Gas Turbine Cycles

Lecture 01
1

Air standard cycles

Air standard cycles refers to thermodynamic
cycle with certain assumptions so as to use
the principles of thermodynamics
conveniently.
Assumptions
Air is the working fluid and behaves as a perfect
gas
Mass and composition of the working fluid will not
change in the cycle
Processes are reversible
Specific heat capacity of the working fluid does
not change

Otto Cycle
3

Otto cycle (air standard)

1 2 Adiabatic compression

3 4 Adiabatic expansion

2 3 Constant volume heat addition 4 1 Constant volume heat rejection

Spark Ignition (SI) engines are based on this cycle

Otto cycle
V1 V4
Compressio n ratio
r
V2 V3
Heat added , qin cv (T3 T2 )
Heat rejected , qout cv (T1 T4 ) cv (T4 T1 )
Net work , wnet cv (T3 T2 ) cv (T4 T1 )

Net work
Thermal Efficiency, th
Heat input

Otto cycle
cv {(T3 T2 ) (T4 T1 )}
(T4 T1 )
th
1
cv (T3 T2 )
(T3 T2 )

Consider process 1 2
pV C

TV 1 C

( pV )V 1 C

T1V1 1 T2V2 1

T2 V1

T1 V2

Consider process 3 4
T3V3 1 T4V4 1

T3 V4

T4 V3

r 1

r 1

Otto cycle
From equations 2 and 3

T2 T3
T2 T1

T1 T4
T3 T4

T2
T1
1 1
T3
T4
T3 T2 T4 T1

T3
T4

T3 T2 T3
r 1
T4 T1 T4
From equation 1

(T4 T1 )
1
th 1
1 1
(T3 T2 )
r

Otto cycle efficiency vs.

compression ratio
= 1.4
= 1.2

(T4 T1 )
1
th 1
1 1
(T3 T2 )
r

Mean effective pressure (MEP)Otto cycle

- is the mean pressure which is developed in the cylinder and can
be measured. Defined as the ratio of net work done to the
displacement of volume of the piston.

Mean effective pressure (MEP)Otto cycle

Net work
MEP
Volume cha nge
p3V3 p4V4 p2V2 p1V1

Net work
1
1

Net work

1
p3V3 p4V4 p2V2 p1V1
1

p3V3
p2V2
1
Net work
1 p1V1
1
p4V4
1
p4V4
p1V1

Mean effective pressure (MEP)Otto cycle

p3 1
p2 1
1
Net work
1 p1V1
1
p4V4
1
p4 r
p1 r
Consider process 1 2

p2 V1

p1 V2

p1V1 p2V2

Similarly

p3 V4

p4 V3

1
Net work
p4V1 r 1 1 p1V1 r 1 1
1

 volume swept out by the piston when it

moves from TDC to BDC is called the
displacement volume.

distance from TDC to BDC is

called stroke

The piston is said to be at the top dead

center (TDC) when it has moved to a
position where the cylinder volume is
minimum. This volume is called a
clearance volume.

Terminology :
12
Reciprocating Engine

Spark Ignition vs
Compression Ignition
Spark-ignition engines: mixture of fuel
and air are ignited by a spark plug.
Compression ignition engines: Air is
compressed to high enough pressure
and
temperature
that
combustion
occurs spontaneously when fuel is
injected.

Diesel Cycle
14

Air-Standard Diesel Cycle

The Air-Standard Diesel Cycle is the ideal cycle that approximates
the compression ignition engine i.e.Compression Ignition (CI)
engines are based on this cycle
Process
Description
1-2 Isentropic Compression
2-3 Constant Pressure Heat Addition
3-4 Isentropic Expansion
4-1 Constant
Volume Heat Rejection
P
T
2

P2 = P 3

T2

4
y

T1

P4
P1

1
V2

V 4 =V

T4

T3

S1= S2

S3= S4

Diesel cycle
Heat added , q23 c p (T3 T2 )
Heat rejected , q41 cv (T1 T4 )
V1
Compressio n ratio, r
V2
V
Cut off ratio, 3
V2

q23 q41
net heat
th

heat added
q23
th

c p (T3 T2 ) cv (T4 T1 )
c p (T3 T2 )

Diesel cycle
th 1

1 (T4 T1 )
(T3 T2 )

Process 1 - 2

T2 V1

T1 V2

T2 T1r 1

Process 2 - 3

V3 T3
T3 T2 T3 T1r 1
V2 T2

Diesel cycle
Process 3 - 4

T3 V4

T4 V3

T4 T3
r

V4 V2

.
V2 V3

T1r

V1 V2

.
V2 V3

T1

Substituting
from eq. 3

Diesel cycle
Substituting for all Ts in equation 1.

