BRAYTON CYCLE

By EngineerProf PH/Engr. Raymart Bonete

The Brayton cycle was first proposed by George The T-S and P-V Diagrams of an ideal Brayton cycle
Brayton for use in the reciprocating oil-burning engine
that he developed around 1870. Today, it is used for gas
turbines only where both the compression and
expansion processes take place in rotating machinery.
Gas turbines usually operate on an open cycle, as shown
in the figure. Fresh air at ambient conditions is drawn
into the compressor, where its temperature and
pressure are raised.

Process 1 → 2: Isentropic Compression

Isentropic Relations: PVk=Constant
𝑘−1
𝑘 𝑇 𝑉2 𝑘−1 𝑇2 𝑃2
𝑃2 𝑉2 𝑘 ; 𝑇1
𝑘
𝑃1 𝑉1 = = (𝑉 ) ; 𝑇 = (𝑃 )
2 1 1 1

Process 2 → 3: Constant Pressure Heat Addition

𝑣 𝑣
𝑃2 = 𝑃3 ; 𝑇2 = 𝑇3
The open gas-turbine cycle described above can be 2 3
𝑄𝑖𝑛 = 𝑚(ℎ3 − ℎ2 )
modeled as a closed cycle, as shown in the figure by 𝑄𝑖𝑛 = 𝑚𝑐𝑝 (𝑇3 − 𝑇2 )
utilizing the air-standard assumptions.
Process 3 → 4: Isentropic Expansion in Turbine
𝑃3 𝑉3 𝑘 = 𝑃4 𝑉4 𝑘 ;
𝑇4 𝑉3 𝑘−1
=( )
𝑇3 𝑉4
𝑘−1
𝑇4 𝑃4 𝑘
=( )
𝑇3 𝑃3
Since 𝑃2 = 𝑃3 and 𝑃1 = 𝑃4 then;
𝑘−1 𝑘−1
𝑇2 𝑃2 𝑘 𝑃3 𝑘 𝑇3
=( ) =( ) =
𝑇1 𝑃1 𝑃4 𝑇4
Process 4 → 1: Constant Pressure Heat Rejection
𝑣4 𝑣1
𝑃1 = 𝑃4 ; =
𝑇4 𝑇1

𝑄𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 𝑚𝑐𝑝 (𝑇4 − 𝑇1 ) = 𝑚(ℎ4 − ℎ1 )

The ideal cycle that the working fluid undergoes in this
closed loop is the Brayton cycle, which is made up of four Thermal Efficiency
internally reversible processes:
Wnet= Turbine Work; wt– Compressor Work; Wc= Qin-Qout
1-2: Isentropic compression (in a compressor)
𝑊𝑡 = 𝑚𝐶𝑝 (𝑇3 − 𝑇4 ); 𝑊𝑐 = 𝑚𝐶𝑝 (𝑇2 − 𝑇1 );
2-3: Constant-pressure heat addition
𝑊𝑛𝑒𝑡 𝑄 (𝑇 − 𝑇 )
3-4: Isentropic expansion (in a turbine) 𝜂𝑡ℎ = = 1 − 𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 1 − 4 1
4-1: Constant-pressure heat rejection 𝑄𝑖𝑛 𝑄𝑖𝑛 (𝑇 3 − 𝑇 2 )
1 𝑃
𝜂𝑡ℎ = 1 − 𝑘−1 ; 𝑟𝑝 = 𝑃2 (Pressure Ratio)
1
𝑟𝑝 𝑘