Regenerative cycles

Dr. R. J. Howell
Improvements to Rankine cycle
Heat Addition – at higher temp?
• Do not want to
transfer heat at
low temp.

• Need to transfer heat to working fluid

reversibly from another part within the
cycle.
 Heat transferred within cycle
• we could send working fluid around the
turbine casing so it picks up heat from the
turbine.

• Difficult to design a turbine that is a heat

exchanger and turbine in same device.
T-s diagram
 Practical Feed heating
Q in

1 Boiler 2
(A)

W out
HP Turbine LP
W in (B) Turbine
Pump
(C)

“Open” y (kg/sec) 3
Feedwater 4
7 heater

6 Condenser
1-y (kg/sec) (C)
Q out
5
W in Feed
Pump
 T-s diagram for steam
T (°C)
Feed 700

heating 600

500
HP

Q3 to 7 used to 400 1 kg
Turbine

2
increase 300 1 y kg
LP
3 Turbine
temperature 200 6
7
(1-y) kg

of water from 100 5 4

6 to 7 0
0 2 4 6 8 10
-1 -1
s (kJ kg K )
Does this benefit Cycle Efficiency?
• The aim of this is to increase the cycle
efficiency but also increases complexity.

• Q1 - Does cycle efficiency increase?

 Cycle calculation
T-s diagram for steam
• As usual, need all the
enthalpies around cycle –
T (°C)

700

this is the same cycle 600

operating via the same
500
pressures as in previous
400 1 kg
lectures 2

• Main problem – what

300 1 y kg
3
7
pressure/temperature to 200 6 (1-y) kg

5 4
extract heat from turbine? 100

0
0 2 4 6 8 -1 -1
10
s (kJ kg K )
Selection of t3
 Selection of T3
T-s diagram for steam
For maximum efficiency, T (°C)

T3 should be half way 700

between the maximum 600

and minimum 500

temperatures in this 400 1 kg

2

cycle 300 1 y kg
3
7
T3 = (T2 + T4) / 2 200 6

5
(1-y) kg

4
100

0
0 2 4 6 8 10
= 131.4C -1
s (kJ kg K )
-1
 T-s diagram for steam
T (°C)

700

Need P3 600

500

• Find the saturation pressure at

400 1 kg
2

300 1 y kg
3
200 7

this temperature (131C):

6 (1-y) kg

5 4
100

0
0 2 4 6 8 -1 -1
10
s (kJ kg K )

• To get this temperature, need to bleed off

at just over 2.75bar
• Actually 2.8bar (by linear interpolation)
 Open feedheater – how much
mass flow (y)?
Q in

1 Boiler 2
(A)

W out
HP Turbine LP
W in (B) Turbine
Pump
(C)

“Open”
y (kg/sec) 3
Feedwater 4
7 heater

6 Condenser
1-y (kg/sec) (C)
Q out
5
W in Feed
Pump
 …need bleed mass flow into
Feedheater

• consider the feed 7 3

heater as an adiabatic
open system.

Steady Flow Energy Eqn.:

q  w  (h2  C  gz2 )  (h1  C  gz1 )
1
2
2
2
1
2
2
1
 Steady Flow Energy Equation
Q  W  1h7  yh3  (1  y)h6
0 0
• No work and no heat 3
transferred from an 7

external source
• assume the main pump
work can be neglected
so we have h5 = h6.
 What are enthalpies?
• Pressures are 30bar, 2.8 bar and 0.04bar
• h7 = 551kJ/kg T-s diagram for steam

• h5 = 121kJ/kg
T (°C)

700

600

• also need h3 and h4

500

400 1 kg
2

300 1 y kg
3
200 7
6 (1-y) kg

5 4
100

0
0 2 4 6 8 -1 -1
10
s (kJ kg K )
 T-s diagram for steam

Dryness fraction T (°C)

700

• Need wetness/dryness 600

500
at points 3 and 4
400 1 kg
2

stotal  s f 300 1 y kg

x
3
200 7
6 (1-y) kg

sg  s f 100 5 4

0
0 2 4 6 8 -1 -1
10
s (kJ kg K )

6.186  1.641 6.186  0.422

 x3  0.845  x4  0.716
7.021  1.641 8.473  0.422

• h3 = 2388kJ/kg and h4 = 1863kJ/kg.

 Bled mass flow, y
0  1h7  yh3  (1  y )h6 Steady Flow Energy
equation for feed
h7  h6 heater
y
h3  h6

551  121
y  0.19kg
2388  121
 Heat supplied is now…

• Q1-2 = h2 – h1 = 2803 – 551 = 2252kJ/kg

 Turbine Work
Turbine work = W2-3 + W3-4

Mass flows

= 1(h2-h3) +(1-y)(h3-h4)
= 415 + 425
= 840kJ/kg.
 Cycle efficiency
• The efficiency
What we want, over what we pay for

840 / 2252 = 37.3%

This is up from 35% in the old Rankine

cycle – and all because we have taken
heat from within the cycle
 Superheat
• Adding super heat to this will increase
efficiency further.
– Increase in average temperature of heat
addition
 Other feed heaters: Closed heater

h3
• Keeps streams separate m 34
 
Closed Feed m12
• works well for streams at m12
different pressures. h1 h2
Heater
• generally assumed that the 
m 34
h4
two output enthalpies are
the same (h2 = h4).
3
7
Basically a heat
exchanger
 Energy Balance

h3 m 34
 
m12 Closed Feed m12

h1 h2
Heater


h4 m 34

   
m12 h1  m34 h 3  m12 h 2  m34 h 4  0
 Throttle process
Q in
T-s diagram for steam
4
Boiler T (°C)

700
W out Phigh
Pint
1 kg HP Turbine LP Turbine
600
7 Plow
y kg 5
(1-y) kg 500
Closed Feed
3 Heater 2 400 1 kg
Condenser 4
1
Pump 1 kg
y kg 6 1 kg Q out 300
3 6 y kg 5
W in 200 2
8 (h8=h6) y kg (1-y) kg
1 kg
1 8 7
100 9
0
0 2 4 6 8 -1 -1
10
s (kJ kg K )
 Throttle T-s diagram for steam
T (°C)

• Pressure decreases 700

Phigh
• Throttle process is 600
Pint

Isenthalpic 500
Plow

– No change in
400 1 kg
enthalpy. 4
1 kg
– So h8 = h6. 300
3 6 y kg 5
200 2
1 kg (1-y) kg
– Causes increase in 1 8 7
100 9
entropy
0
0 2 4 6 8 -1 -1
10
s (kJ kg K )
 Q in
4
Boiler

W out
Spot the
1 kg HP Turbine LP Turbine

y kg 5
7
(1-y) kg
difference?
Closed Feed
3 Heater 2
1 Condenser
Pump
y kg 6 1 kg Q out
Q in

W in 2
8 (h8=h6) y kg 1 Boiler
(A)

W out
HP Turbine LP
W in (B) Turbine
Pump
(C)

“Open” y (kg/sec) 3
Feedwater 4
7 heater

6 Condenser
1-y (kg/sec) (C)
Q out
5
W in Feed
Pump
 Why

• Why use a throttle?

– Cycle does not require additional pumps
• Carnot cycle – the best but nor practical
• Rankine – practical, but not very efficient
• Advanced Rankine – closer to Carnot
• Regenerative Rankine – very close to
Carnot and practical