ME 101: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering

Lecture: 7
Thermodynamic Cycles

Md. Ashiqur Rahman

Assistant Professor, ME, BUET
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ME 101: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering

THERMODYNAMICS: DEFINITION
o The word thermodynamics comes from the Greek words therme,
meaning “heat” and dynamis, meaning “power”.
o Thermodynamics is the study of the various processes that change
energy from one form into another (such as converting heat into
work) and uses variables such as temperature, volume, and
pressure.
o In broad terms, thermodynamics deals with the transfer of
energy from one place to another and from one form to another.

o Classical Thermodynamics: Macroscopic scale; does not

involve the consideration of individual atom or molecules.
o Statistical Thermodynamics: It expresses macroscopic
thermodynamic properties in terms of the behaviour of individual
particles and their interactions.
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ME 101: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering

Thermodynamic Process and Cycle

Process:
o When any of the properties of a system change, the state
changes and the system is said to have undergone a process.
A process is a transformation from one state to another.

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ME 101: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering

Thermodynamic Process and Cycle

Cycle:
o A thermodynamic cycle is a sequence of processes that begins
and ends at the same state.
o Refrigeration cycle, Power Cycle

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ME 101: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering

THERMODYNAMIC CYCLES
o Two important areas of application for thermodynamics
are power generation and refrigeration.
o They are usually accomplished by systems that operate
on thermodynamic cycle.
o Thermodynamic cycles can be divided into two general
categories:
o Power cycles
o Refrigeration cycles

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ME 101: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering

THERMODYNAMIC CYCLES
Power cycles:
Depending on the phase of the working fluid, can be divided
into-
o Gas cycles: In gas cycles, the working fluid remains in the
gaseous phase throughout the entire cycle
o SI Engines, Diesel Engines (Otto cycle, Brayton cycle)

o Vapor cycles: the working fluid exists in the vapor phase

during one part of the cycle and in the liquid phase during
another part.
o Steam is the most common working fluid used in vapor
power cycles because of its many desirable characteristics.
o Steam power plants (coal plants, nuclear plants, natural
gas plants)
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ME 101: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering

Vapor Power Plants

Fossil Fuel Vapor Power Plant

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ME 101: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering

Vapor Power Plants

Nuclear Vapor Power Plant

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ME 101: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering

HEAT ENGINES
o Work can be converted to heat directly and completely, but
converting heat to work requires the use of some special devices.
These devices are called heat engines.

o Characteristics
1. They receive heat from a high-
temperature source (solar energy, oil
furnace, nuclear reactor, etc.).
2. They convert part of this heat to work
(usually in the form of a rotating shaft).
3. They reject the remaining waste heat
to a low-temperature sink (the
atmosphere, rivers, etc.).
4. They operate on a cycle.
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ME 101: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering

Carnot Cycle  Sadi Carnot (1824)

o An ideal and the best possible cycle

o A totally (internally and externally) reversible cycle: 4
reversible processes

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ME 101: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering

Carnot Cycle

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ME 101: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering

Carnot Cycle

Carnot cycle is not used as an idealized cycle

for steam power plants.

 WHY?

o Most cycles encountered in practice differ significantly

from the Carnot cycle, which makes it unsuitable as a
realistic model.

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ME 101: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering

Impracticalities of Carnot Cycle

a) Practically, it is very difficult to add or reject
heat to or from the working fluid at constant
temperature. But, it is comparatively easy to
add or reject heat to or from the working
fluid at constant pressure.

b) The quality of the steam decreases during the

isentropic expansion process. This is not
acceptable as turbines cannot handle steam
quality less that 90 percent.

o The impingement of liquid droplets on

the turbine blades causes Erosion.
c) The isentropic compression process involves the compression of a
liquid- vapor mixture to a saturated liquid.
o It is not easy to control the condensation process so precisely.
o It is not practical that a compressor will handle two phases.
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ME 101: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering

Large Scale Power Plants

o The second law of thermodynamics requires the thermal efficiency
to be less than 100%. Most of today’s vapor power plants have
thermal efficiencies ranging up to about 40%.

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ME 101: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering

Ideal Rankine cycle

o The Rankine cycle is the ideal cycle to represent the vapor power
plants.

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1 to 2: isentropic compression in pump 3 to 4: isentropic expansion in a turbine
2 to 3: constant pressure heat addition 4 to 1: constant pressure heat rejection in
in a boiler a condenser 15
ME 101: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering

Ideal Rankine cycle

o The ideal Rankine cycle provides a simple setting to study
aspects of vapor power plant performance.
o The ideal cycle adheres to the following additional assumptions:

o Frictional pressure drops are

absent during flows through the T
boiler and condenser. Thus, these
processes occur at constant
pressure.

o Flows through the turbine and

pump occur adiabatically and
without irreversibility. Thus, these
processes are isentropic.
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