Ch-4 Gas Power Cycles

Ch-4: Gas Power Cycles
Book:
▪ Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach by Yunus A. Cengel, Michael A.
Boles, 5th/8th Ed. (Ch. 9)
▪ Applied Thermodynamics by TD Eastop and A McConkey, 5th Ed.
▪ Fundamentals of Thermodynamics by Borgnakke and Sontag, 8th Ed.
Mehanical Dept. UoB 1

Gas Power Cycles
Introduction
▪ Two important areas of Application for Thermodynamics are:

o Power Generation Usually accomplished by systems that operate on a Thermodynamic Cycle
o Refrigeration
▪ Devices or Systems used to produce a net Power Output are often called Engines
→ thermodynamic cycles they operate on are called Power Cycles
▪ Devices or systems used to produce a Refrigeration Effect are called Refrigerators, Air-Conditioners, or
Heat Pumps
→ thermodynamic cycles they operate on are called Refrigeration Cycles
▪ Thermodynamic cycles can also be categorized as:
→ Gas Cycles → working fluid remains in the Gaseous Phase throughout the entire cycle
→ Vapor Cycles → working fluid exists in the vapor phase during one part of the cycle and in the liquid
phase during another part

Gas Power Cycles
▪ Thermodynamic Cycles can also be categorized as:
→ Closed Cycles → Working fluid is returned to the initial state at the end of the cycle and is recirculated
→ Open Cycles → Working fluid is renewed at the end of each cycle instead of being recirculated
▪ Heat Engines are categorized as:

o External Combustion → heat is supplied to the working fluid from an External Source such as a
furnace, a geothermal well, a nuclear reactor, or even the sun
→ E.g. Steam Power Plant
o Internal Combustion → heat is supplied by burning the fuel within the system boundaries
→ E.g. Automobile Engines

Gas Power Cycles
Derivation of the Efficiency of the Carnot Cycle
▪ Heat is transferred to the system during process 1-2

▪ Heat rejected from process during process 3-4
▪ Processes 2-3 and 4-1 are Isentropic

s2 = s3 and s4 = s1
Thermal Efficiency of a Carnot Cycle is independent of the

type of the working fluid used (an ideal gas, steam, etc.) or
whether the cycle is executed in a closed or steady-flow
system
Gas Power Cycles
Basic Considerations in the Analysis of Power Cycles
▪ Most power-producing devices operate on Cycles

→ exciting and important part of Thermodynamics
▪ Cycles encountered in Actual Devices are difficult to analyze because of:

→ the presence of complicating effects, such as Friction, and
→ the absence of sufficient time for establishment of the equilibrium conditions during the cycle
Ideal Cycle
When the actual cycle is stripped of all the internal irreversibilities
and complexities
→ we end up with a cycle that resembles the actual cycle closely
but is made up totally of Internally Reversible Processes
▪A Simple Idealized Model enables engineers to study the effects

of the major parameters that dominate the cycle

Gas Power Cycles
Basic Considerations in the Analysis of Power Cycles
The Idealizations and Simplifications commonly employed in the analysis of power cycles can be
summarized as follows:
1. The cycle does not involve any Friction

→ the working fluid does not experience any pressure drop as it flows in pipes or devices such
as heat exchangers
2. All expansion and compression processes take place in a Quasi-Equilibrium manner
3. The pipes connecting the various components of a system are well insulated, and heat transfer
through them is negligible

Gas Power Cycles
Air-standard Assumptions
▪ In Gas Power Cycles, the working fluid remains a gas throughout the entire cycle
E.g. Spark-ignition Engines, Diesel Engines, and conventional Gas Turbines
▪ Energy is provided by burning a fuel within the system boundaries

→ i.e. they are Internal Combustion Engines
▪ Composition of the working fluid changes from Air and Fuel to Combustion Products during the course
of the cycle
▪ Consideringthat air is predominantly Nitrogen that undergoes hardly any chemical reactions in the
combustion chamber, the working fluid closely resembles air at all times