1
(T1 T1 )
1 ( 1)
th 1
1 1
1
1
(T1r T1r )
r ( 1)

1 ( 1)
th 1 1
r ( 1)

Efficiency ()

Diesel cycle efficiency vs.

compression ratio
=2
= 1.4

Compression ratio (r)

1 ( 1)
th 1 1
r ( 1)

Brayton cycle
21

ELEMENTS OF SIMPLE GAS TURBINE POWER

PLANTS

22

ELEMENTS OF SIMPLE GAS TURBINE POWER

PLANTS
The simple gas turbine power plant mainly consists of a gas
turbine coupled to a rotary type air compressor and combustion
chamber which is placed between the compressor and turbine in
the fuel circuit.
Auxiliaries, such as cooling fan, water pumps, etc. and the
generator itself, are also driven by the turbine.
Other auxiliaries are starting device, lubrication system, duct
system, etc.
A modified plant may have in addition to the above, an intercooler, a regenerator and a reheater

23

Flow diagram Gas turbine power plant

24

Gas turbine cycle

Gas-turbines usually operate on an
open cycle
Acompressortakes in fresh
ambient air (state 1), compresses it
to a higher temperature and
pressure (state 2).
Fuel and the higher pressure air
from compressor are sent to a
combustion chamber, where fuel is
burned at constant pressure. The
resulting high temperature gases
are sent to a turbine (state 3).
The high temperature gases expand
to the ambient pressure (state 4) in
theturbineand produce power.
The exhaust gases leave the
turbine.

Brayton cycle
By using the air-standard
assumptions, replacing the
combustion process by a
constant pressure heat
addition process, and
replacing the exhaust
discharging process by a
constant pressure heat
rejection process, the open
cycle described above can
be modeled as a closed
cycle, called ideal Brayton
cycle.

Open Cycle Gas Turbine

Fuel

Combustor
Turbine

Compressor

Generator

Air

50 70 % of turbine
power

Exhaust

Pressure ratio: usually about 15, but up to 40 and more

Turbine inlet temperature (TIT): 900 - 1700C
Turbine exit temperature (TET): 400 - 600C
Power: 100 kW 300 MW
27

Closed Cycle Gas Turbine

Heat Source

Heat Exchanger

3
G
Generator

Compressor

Turbine

Condensate
from Process

Steam to
Process

Working fluid circulates in a closed circuit and does not cause

corrosion or erosion
Any fuel, nuclear or solar energy can be used
28

Brayton cycle
The ideal Brayton cycle is
made up of four internally
reversible processes.
1-2 Isentropic compression
2-3 Constant pressure heat
addition
3- 4 Isentropic expansion
4-1 Constant pressure heat
rejection
Steady Flow Energy Equation

Efficiency of Brayton Cycle

net work
q23 q41
q41
th

1
heat added
q23
q23

q23 qin h 3 h2 c p T3 T2
q41 qout h1 h4 c p T1 T4
T1
T4 T1

th 1
1
T3 T2
T2

T4

T1

T3

T 1
2

Efficiency of Brayton Cycle

Consider process 1 2, Isentropic compression

pV C p
p
T1 p1

T2 p2

T
T
C 1 C 1 C
p
p

1
1

Consider process 3 4, Isentropic expansion

T4 p4

T3 p3

1
1

p2
rp pressure ratio
p1

Efficiency of Brayton Cycle

From equations 2 and 3:

T1 T4

T2 T3

T4 T3

T1 T2

Substituting equations 2, 3 and 4 in equation 1

th 1

T3 1
1 T2

T3

rp T 1
2

1
1

th 1

1
1

 th 1

1
1

rp

Work ratio

33

Equation shows that the work ratio increases in direct

proportion to the ratio T3 /T1 and inversely with a power
of the pressure ratio.
On the other hand, thermal efficiency equation
shows that thermal efficiency increases with increased
pressure ratio.
34

Summary of Equations
Compressor work:
w12 = - (h2 h1 ) = -Cp(T2 T1)

Turbine work:
w34 = (h3 h4) = Cp(T3 T4)

Heat supplied during the cycle:

q23 = (h3 h2) = Cp(T3 T2)

Efficiency Net Work w12 w34

Heat input

Work ratio

1
r
p

q23

( 1)

w12 w34
Net Work
rw

Work output
w34

( 1)
T1
rp
rw 1
T3
35

Isentropic efficiency
Isentropic efficiencies involve a comparison
between the actual performance of a device
and the performance that would be achieved
under idealized circumstances for the same
inlet state and the same exit pressure.
Performance of turbines/compressors are
measured by isentropic efficiencies.
The actual work input to the compressor is more
and the actual work output from the turbine is more
because of irreversibility.
36

Isentropic efficiency Turbine

The desired output from a turbine is the

work output. Hence, the definition of

isentropic efficiency of a turbine is the ratio
of the actual work output of the turbine to
the work output of the turbine if the turbine
undergoes an isentropic process between
the same inlet and exit pressures.

Actual Turbine Work

T
Isentropic Work

The isentropic efficiency of turbine can be written as

h2 a h1
T
h2 s h1
h1 = enthalpy at the inlet
h2a = enthalpy of actual process at the exit
h2s = enthalpy of isentropic process at the
exit

T2 a T1
T
T2 s T1

Isentropic efficiency compressor

The isentropic efficiency of a compressor or pump is
defined as the ratio of the work input to anisentropic
process, to the work input to the actual process
between the same inlet and exit pressures.

Isentropic Compressor Work

Actual Work

The isentropic efficiency of compressor can be written as

h2 s h1
C
h2 a h1
h1 = enthalpy at the inlet
h2a = enthalpy of actual process at the exit
h2s = enthalpy of isentropic process at the
exit

T2 s T1
C
T2 a T1

The Back Work Ratio

Back work ratio

Wcomp
Wturbine

Therefore, the turbine used in gas-turbine power plants are

larger than those used in steam power plants of the same net
power output, P.
Usually more than half of the turbine work output is used to
drive the compressor.

41

Deviation of Actual Gas-Turbine Cycles from

Idealized Ones
Pressure drop
Isentropic efficiency

42

Example 1
A four stroke SI engine has the compression ratio of 6 and swept
volume of 0.15m3. Pressure and temperature at the beginning of
compression are 98kPa and 60oC respectively. Heat supplied in
the cycle is 150kJ. cp = 1kJ/kgK, cv = 0.71kJ/kgK
Determine
(i)the pressure , volume and temperature at all main state points
(ii)Efficiency
(iii)Mean effective pressure

Example 2
An ideal diesel cycle using air as working fluid has a
compression ratio of 16 and a cut off ratio of 2. The intake
conditions are 100kPa, 20oC, and 2000cm3.
Determine
(a)Temperature and pressure at the end of each process
(b)Net work output
(c)Thermal efficiency
(d)Mean effective pressure
cp = 1.0045kJ/kgK,

cv 0.7175kJ/kgK

Example 3
In an air standard Brayton cycle the
minimum and maximum temperature are
300K and 1200K respectively. The pressure
ratio is 10.
(i)Find out temperatures after compression
and expansion
(ii)Calculate the compressor and turbine
work, each in kJ/kg of air, and thermal
efficiency of the cycle.

Example 4
A gas turbine receives air at 1bar, 300K and
compresses it adiabatically to 6.2bar. The
isentropic efficiency of compressor is 0.88. The
fuel has a heating value of 44186kJ/kg and the
fuel air ratio is 0.017kg fuel/kg of air. The
turbine efficiency is 0.9.
Calculate the work of turbine and
compressor per kg of air compressed and the
thermal efficiency.
For products of combustion cp = 1.147kJ/kgK, =
1.33.
For air cp = 1.005kJ/kgK, = 1.4.

Example 5
The ideal air-standard Brayton cycle operates with air entering the
compressor at 95 kPa, 22oC. The pressure ratio rp is 6:1 and the air
leaves the heat addition process at 1100 K. Determine
the compressor work
the turbine work per unit mass flow,
the cycle efficiency,
the back work ratio, and compare the compressor exit temperature to
the turbine exit temperature.
Assume constant properties.

47

Example 6
In a gas turbine plant, working on the Brayton cycle, helium at 30 C and 22
bar is compressed to a pressure of 64 bar and then heated to a temperature of
1200 C. After expansion in the turbine, the gas is cooled to initial pressure and
temperature.
Assume the following:
Isentropic efficiency of the compressor 0.85
Isentropic efficiency of the turbine 0.8
Pressure loss in the combustion chamber 1.2 bar
Pressure loss in the cooler 0.5 bar
Specific heat (Cp) of the products of combustion is the same as that of helium
and it is equal to 5.1926 kJ/kg K. Ratio of specific heats of helium 1.667
Determine the following;
Temperature at the end of compression and expansion.
Heat supplied, heat rejected and the net work per kg of helium.
Thermal efficiency of the plant
Flow rate of helium required to give an output of 12 MW.