Submitted By: Muhammad Husnain Arshad

Submitted To: Engr. Ahsan Waseem

Roll No.: 19013123-076

Section: B

Couse Title: Thermodynamic II

Assignment# 01

Department of Chemical Engineering

When we will apply the concept of regeneration with simple Rankine cycle then
we will have one modified Rankine cycle which will be termed as Ideal
regenerative cycle.

So let us see the Ideal regenerative cycle with the help of this post
Let us first draw here one simple Rankine cycle to refresh the basic concept of heat
addition and heat rejection in simple Rankine cycle and then we will go ahead to
understand the concept of ideal regenerative cycle by drawing the block diagram
for ideal regenerative cycle.

As we have studied in our previous post that heat energy will be added in simple
Rankine cycle during the process of 4-1 and heat energy will be rejected during the
process of 2-3. Let us recall the Carnot cycle, we have discussed there that heat
energy will be added isothermally and heat energy will be rejected isothermally
too. Here in simple Rankine cycle, heat energy will be rejected isothermally but
heat energy will not be added to the working fluid isothermally.

We can see from simple Rankine cycle that heat energy will be added partially at
constant temperature and rest of heat energy will be added to the working fluid at
varying temperature and this is the main deviation of Rankine cycle with the
concept of Carnot cycle. Hence we will have lower efficiency for a Rankine cycle
as compared with the Carnot cycle efficiency.

For steam power cycle such as Rankine cycle, we have studied earlier the concept
of mean temperature of heat addition in our recent post and we have concluded
there that we will have to increase the mean temperature of heat addition in order
to improve the efficiency of the Rankine cycle.
Mean temperature of heat addition in Rankine cycle could be increased by
increasing the amount of heat energy supplied at high temperature by the process
of increasing superheat, by using reheat or by using higher temperature and higher
pressure of steam.

In simple, if we can increase the mean temperature of heat addition in Rankine

cycle by increasing the maximum temperature of the Rankine cycle i.e. T1.
We must note it here that temperature of heat addition could be increased up to a
limit only as it will be restricted by various practical parameters such as material
properties of turbine blades.

Turbine blade material will not work satisfactory if we increase the maximum
temperature of Rankine cycle i.e. T1 above a certain level and that level of
temperature will be termed as maximum allowable temperature and we could not
increase the temperature T1 of the Rankine cycle beyond this maximum allowable
temperature. We can also increase the boiler pressure in order to increase the
efficiency of the Rankine cycle because range of temperature for heat energy
addition will be increased.

As we can see the above Rankine cycle, considerable quantity of heat energy will
be added to the working fluid during its liquid phase or during sensible heating or
during subcooled region. Only less part of heat energy addition will be added at
maximum temperature i.e. at T1.

If we want to increase the efficiency of the cycle, we must be aware that all heat
energy must be supplied at maximum temperature of the cycle i.e. at temperature
T1 in this cycle and hence we will have to think the method by which we can
permit the feed water to enter in to the boiler at state 5 so that all heat energy
supplied by boiler to the working fluid will be carried out at maximum temperature
of the Rankine cycle i.e. T1 in this case.

Let us see the block diagram of ideal regenerative cycle

If we can use the heat energy of the high temperature steam, which is flowing
through the turbine during the expansion process 1-2, to heat the feed water from 4
to 5 then all heat energy supplied by the boiler will be done at maximum
temperature of the cycle.
Hence mean temperature of heat addition will be T1 itself because all heat energy
supplied by the boiler to the working fluid will be completed at maximum
temperature T1 during process 5 to 1.

Therefore, feed water leaving the feed pump will be circulated around the casing of
the turbine in opposite direction of the direction of steam flow during expansion
process 1-2 in the turbine. The basic concept of regeneration in rankine cycle is
that we will have to make an arrangement to heat the feed water leaving the feed
pump by the high temperature steam flowing through the turbine during the
process 1-2.

Let us see the arrangement of an ideal regenerative cycle with the help of
following block diagram

So if feed water will reach to dry saturated liquid state, by receiving heat energy
from the hot steam flowing through turbine, before entering to the boiler then all
heat energy supplied by the boiler to the working fluid will be done at maximum
temperature of the cycle and hence mean temperature of heat addition will be
T1 and therefore in that situation we will have higher efficiency of the Rankine
cycle.

We must note it here that the above solution of increasing the efficiency of the
Rankine cycle by the concept of regeneration is practically not suitable because it
will be quite difficult to design the heat exchanger suitable for above solution and
also at the final stage of the turbine there will be increment in the content of
moisture in the steam.

If we consider the case of practical regeneration process for a Rankine cycle, high
temperature and high-pressure steam will enter in to the turbine at state 1. Entire
steam will not be expanded up to the condenser pressure through the turbine but
also certain quantity of the steam will be extracted through various points from
turbine and will be used for heating the feedwater and rest quantity of steam will
be expanded up to the condenser pressure.