Gas Power Cycles
Air-standard Assumptions
Following approximations, commonly known as the Air-standard Assumptions:
▪ Working fluid is air, which continuously circulates in a

closed loop and always behaves as an ideal gas
▪ All the processes that make up the cycle are internally

reversible
▪ The combustion process is replaced by a heat-addition

process from an external source
▪ The exhaust process is replaced by a heat-rejection process

that restores the working fluid to its initial state

Gas Power Cycles
AN OVERVIEW OF RECIPROCATING ENGINES

▪ Reciprocating Engine (basically a Piston–Cylinder Device) is one of the rare inventions that has proved
to be very versatile and to have a wide range of applications
→ powerhouse of the vast majority of Automobiles, Trucks, Light Aircraft, Ships, and Electric Power
Generators
▪ Top Dead Center (TDC) — Position of the piston when it forms the smallest
volume in the cylinder
▪ Bottom Dead Center (BDC) — Position of the piston when it forms the
largest volume in the cylinder
▪ Stroke: Distance between the TDC and the BDC is the largest
distance that the piston can travel in one direction
▪ Bore: Diameter of Piston
▪ Intake Valve: Air or Air-fuel mixture is drawn into the cylinder
▪ Exhaust Valve: Combustion Products are expelled from it
▪ Clearance Volume: Minimum volume formed in the cylinder when the piston
is at TDC
▪ Displacement Volume: Volume displaced by the piston as it moves between
TDC and BDC
Gas Power Cycles

Gas Power Cycles

▪ Compression Ratio ( r ) — ratio of the maximum volume formed in the
cylinder to the minimum (clearance) volume:
▪ Mean Effective Pressure (MEP) — fictitious pressure that, if it acted on

the piston during the entire power stroke, would produce the same amount
of net work as that produced during the actual cycle
→ It is used as a parameter to compare the performances of

Reciprocating Engines of equal size

Gas Power Cycles
OTTO CYCLE: THE IDEAL CYCLE FOR SPARK-IGNITION ENGINES
▪ Otto Cycle → ideal cycle for Spark-ignition Reciprocating Engines named after Nikolaus A. Otto, who built a
successful four-stroke engine in 1876 in Germany
o In most spark-ignition engines, the piston executes four complete strokes (two mechanical cycles)
within the cylinder, and
o The crankshaft completes two revolutions for each thermodynamic cycle

Gas Power Cycles
1-2 Isentropic compression
2-3 Constant-volume heat addition
3-4 Isentropic expansion
4-1 Constant-volume heat rejection
▪ This ideal cycle consists of two strokes equivalent to One Mechanical Cycle or One Crankshaft
Rotation
Gas Power Cycles
▪ Actual
Engine Operation involves four strokes equivalent to two
mechanical cycles or two crankshaft rotations
→ This can be corrected by including intake and exhaust strokes in

the Ideal Otto Cycle
0-1: Air-fuel mixture (approximated as Air) enters the cylinder

through the open intake valve at atmospheric pressure P0
1-0: Exhaust gases are expelled through the open exhaust valve
as the pressure remains constant at P0
▪ The work interactions during the constant-pressure intake (0-1) and
constant-pressure exhaust (1-0) processes:
→ These two processes cancel each other as

the work output during the intake is equal
to work input during the exhaust
→ inclusion of the intake and exhaust processes has no effect on the
net workMehanical
output Dept. UoB
from the cycle 14
Gas Power Cycles
▪ Otto Cycle is executed in a Closed System, and disregarding the changes
in kinetic and potential energies
Processes 1-2 and 3-4 are isentropic, and v2 = v3 and v4 = v1
𝑻𝟒 𝑻𝟑
⇒ =
𝑻𝟏 𝑻𝟐
⇒ Where = Compression Ratio
and k is the specific heat ratio cp /cv

Gas Power Cycles
▪ Thermal efficiency of the Ideal Otto Cycle increases with both the
Compression Ratio and the Specific Heat Ratio
▪ increase in Thermal Efficiency with the Compression Ratio is not

as pronounced at high compression ratios
▪ when High Compression Ratios are used, the temperature of the air–
fuel mixture rises above the Auto-ignition Temperature of the fuel
(the temperature at which the fuel ignites without the help of a spark)
o causing an early and rapid burn of the fuel at some point or points
ahead of the flame front, followed by almost instantaneous
inflammation of the end gas
o This Too Soon ignition of the fuel (Auto-ignition), produces an
audible noise, which is called Engine Knock
Gas Power Cycles
▪ Fora given compression ratio, an Ideal Otto Cycle using a
monatomic gas (such as argon or helium, k = 1.667) as the
working fluid will have the highest thermal efficiency
▪ Actual Engines contains larger molecules such as carbon

dioxide, and the specific heat ratio decreases with temperature
→ one of the reasons that the actual cycles have lower thermal
efficiencies than the ideal Otto cycle
▪ thermal efficiencies of actual spark-ignition engines range from

about 25 to 30 percent
▪ For a given compression ratio and/or k, the Thermal Efficiency of

an Actual Spark-ignition Engine is less than that of an ideal Otto
cycle because of:
o the Irreversibilities, such as friction
o other factors such as Incomplete Combustion
Gas Power Cycles
Example
An ideal Otto cycle has a compression ratio of 8. At the beginning of the compression process, air is at 100 kPa and 17
oC, and 800 kJ/kg of heat is transferred to air during the constant-volume heat-addition process. Accounting for the
variation of specific heats of air with temperature, Determine: a) Maximum temperature and pressure that occur during
the cycle. (b) the net work output, (c) the thermal efficiency, and (d) the mean effective pressure for the cycle. (e) Also,
determine the power output from the cycle, in kW, for an engine speed of 4000 rpm (rev/min). Assume that this cycle
is operated on an engine that has four cylinders with a total displacement volume of 1.6 L.

Gas Power Cycles
Example
An ideal Otto cycle has a compression ratio of 8. At the beginning of the compression process, air is at 100 kPa and 17 oC, and 800 kJ/kg
of heat is transferred to air during the constant-volume heat-addition process. Accounting for the variation of specific heats of air with
temperature, Determine: a) Maximum temperature and pressure that occur during the cycle. (b) the net work output, (c) the
thermal efficiency, and (d) the mean effective pressure for the cycle. (e) Also, determine the power output from the cycle, in kW, for an
engine speed of 4000 rpm (rev/min). Assume that this cycle is operated on an engine that has four cylinders with a total displacement
volume of 1.6 L.

Gas Power Cycles
Example
temperature, Determine: a) Maximum temperature and pressure that occur during the cycle. (b) the net work output (c) the thermal
efficiency, and (d) the mean effective pressure for the cycle. (e) Also, determine the power output from the cycle, in kW, for an engine
speed of 4000 rpm (rev/min). Assume that this cycle is operated on an engine that has four cylinders with a total displacement volume
of 1.6 L.

Gas Power Cycles
⇒ OTTO CYCLE: THE IDEAL CYCLE FOR SPARK-IGNITION ENGINES
Example
efficiency, and (d) the mean effective pressure for the cycle. (e) Also, determine the power output from the cycle, in kW, for an engine
speed of 4000 rpm (rev/min). Assume that this cycle is operated on an engine that has four cylinders with a total displacement volume
of 1.6 L.

Gas Power Cycles
Example
efficiency, and (d) the mean effective pressure for the cycle. (e) Also, determine the power output from the cycle, in
kW, for an engine speed of 4000 rpm (rev/min). Assume that this cycle is operated on an engine that has four cylinders with a total
Displacement Volume of 1.6 L.
kPa

Gas Power Cycles
Example
efficiency, and (d) the mean effective pressure for the cycle. (e) Also, determine the power output from the cycle, in
kW, for an engine speed of 4000 rpm (rev/min). Assume that this cycle is operated on an engine that has four cylinders with a total
Displacement Volume of 1.6 L.

