First law of thermodynamics

Energy is always conserved; it can be neither created nor destroyed. The energy of a system undergoing change (process) can be increased or decreased by exchange with the surroundings and can convert from one to another within that system.

Second law of thermodynamics

Energy has not only quantity but also quality. Preserving the quality of energy is a major concern to engineers, and the second law provides the necessary means to determine the quality as well as the degree of degradation of energy during a process.

Enthalpy:
Enthalpy represents the amount of energy (Work done) possessed by a thermodynamic system for transfer between itself and its environment. For example, in a chemical reaction, the change of enthalpy of the system is the heat of the reaction. In a phase change, such as from a liquid to a gas as boiling water in a steam generator, the enthalpy of the system is the heat of vaporization. In a simple temperature change, the change of enthalpy with each degree is the capacity of the system at constant pressure. Mathematically, enthalpy H is identified as U + PV, where U is internal energy, P is pressure and V is volume.

Entropy: Entropy is a measure of the number of specific ways in which a system may be arranged, often taken to be a measure of disorder. The entropy of an isolated system never decreases, because isolated systems spontaneously evolve towards thermodynamic equilibrium, which is the state of maximum entropy. (In simple words it can be defined as the available form of energy which is of no use. That is at absolute zero temperature the entropy is zero. i.e.. the all available energy is used by the system at absolute zero for some operation for eg. expansion, the increase in the internal energy of the atoms, molecules... etc..) Entropy is a thermodynamic quantity that helps to account for the flow of energy through a thermodynamic process.

Isentropic/ Reversible Adiabatic = Increase/ Decrease of Energy (eg. Pressure) Adiabatic = Constant Energy (eg. Pressure)

BRAYTON CYCLE:
The ideal cycle that the working fluid undergoes in this closed loop is the Brayton cycle, which is made up of four internally reversible 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 Figure: T-s diagram of the Ideal Brayton Cycle Figure: P-v diagram of the Ideal Brayton Cycle The highest temperature in the cycle occurs at the end of the combustion process (state 3), and it is limited by the maximum temperature that the turbine blades can withstand. This also limits the pressure ratios that can be used in the cycle. There should be a compromise between the pressure ratio (thus the thermal efficiency) and the net work output. With less work output per cycle, a larger mass flow rate (thus a larger system) is needed to maintain the same power output, which may not be economical. In most common designs, the pressure ratio of gas turbines ranges from about 11 to 16.

THE BRAYTON CYCLE WITH REGENERATION:

Figure: A gas-turbine engine with regenerator.

Ideal two-stage gas-turbine cycle with intercooling, reheating, and regeneration

Rankine Cycle:

Fig: P-V diagram

Fig: T-S diagram

Fig: H-S (enthalpy- Entropy) diagram

1-2

: Increase of pressure from feed pump (work input) : Isentropic Compression

2-2' : Constant pressure (heat addition) evaporated steam 2'-3' : Wet Evaporated steam (heat addition) 2'-3 : Dry Evaporated steam (heat addition)

3-3'' : Dry Superheated Steam (heat addition) 3''-4'' : Work done by turbine : Isentropic Expansion 4''-1 : Constant Pressure Condenser heat Rejection

Combined cycle: