RAC

Vapour Power Cycles.

A power cycle continuously converts heat (energy released by the burning of fuel) into work, in which a
working fluid repeatedly performs a succession of process. In the vapour power cycle the working fluid,
which is water, undergoes a change of phase.

Heat is transformed

Heat is transformed to water in the boiler from an external source (furnace where full is continuously
burned) to raise steam, the high.

High temp. steam learning the boiler expands in the turbine to produce shaft work, the steam learning
the turbine condenses into water in the condenser (where cooling water circulates), rejecting heat and
the water is pumped back to the boiler Figure-1 show how a unit mass of working fluid, sometimes in
the liquid phase and sometimes in the uapower phase under goes various external heat and work
interaction in executing a power cycle.

Since the fluid is undergoing a cyclic process, there will be no net change in its internal energy over the
cycle and consequents the net energy transferred to the unit mass of fluid a heat during the cycle must
be equal the net energy transfer as work from the fluid.

Figure 2

Shows the cyclic heat engine operating on uapour cycle, where the working fluid (water) follows along
the 13-T-C-P (Boiler- Turbine – condenser – pump) path interacting externally as shown and converting
het heat input to net work output continually

Q
cycle
net  W
cycle
net

Q1 – Q2 = WT – WP.

Q1  Heat transferred to the working fluid (kj/kg)

Q2  Heat rejected to the working fluid (kj/kg)

WT  Work transferred from working fluid (kj/kg)

WP  Work transferred into the working fluid (kj/kg)

Wnet WT  WP Q1  Q2
cycle   
Q1 Q1 Q1

Q2
 1
Q1

One kg of H2O executing a heat Engine cycle

Cycle heat engine with water as working fuil.