Gas Power Cycles

Gas Power Cycles
Two-stroke Engines
▪ All four functions of 4-stroke Engine are executed in just Two Strokes:
→ the Power Stroke and
→ the Compression Stroke
▪ Crankcase is sealed, and the outward motion of the piston is used to
slightly pressurize the air–fuel mixture in the crankcase
▪ Intake and Exhaust valves are replaced by openings in the lower portion
of the cylinder wall
▪ During the downward motion of the power stroke piston uncovers:
→first theExhaust Port, allowing the exhaust gases to be partially expelled,
→and then the Intake Port, allowing the fresh air–fuel mixture to rush in
and drive most of the remaining exhaust gases out of the cylinder.
▪ 2-stroke Engines are generally less efficient than their 4-stroke counterparts
because of:
→ the incomplete expulsion of the exhaust gases and
→ partial expulsion of the fresh air–fuel mixture with the exhaust gases
Gas Power Cycles
DIESEL CYCLE: THE IDEAL CYCLE FOR COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES
▪ Diesel cycle is the ideal cycle for CI Reciprocating Engines
→ first proposed by Rudolph Diesel in the 1890s
▪ In CI engines (Diesel Engines) → air is compressed to a temperature

that is above the auto-ignition temperature of the fuel, and
combustion starts on contact as the fuel is injected into this hot air
▪ InDiesel Engines, only air is compressed during the compression
stroke, eliminating the possibility of auto-ignition
▪ DieselEngines can be designed to operate at much higher

compression ratios, typically between 12 and 24
▪ Fuel Injection Process in diesel engines starts when the piston

approaches TDC and continues during the first part of the power
stroke
o Combustion Process in these engines takes place over a longer
interval
o Combustion Process in the ideal Diesel cycle is approximated as
a Constant-pressure Heat-addition Process Mehanical Dept. UoB 26
Gas Power Cycles
1-2 Isentropic compression
2-3 Constant-pressure heat addition
3-4 Isentropic expansion
4-1 Constant-volume heat rejection
If Cutoff Ratio rc: Ratio of the cylinder volumes after and

before the combustion process
Gas Power Cycles
What is T3/T2 ?
What is T4/T1 ?
PV PV
3 3
= 2 2 where P3 = P2 PV PV
T3 T2
4 4
= 1 1 where V4 = V1
T4 T1
T3 V3
= = rc T4 P4
=
T2 V2 T1 P1
Recall processes 1-2 and 3-4 are isentropic, so
PV = PV
1 1
k
2 2
k
and PV = PV 4 4
k
3 3
k
Since V4 = V1 and P3 = P2 → divide the second equation

by the first equation and obtain

Gas Power Cycles
1 T1 (T4 / T1 − 1)
 th , Diesel = 1−
k T2 (T3 / T2 − 1)
1 T1 r − 1 k
= 1− c
k T2 (rc − 1)
1 rck − 1
= 1−
r k −1 k (rc − 1)
r : Compression Ratio
rc : Cutoff Ratio

Gas Power Cycles
r : Compression Ratio
rc : Cutoff Ratio
⇒ → when both cycles operate on the same

Compression Ratio
→ Diesel Engines operate at much higher

compression ratios and thus are usually
more efficient than the spark-ignition
(gasoline) engines
→ The Calorific Value of Diesel Fuel is
roughly 45.5 MJ/kg, slightly lower than
Petrol which is 45.8 MJ/kg.
→ However, diesel fuel is denser than petrol
and contains about 15% more energy by
volume (roughly 36.9 MJ/litre compared
to 33.7 MJ/litre)

Gas Power Cycles
The Dual-Combustion Cycle
▪ In modern high-speed Compression Ignition Engines, fuel is injected into the combustion chamber
much sooner compared to the early diesel engines
▪ Fuel starts to ignite, late in the compression stroke, and consequently part of the combustion occurs
almost at constant volume
▪ Fuel injection continues until the piston reaches the top dead
center, and combustion of the fuel keeps the pressure high well
into the expansion stroke
▪ Entire combustion process can better be modeled as the combination

of constant-volume and constant-pressure processes
▪ Ideal cycle based on this concept is called the Dual Cycle

▪ Dual cycle → more realistic model than diesel
cycle for representing
modern, high-speed compression ignition engines
Gas Power Cycles
Example
An air-standard Diesel cycle has a compression ratio of 16 and a cut-off ratio of 2. At the beginning of the
compression process, air is at 95 kPa and 27 oC. Accounting for the variation of specific heats with temperature,
determine:
(a) the temperature after the heat-addition process,
(b) the thermal efficiency, and
(c) the mean effective pressure.

