REVIEW OF THERMODYNAMIC CYCLES

THE RANKINE CYCLE

SIMPLIFIED STEAM POWER CYCLE
SIMPLE RANKINE POWER CYCLE

No saturated steam must enter the condenser, i.e.,

point D must be within the vapour boundary

The exhaust wetness in the last turbine stage must

not exceed 12%, i.e., DD' must be less than 12%
of AD’

Material properties limit the maximum temperature

within the cycle
SUPERHEAT CYCLE
REHEAT CYCLE

Reduced wetness in the turbine

exhaust

The turbine is usually split into HP and

LP cylinders to avoid the high thermal
gradients
REGENERATIVE FEEDHEATING

There will be a small loss of work available from the

bled-steam not expanding in the turbine; however,
this loss is outweighed by the gain in cycle
efficiency
POWER CYCLE

Rankine cycle with reheat and regenerative feedheating Comparison of isentropic and
actual turbine expansions
ACTUAL TURBINE EXPANSION

Mollier chart for actual turbine expansion

HEAT RATE
• Heat Rate = Heat input from boiler/Electric output from generator

• The heat rate is determined by measurement of various plant operating

parameters:

• Flow rate, using a differential pressure device.

• Enthalpy, based on calibrated pressure and temperature measurement
• Electric power, based on calibrated voltage and current measurements
CYCLE USED FOR DERIVATION OF HEAT RATE
DEVIATION OF HEAT RATE

Turbine heat rates increase due to:

• Deterioration of cylinder clearances
• Deterioration in feedheating efficiency
• Poor control of superheat and reheat
temperature, (particularly in older
designs)
EFFECT OF STEAM INLET CONDITION

• The criteria which affect the choice of

inlet steam condition are discussed
earlier
TERMINAL CONDITIONS

The effect of increasing pressure on The effect of increasing both pressure and
available energy temperature upon available energy
EFFECTS OF REHEAT CONDITIONS

Boundary conditions
for a reheat line and
the effect of
changing pressure at
constant
temperature

The effect of variation in reheat temperature