Lyes KADEM [Thermodynamics II] 2006

The ideal reheat Rankine cycle

When we analyze the ideal Rankine cycle we can notice that:

The turbine must be spitted into to sequential turbines.

-

The pressure ratio across the turbine is unrealistically high (the pressure within one
turbine decreases from 4 MPa to 10 kPa).

When we try to increase the thermal efficiency of the Rankine cycle, usually, we
decrease also the quality.
Increase the highest temperature, this will lead to an increase in thermal efficiency and
an increase in turbine outlet quality.
Problem: we are limited by metallurgical considerations: Tmax < 600C (with ceramic
blades we can go up to 750C )

Question: How to increase the efficiency without decreasing quality, while respecting
metallurgical constrains?
The solution is to expand the steam in the turbine in two stages, and reheat in between,
usually within the boiler. This is a very practical solution, and it is commonly used in
modern steam power plants ideal reheat Rankine cycle (Fig.1).

Steam quality for

normal Rankine cycle

Steam quality for

reheat Rankine cycle

Figure.1. Ideal reheat Rankine cycle

The total heat is:

qH = q1 + q2 = (h3 h2 ) + (h5 h4 )

The total work of the turbine is:

wout = (h3 h4 ) + (h5 h6 )

Rmq: the optimum reheat pressure for a cycle is about of the maximal pressure. (exp:
maximum pressure (12 MPa); reheat pressure (3 MPa))
Example
High-pressure steam enters a turbine at 2 Mpa and 400C. It is reheated at a pressure of 500 kPa
to 400C and then expanded to 10 kPa. Determine the cycle efficiency?

Lyes KADEM [Thermodynamics II] 2006

Second law analysis of Rankine cycle

The Rankine cycle is not a totally reversible cycle, it is only internally reversible, since heat
transfer through a finite temperature difference (between the furnace and the boiler or between
the condenser and the external medium) can results in irreversibilities.
The second law of thermodynamics can be used in order to reveal the regions where the largest
irreversibilities within Rankine cycle occur.
It will be possible, therefore, to act on these regions to reduce the irreversibilities.
To do this we must compute the exergy destruction for each component of the cycle.
Exergy
The exergy of a system with respect to a reservoir is the maximum work done by the system
during a transformation which brings it into equilibrium with the reservoir. The term was coined by
Zoran Rant in 1956, but the concept was developed by J. Willard Gibbs in 1873.
Exergy is also synonymous with: availability, available energy, utilizable energy, available useful
work, maximum (or minimum) work, maximum (or minimum) work content, reversible work, and
ideal work.
The exergy destruction informs us on the irreversibility of the process and is proportional to the
entropy generated.
The exergy destruction is computed as follow:

dest = T0 S gen = T0 se si +

qout
q
in
Tb ,out Tb ,in

T0

environment temperature

Tb, out

Temperature of the external medium (where heat is rejected, example: atmosphere)

Tb, in

Temperature of the external medium (from where the heat is supplied, example: furnace)

Example
Determine the exergy destruction associated with the normal previous Rankine cycle (P1=10 kPa;
T3=400C; P3=2 MPa), assuming that heat is transferred to the steam in a furnace at 1600 K and
heat is rejected to a cooling medium at 290 K and 100 kPa, T0=290 K.