Gas Power Cycles
Example
determine:

Gas Power Cycles
Example
determine:

Gas Power Cycles
Example
An air-standard Diesel cycle has a compression ratio of 16 and a cut-off ratio of 2. At the beginning of the compression process, air is
at 95 kPa and 27 oC. Accounting for the variation of specific heats with temperature, determine:

Gas Power Cycles
BRAYTON CYCLE: THE IDEAL CYCLE FOR GAS-TURBINE ENGINES
▪ Brayton Cycle was first proposed by George Brayton for use in the reciprocating oil-burning engine
around 1870
▪ Today, it is used for Gas Turbines only where both the Compression and Expansion Processes take
place in Rotating Machinery
▪ Fresh air at ambient conditions is drawn into the

Compressor → its temperature and pressure are raised
▪ The high-pressure air proceeds into the Combustion

Chamber, where the fuel is burned at constant pressure
▪ The resulting high-temperature gases then enter the

Turbine, where they expand to the atmospheric pressure
while producing power
▪ The exhaust gases leaving the turbine are thrown out

(not recirculated) → an Open Cycle

Gas Power Cycles

Gas Power Cycles
▪ Open Gas-turbine Cycle can be modeled as a Closed Cycle, by utilizing the Air-standard Assumptions
o Compression and Expansion processes remain the same
o Combustion Process is replaced by a constant-pressure heat-addition process from an external source
o Exhaust Process is replaced by a constant-pressure heat-rejection process to the ambient air
▪ Ideal Cycle that the working fluid undergoes in this closed loop is the Brayton Cycle

Gas Power Cycles
▪ Brayton cycle is made up of four internally reversible processes:
1-2 Isentropic compression (in a compressor)
2-3 Constant-pressure heat addition
3-4 Isentropic expansion (in a turbine)
4-1 Constant-pressure heat rejection

Gas Power Cycles
▪ Heat Transfers to and from the working fluid are:
▪ Thermal Efficiency of the Ideal Brayton Cycle :
𝑻𝟒 𝑻 𝟑
⇒ =
𝑻𝟏 𝑻 𝟐
⇒ where k : specific heat ratio

Gas Power Cycles
where k : specific heat ratio
⇒ under the Cold-air-standard Assumptions → Thermal Efficiency of an

Ideal Brayton Cycle depends on the Pressure Ratio of the gas turbine
and the Specific Heat Ratio of the working fluid
▪ The Thermal Efficiency increases with both rp and k → also the case
for Actual Gas Turbines
▪ Highest temperature in the cycle occurs at

the end of the combustion process → state 3
▪ it is limited by the maximum temperature

that the turbine blades can withstand

Gas Power Cycles
▪ For a Fixed Turbine Inlet Temperature T3, the Net Work Output
per Cycle increases with the Pressure Ratio, reaches a
maximum, and then starts to decrease
⇒ there should be a compromise between the pressure ratio
(thus the thermal efficiency) and the net work output
▪ With less work output per cycle, a larger mass flow rate (thus a
larger system) is needed to maintain the same power output,
which may not be economical
▪ In most common designs, the Pressure Ratio of Gas Turbines
ranges from about 11 to 16
▪ Air in Gas Turbines performs two important functions:

