Regenerative Cycle

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11.5 Regenerative cycle
As in gas-turbine plants, the thermal efficiency of a steam power plant is raised by means of heat regeneration.
If a steam power plant is operated on a Rankine cycle without steam reheating and if complete regeneration of
heat is accomplished, then the thermal efficiency of this Rankine cycle will be equal to the thermal efficiency of
a Carnot cycle. Figure 11.25 shows the Rankine wet-steam cycle with full regeneration on a T-s diagram (it is
understood that we are speaking of internally reversible cycles).
Fig. 11.25
The efficiency of the Rankine cycle with steam reheating, even with maximum regeneration, will be inferior
to the thermal efficiency of the Carnot cycle in the same temperature interval: as it follows from the T-s diagram
shown in Fig. 11.26, with the thermal efficiency of the reheat Rankine cycle increasing appreciably, compared
with the cycle without regeneration.
Fig. 11.26
The regenerative cycle shown in Fig. 11.26 is represented as an ideal cycle: as was shown in Sec. 10.2
equidistant heat addition and heat rejection lines (line 3-4 and line 7-2r, respectively, in Fig. 11.26) can be
ensured provided an ideal regenerator is used.
It follows from the T-s diagram shown in Fig. 11.26 that the thermal efficiency of the Rankine cycle with
maximum regeneration is determined from the expression
(11.110)
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In actual steam power cycles regeneration is effected with the aid of surface-type or direct-contact
regenerative feed-water heaters, either of which is supplied with steam from intermediate turbine stages (the
regenerative takeoff). The steam condenses in the regenerative feed-water heaters FWH 1 and FWH 2 heating
the feed water which is delivered to the boiler. Heating steam condensate is also delivered to the boiler or mixes
with the main flow of feed water (Fig. 11.27). Strictly speaking, the regenerative cycle of a steam power plant
cannot be represented on a two-dimensional T-s diagram, since this diagram is plotted for a constant amount of
working medium, whereas in a regenerative cycle, involving the use of regenerative feed-water heaters, the
quantity of the working medium varies along the turbine blading. Therefore, in investigating the cycle plotted
on a flat T-s diagram (Fig. 11.28), the hypothetical nature of this representation should be borne in mind; for
emphasis, a diagram representing the rate of steam flow through the turbine along its blading is shown adjacent
to the T-s diagram. This new diagram pertains to line 1-2 on the T-s diagram, the line of adiabatic expansion of
steam in the turbine. Thus, on the section 1-2 of the cycle, shown on the T-s diagram, the quantity of the working
medium diminishes with a drop in pressure, and along the section 5-4 the quantity of the working medium
increases with rising pressure (heating steam condensate is added to the feed water).
Fig. 11.27
Fig. 11.28
Ideally, the regenerative cycle should be represented in a three-dimensional system of coordinates: T, s, D.

Figure 11.29 shows a regenerative cycle with two heating stages on a T-s-D diagram. The T-s diagrams of the
cycles realized by three fractions of the steam flow are shown in the same illustration: the fraction of steam bled
into the first heating stage ( ), the fraction of steam bled from the turbine into the second heating stage ( )
and the fraction passing into the condenser [ ]. Since it is rather difficult to make use of the three-
dimensional system of coordinates, they find no practical application.
Fig. 11.29
When not surface-type but direct-contact regenerative heaters are used, in accordance with the layout of the
steam power plant shown in Fig. 11.27, several pumps must be installed, since water pressure should be
increased in steps: the pressure of the water flowing into a direct-contact heater should be equal to the pressure
of the steam bled for this heater. In the diagram the number of pumps exceeds the number of steam bleeding
points by one.
Let us consider in detail the cycle of the regenerative steam power plant with two direct-contact feed-water
heaters, depicted in Fig. 11.27 (an internally reversible cycle is considered). Denote the fraction of the working
medium bled from the turbine by α. If the rate of steam flow at the turbine entry is denoted by D, then kg/h
of steam is bled from the turbine and directed into the first regenerative heater FWH1, and kg/h of steam is
bled into the second regenerative heater FWH2.
Hence, up to the first bleeding point D kg/h of steam performs work in the turbine, downstream from this
point kg/h of steam performs work, and downstream from the second bleeding point
kg/h of steam performs work.
Correspondingly, kg/h of exhaust steam passes into the condenser;
kg/h of water (condensate) from the condenser and kg/h of steam from the second bleeding
point are delivered into the second regenerative heater. As a result of the mixing of bled steam and condensate
kg/h of heated feed water leaves the second regenerative heater. Directed into the first regenerative
heater is kg/h of water from the second heater and kg/h of steam from the first bleeding point;
the water and steam mix and D kg/h of heated feed water leaves this heater. The feed water flows to the feed
pump which delivers it to the boiler. Let us find out on what basis the values of and are selected.
The conditions of the steam bled from the turbine are preset. Let us denote steam pressure at the first bleeding
point by and the pressure of steam at the second bleeding point by .
The pump delivers kg/h of feed water from the condenser into the second regenerative heater
at a pressure of . This water is not heated to the boiling point corresponding to the pressure ; the
temperature of this feed water is somewhat higher than T2. Let us denote its enthalpy by . From the bleeding
point kg/h of superheated steam is delivered into the heater at the same pressure . Denote the enthalpy of
this superheated steam by . The value of is selected so that the mixing of superheated steam and water at a
temperature below the boiling point will yield feedwater heated to the boiling point corresponding to the
pressure . The enthalpy of saturated water at the pressure will be denoted by . The heat balance equation
for the second regenerative heater takes the following form:
(11.111)
The first regenerative feed-water heater receives water in the amount of kg/h at a pressure ;
denote its enthalpy by . Superheated steam flows from the first bleeding point into the heater in the amount of
kg/h; denote the enthalpy of this steam by . Just as for the second regenerative heater, the rate of flow
from the first bleeding point into the first heater is selected so that water leaves the heater at the boiling point
corresponding to the pressure ; the enthalpy of this feed water is denoted .
The heat balance equation for the first regenerative heater takes the following form:
(11.112)
Equations (11.111) and (11.112) yield:

(11.113)
(11.114)
As a result of regenerative heating, feed water is delivered into the boiler at a temperature of , i.e. at the
saturation temperature corresponding to the pressure . The enthalpy of water in this state is . Hence, the
amount of heat added in the boiler to 1 kg of working medium is
(11.115)
In the condenser an amount of heat (i2 — i 3 ) is removed from each kilogram of steam. However, since we
have shown that from each kilogram of steam entering the turbine only kilograms of exhaust
steam enters the condenser, it is clear that the heat rejected from one kilogram of exhaust steam amounts to
(11.116)
It follows that, in accordance with the general relationship (9.1), the equation for the thermal efficiency of the
regenerative feed-water cycle with two steam bleedings can be presented in the following form:
(11.117)
The problem of determining the thermal efficiency of the regenerative feed-water cycle can also be
approached in another way.
One kilogram of steam passing into the condenser produces in the turbine the following amount of work:
(11.118)
One kilogram of steam bled from the turbine into the second regenerative heater, performs in the turbine the
following amount of work prior to bleeding:
(11.119)
Finally, one kilogram of steam bled into the first regenerative heater does the following amount of work in the
turbine:
(11.120)
[2]
Taking into account Eqs. (11.118) to (11.120), the work of the regenerative cycle can be presented in the
form
(11.121)
Taking Eq. (11.115) into account, we obtain from the above formula the following expression for the thermal
efficiency of the regenerative feed-water cycle:
(11.122)
Finally, the work done by the steam in the cycle will be equal to the work which would be done by 1 kg of
steam without bleeding minus the work which would be performed by the fractions of 1 kg of steam bled into
the heaters (if the fractions of steam were expanded in the turbine to the condenser pressure):
(11.123)
From Eq. (11.123) we obtain one more expression for the thermal efficiency of the regenerative cycle with
two steam bleedings:
(11.124)
It is understood that the three equations for the thermal efficiency of the regenerative cycle, (11.117), (11.122)
and (11.124), are identical.
Of a similar nature are the equations for the thermal efficiency of the regenerative cycle with any number of
heating stages. In particular, the expression similar to Eq. (11.124) for a cycle with n heating stages can be
written in the form
(11.125)
An analysis shows that an increase of the number of regenerative heating stages leads to a higher cycle
thermal efficiency, for in this case the degree of regeneration in the cycle approaches the maximum (Fig. 11.26).
However, each subsequent stage of regenerative heating contributes less and less to the rise in thermal efficiency,
as can be seen from the graph in Fig. 11.30, where the rate of increase in the thermal efficiency of a regenerative
cycle, , is plotted as a function of the number of regenerative heating stages, n; the graph is plotted for the
case of uniform distribution of feed-water heating among individual stages.
Fig. 11.30
In modern high-power steam power plants operated at high steam conditions the number of regenerative
heating stages reaches nine.
The selection of bleeding points on a turbine for supplying steam to direct-contact regenerative feed-water
[3]
heaters (i.e. the selection of the temperature to which feed water is to be heated in each of the heating stages )
is the subject for special analysis, a detailed consideration of which is beyond the scope of this book. It will only
be noted that the criterion in selecting a particular distribution of regenerative heating by stages is to ensure a
maximum economy, usually attained by raising the thermal efficiency of the cycle. With an infinite number of
feed-heating stages the cycle thermal efficiency is determined unambiguously, but when a finite number of feed-
heating stages is operated, the cycle efficiency will differ depending on the mode of temperature distribution
between individual stages.
[1]
The increase in water enthalpy due to compression in the feed pump is assumed to be negligible.
[2]
The work performed by the feed pump is ignored.
[3]
Since as was mentioned above, saturated feed water leaves the heater, the temperature of feed water at the exit of a direct-contact
regenerative heater, is determined directly by the pressure in the heater, equal to that of the bled steam.

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8/14/2020 twt.mpei.ac.ru/TTHB/2/KiSyShe/eng/Chapter11/11-5-Regenerative-cycle.

11.5 Regenerative cycle

Ideally, the regenerative cycle should be represented in a three-dimensional system of coordinates: T, s, D.

Equations (11.111) and (11.112) yield:

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