Entropy Change of Pure Substance

In engineering analysis, isentropic efficiency is a parameter to measure the degree of degradation
of energy in steady-flow devices. It involves a comparison between the actual performance of a
device and the performance that would be achieved under idealized circumstances for the same
inlet and exit states. Although there exits heat transfer between the device and its surroundings,
most steady-flow devices are intended to operate under adiabatic condition. Hence, normally an
isentropic process is chosen to serve as the idealized process.
Recall, if the inlet is denoted by subscript 1 and exit is denoted by subscript 2, the energy balance
for a one-inlet-one-exit control volume is

Isentropic Efficiency of Turbines

Schematic of a Turbine
h-s Diagram of the Actual and Isentropic Processes of an Adiabatic Turbine

For an adiabatic turbine which undergoes a steady-flow process, its inlet and exit pressures are
fixed. Hence, the idealized process for turbine is an isentropic process between the inlet and exit
pressures. The desired output from a turbine is the work output. Hence, the definition of
isentropic efficiency of turbine is the ratio of the actual work output of the turbine to the work
output of the turbine if the turbine undergoes an isentropic process between the same inlet and
exit pressures.
ηT = Actual turbine work/Isentropic turbine work
= wa/ws
wa and ws can be obtained from the energy balance of the turbine. Usually the kinetic and
potential energies associated with a process through a turbine is negligible compared with the
enthalpy change of the process. In this case, the energy balance of the turbine is reduced to

The isentropic efficiency of turbine can then be written as

ηT (h2a - h1)/(h2s - h1)
where
h1 = enthalpy at the inlet
h2a = enthalpy of actual process at the exit
h2s = enthalpy of isentropic process at the exit

Isentropic Efficiency of Compressors and Pumps

Compressors and pumps, when undergo a steady-flow process, consume power. The isentropic
efficiency of a compressor or pump is defined as the ratio of the work input to an isentropic
process, to the work input to the actual process between the same inlet and exit pressures.
ηC = Isentropic compressor (pump) work/Actual compressor (pump) work
= ws/wa
 Schematic of a Compressor

h-s Diagram of the Actual and Isentropic Processes of an Adiabatic Compressor or

Pump

wa and ws can be obtained from the energy balance of the compressors or pumps. When the
kinetic and potential energies associated with a gas flowing through a compressor are negligible
compared with the enthalpy change of the gas, the energy balance of the compressor is reduced
to

The isentropic efficiency of a compressor becomes

η C (h2s - h1)/(h2a - h1)

Pumps are used to handle liquid instead of gas. Since liquid is incompressible and the process is
an isentropic process, the enthalpy change from inlet to exit is
 Schematic of a Pump

If the kinetic and potential energies are negligible, the isentropic efficiency of a pump is reduced
to
η P v(P2 - P1)/(h2a - h1)

In practice, compressors are intentionally cooled to minimize the work input. In those cases, a
reversible isothermal process is served as the idealized process for compressors which are
intentionally cooled, and then an isothermal efficiency is defined instead of the isentropic
efficiency. The isothermal efficiency is defined as the ratio of the work input to the isothermal
process, to the work input to the actual process between the same inlet and exit pressures.
ηC = Reversible isothermal compressor work/Actual compressor work
= wt/wa

Isentropic Efficiency of Nozzles

Schematic of a Nozzle
 h-s Diagram of the Actual and Isentropic Processes of an Adiabatic Nozzle

Nozzles are devices used to accelerate the fluid velocity at the cost of pressure. The isentropic
efficiency of nozzles is defined as the ratio of the actual kinetic energy at exit to the kinetic
energy at the exit when the process is isentropic for the same inlet and exit pressures.
ηN = Actual KE at exit/Isentropic KE at exit

There is no work interaction involved in nozzles and the potential energy change of the fluid is
small. If the inlet velocity is small relatively to the exit velocity, the energy balance of a nozzle is
reduced to

Then the isentropic efficiency of nozzles becomes

ηN (h1 - h2a)/(h1 - h2s)

Many engineering devices operate essentially under the same conditions for long periods of time.
Therefore, these devices can be treated as steady-flow devices.
Recall, the energy balance for a control volume is:
Turbines, Compressors, and Pumps

How Does Turbine Work

A Reciprocating Compressor

In steam, gas or hydroelectric power plants, the device that drives the electric generator is the
turbine. A turbine is a device in which work is developed as a result of a gas or liquid passing
through a set of blades. The blades, which are attached to the shaft, force the shaft to rotate. The
work is positive since it is done by the fluid.

Compressors are devices which raise the pressure of the gas that passes through them. In pumps,
the working fluid is a liquid instead of a gas. Work is supplied to these devices through a rotating
shaft from an external source.

There are several common assumptions that are made in the energy analysis of turbines and
compressors:

If there is no intentional cooling, the heat transfer for these devices is small relative to
the shaft work.
 
The work term is important for all these devices. For turbines, it is the power output; for
compressors or pumps, it is the power input.


The fluid velocities in turbines are high and the fluid experiences a significant change in
kinetic energy. However, it is small relative to the change of enthalpy. The velocities
involved in compressors and pumps are too low to cause any significant change in kinetic
energy.


The potential energy changes of the fluid passing through turbines, compressors, and
pumps are small and are neglected.

Mixing Chambers

An Open Feedwater Heater is aMixing Chamber

In engineering applications, the steady-flow mixing of two streams of the same fluid is another
common process. The section where the mixing process takes place is referred to as a mixing
chamber. An open feedwater heater is an example of mixing chamber. If 1 and 2 denote the
inlets and 3 denotes the exit, a mass balance gives

There are several common assumptions that are made in the energy analysis of mixture
chambers:

Mixing chambers are usually well insulated. Although the temperatures of the flow
streams may be quite different from the temperature of the environment, the most
important energy transfer is between the two fluids and not between the fluids and the
environment.


No work is involved in the mixing process.
 

The increase in kinetic energy is insignificant.

The change in potential energy is negligible.

Hence, the energy balance for mixing chamber is:

Entropy Change of Pure Substance

In engineering analysis, isentropic efficiency is a parameter to measure the degree of degradation
of energy in steady-flow devices. It involves a comparison between the actual performance of a
device and the performance that would be achieved under idealized circumstances for the same
inlet and exit states. Although there exits heat transfer between the device and its surroundings,
most steady-flow devices are intended to operate under adiabatic condition. Hence, normally an
isentropic process is chosen to serve as the idealized process.
Recall, if the inlet is denoted by subscript 1 and exit is denoted by subscript 2, the energy balance
for a one-inlet-one-exit control volume is