o It supplies the necessary oxidant for the combustion of the fuel
o It serves as a coolant to keep the temperature of various components
within safe limits
o In gas turbines, an air–fuel mass ratio of 50 or above is not uncommon
o => in a cycle analysis, treating the combustion gases as air does not
cause any appreciable error Mehanical Dept. UoB 42
Gas Power Cycles
▪ The two major application areas of gas-turbine engines are:
o Aircraft Propulsion
o Electric Power Generation
▪ Back Work Ratio: ratio of the compressor work to the turbine work
o In gas-turbine power plants → It is very high
o More than one-half of the turbine work output is used to drive the compressor
o This is quite high in contrast to steam power plants, where the back work ratio is only a few percent
▪ Work Ratio: ratio of the Net work out put of the Turbine to Gross work output of the Turbine
▪A power plant with a high back work ratio requires a larger

turbine to provide the additional power requirements of the
compressor
o ⇒ the turbines used in gas-turbine power plants are larger
than those used in steam power plants of the same net
power output

Gas Power Cycles
Deviation of Actual Gas-Turbine Cycles from Idealized Ones
▪ Reasons: Irreversibilities in turbine and compressors,

pressure drops, heat losses
▪ Isentropic efficiencies of the compressor and turbine

Gas Power Cycles
Example
A gas turbine unit has a pressure ratio of 10/1 and a maximum cycle
temperature of 700 °C. The isentropic efficiencies of the compressor and
turbine are 0.82 and 0.85, respectively. Calculate the power output of an electric
generator geared to the turbine when the air enters the compressor at 15 °C at
the rate of 15 kg/s. Take cp = 1.005 kJ/kg K and γ = 1.4 for the compression
process, and take cp = 1.11 kJ/kg K and γ = 1.333 for the expansion process.
Calculate the cycle efficiency and the back work ratio of the plant, assuming
that cp for the combustion process is 1.11 kJ/kg K

Gas Power Cycles
Example
A gas turbine unit has a pressure ratio of 10/1 and a maximum cycle temperature of 700
°C. The isentropic efficiencies of the compressor and turbine are 0.82 and 0.85,
respectively. Calculate the power output of an electric generator geared to the turbine when
the air enters the compressor at 15 °C at the rate of 15 kg/s. Take cp = 1.005 kJ/kg K and γ
= 1.4 for the compression process, and take cp = 1.11 kJ/kg K and γ = 1.333 for the
expansion process.
Calculate the cycle efficiency and the back work ratio of the plant, assuming that cp for the
combustion process is 1.11 kJ/kg K

Gas Power Cycles
Example
A gas turbine unit has a pressure ratio of 10/1 and a maximum cycle temperature of 700
°C. The isentropic efficiencies of the compressor and turbine are 0.82 and 0.85,
respectively. Calculate the power output of an electric generator geared to the turbine when
the air enters the compressor at 15 °C at the rate of 15 kg/s. Take cp = 1.005 kJ/kg K and γ
= 1.4 for the compression process, and take cp = 1.11 kJ/kg K and γ = 1.333 for the
expansion process.
Calculate the cycle efficiency and the back work ratio of the plant, assuming that cp for the
combustion process is 1.11 kJ/kg K

Gas Power Cycles
THE BRAYTON CYCLE WITH REGENERATION
▪ In gas-turbine engines, the temperature of the exhaust gas leaving the turbine is often considerably higher
than the temperature of the air leaving the compressor
o Therefore, the high-pressure air leaving the compressor can be heated by the hot exhaust gases in a
counter-flow heat exchanger (a Regenerator or a Recuperator)
o The Thermal Efficiency of the Brayton Cycle increases as a result of regeneration since less fuel is
used for the same work output

Gas Power Cycles
▪ The extent to which a regenerator approaches an ideal regenerator is called the Effectiveness ε
▪ Effectiveness under cold-air standard assumptions:
▪ A regenerator with a higher effectiveness obviously saves a greater

amount of fuel → it preheats the air to a higher temperature prior to
combustion
▪ Achieving a higher effectiveness requires the use of a larger
regenerator, which carries a Higher Price Tag and causes a larger
pressure drop
o the use of a regenerator with a very high effectiveness cannot

be justified economically unless the savings from the fuel costs
exceed theDept.
Mehanical additional
UoB expenses involved 49
Gas Power Cycles
▪ Under cold-air-standard assumptions, the thermal efficiency of an Ideal Brayton Cycle with regeneration:
o The thermal efficiency depends on the ratio of the minimum

to maximum temperatures as well as the pressure ratio
o Regeneration is most effective

at lower pressure ratios and
low minimum-to-maximum
temperature ratios

Gas Power Cycles
THE BRAYTON CYCLE WITH INTERCOOLING, REHEATING, AND REGENERATION
▪ The net work of a gas-turbine cycle is the difference between the turbine
work output and the compressor work input
o it can be increased by either decreasing the compressor work or
increasing the turbine work, or both
▪ Multistage compression with intercooling → The work required to

compress a gas between two specified pressures can be decreased by
carrying out the compression process in stages and cooling the gas in
between
o This keeps the specific volume as low as possible
▪ Multistage expansion with reheating → keeps the specific volume of the
working fluid as high as possible during an expansion process, thus
maximizing work output.
▪ The steady-flow compression or expansion work is proportional to the specific volume of the fluid
→ Specific volume of the working fluid should be as low as possible during a compression process and
as high as possible during an expansion process

Gas Power Cycles

Gas Power Cycles
▪ Work input to a two-stage compressor is minimized when

equal pressure ratios are maintained across each stage
▪ It can be shown that this procedure also maximizes the
turbine work output
⇒ for best performance:
▪ The Back Work Ratio of a Gas-turbine Cycle improves as a result

of intercooling and reheating
→ This does not mean that the Thermal Efficiency also improves
▪ Intercooling and Reheating always decreases the thermal

efficiency unless they are accompanied by regeneration

Gas Power Cycles
IDEAL JET-PROPULSION CYCLES
▪ Gas-turbine Engines are widely used to power Aircraft because they are
light and compact and have a high power-to-weight ratio.
▪ Aircraft gas turbines operate on an open cycle → jet-propulsion cycle

▪ jet-propulsion → Gases are not expanded to the ambient pressure in the
turbine
▪ Gases are expanded to a pressure such that the power produced by the
turbine is just sufficient to drive the compressor and the auxiliary
equipment
⇒ Net Work Output of a jet-propulsion cycle is zero
▪ Gases that exit the turbine at a relatively high pressure are subsequently accelerated in a nozzle to provide
the thrust to propel the aircraft
▪ Aircraft gas turbines operate at higher pressure ratios (typically between 10 and 25), and the fluid passes
through a diffuser first, where it is decelerated and its pressure is increased before it enters the
compressor
▪ Aircraft are propelled by accelerating a fluid in the opposite direction to motion.
Gas Power Cycles
Turbojet Engine
▪ 1-2: Pressure of air rises slightly as it is decelerated in the diffuser
▪ 2-3: Air is compressed by the compressor
▪ 3-4: Compressed air is mixed with fuel in combustion chamber → mixture is burned at constant pressure
▪ 4-5: High-pressure and high-temperature combustion gases partially expand in the turbine → producing
enough power to drive the compressor and other equipment
▪ 5-6: gases expand in a nozzle to the ambient pressure and leave the engine at a high velocity

Gas Power Cycles
Turbojet Engine
▪ Ideally,
turbine work is assumed to equal the compressor work -- Processes in the diffuser, the
compressor, the turbine, and the nozzle are assumed to be isentropic
▪ Thrustdeveloped in a turbojet engine is the unbalanced force that is caused by the difference in the
momentum of the low-velocity air entering the engine and the high-velocity exhaust gases leaving the
engine

Gas Power Cycles
Turbojet Engine
Desired output in a turbojet engine is the power produced to propel the aircraft WP , and the required
input is the heating value of the fuel Qin

Gas Power Cycles
A turbojet aircraft is flying with a velocity of 280 m/s at an altitude of 9150 m, where the ambient conditions are
32 kPa and -32 oC. The pressure ratio across the compressor is 12, and the temperature at the turbine inlet is 1100 K.
Air enters the compressor at a rate of 50 kg/s, and the jet fuel has a heating value of 42,700 kJ/kg. Assuming
ideal operation for all components and constant specific heats for air at room temperature, determine (a) the
velocity of the exhaust gases, (b) the propulsive power developed, and (c) the rate of fuel consumption.

Gas Power Cycles

Gas Power Cycles

Gas Power Cycles

Gas Power Cycles
kW

Gas Power Cycles
Practice Problems:
Book: Yunus Cengel 8th Ed. Ch. 9
▪Examples: 9-1 to 9-3, 9-5, 9-6, 9-9,

▪All other problems solved in the class/slides.

Ch-4 Gas Power Cycles

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ch-4 Gas Power Cycles

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ch-4: Gas Power Cycles

Mehanical Dept. UoB 1

▪ Two important areas of Application for Thermodynamics are:

Mehanical Dept. UoB 2

▪ Thermodynamic Cycles can also be categorized as:

▪ Heat Engines are categorized as:

Mehanical Dept. UoB 3

Derivation of the Efficiency of the Carnot Cycle

▪ Heat is transferred to the system during process 1-2

▪ Processes 2-3 and 4-1 are Isentropic

Thermal Efficiency of a Carnot Cycle is independent of the

Basic Considerations in the Analysis of Power Cycles

▪ Most power-producing devices operate on Cycles

▪ Cycles encountered in Actual Devices are difficult to analyze because of:

▪A Simple Idealized Model enables engineers to study the effects

Mehanical Dept. UoB 5

Basic Considerations in the Analysis of Power Cycles

1. The cycle does not involve any Friction

2. All expansion and compression processes take place in a Quasi-Equilibrium manner

Mehanical Dept. UoB 6

▪ Energy is provided by burning a fuel within the system boundaries

Mehanical Dept. UoB 7

▪ Working fluid is air, which continuously circulates in a

▪ All the processes that make up the cycle are internally

▪ The combustion process is replaced by a heat-addition

▪ The exhaust process is replaced by a heat-rejection process

Mehanical Dept. UoB 8

AN OVERVIEW OF RECIPROCATING ENGINES

AN OVERVIEW OF RECIPROCATING ENGINES

Mehanical Dept. UoB 10

AN OVERVIEW OF RECIPROCATING ENGINES

▪ Mean Effective Pressure (MEP) — fictitious pressure that, if it acted on

→ It is used as a parameter to compare the performances of

Mehanical Dept. UoB 11

Mehanical Dept. UoB 12

→ This can be corrected by including intake and exhaust strokes in

0-1: Air-fuel mixture (approximated as Air) enters the cylinder

→ These two processes cancel each other as

Processes 1-2 and 3-4 are isentropic, and v2 = v3 and v4 = v1

⇒ Where = Compression Ratio

and k is the specific heat ratio cp /cv

▪ increase in Thermal Efficiency with the Compression Ratio is not

▪ Actual Engines contains larger molecules such as carbon

▪ thermal efficiencies of actual spark-ignition engines range from

▪ For a given compression ratio and/or k, the Thermal Efficiency of

Mehanical Dept. UoB 18

Mehanical Dept. UoB 19

Mehanical Dept. UoB 20

Mehanical Dept. UoB 21

Mehanical Dept. UoB 22

Mehanical Dept. UoB 23

Mehanical Dept. UoB 24

▪ In CI engines (Diesel Engines) → air is compressed to a temperature

▪ DieselEngines can be designed to operate at much higher

▪ Fuel Injection Process in diesel engines starts when the piston

If Cutoff Ratio rc: Ratio of the cylinder volumes after and

Since V4 = V1 and P3 = P2 → divide the second equation

Mehanical Dept. UoB 28

Mehanical Dept. UoB 29

⇒ → when both cycles operate on the same

→ Diesel Engines operate at much higher

Mehanical Dept. UoB 30

▪ Entire combustion process can better be modeled as the combination