Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach, 6th Edition

Yunus A. Cengel, Michael A. Boles

McGraw-Hill, 2008

Chapter 9

GAS POWER CYCLES

(Part 1a)

Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Objectives
1. Evaluate the performance of gas power cycles.

2. Develop simplifying assumptions applicable to gas power cycles.

3. Review the operation of reciprocating engines.
4. Analyze both closed and open gas power cycles.
5. Solve problems based on the Otto and Diesel cycles.
6. Solve problems based on the Brayton cycle; Brayton cycle with regeneration;
and Brayton cycle with intercooling, reheating, and regeneration.
7. Identify simplifying assumptions and perform second-law analysis on gas
power cycles.

Basic Considerations In Power Cycles Analysis

Most power-producing devices operate on cycles.
Ideal cycle: A cycle that resembles the actual cycle
closely but is made up totally of internally reversible
processes is called an ideal cycle.
Recall: Thermal efficiency of heat engines

Reversible cycles such as Carnot cycle have the

highest thermal efficiency of all heat engines operating
between the same temperature levels.

Unlike ideal cycles, they are totally reversible, and

unsuitable as a realistic model.

The analysis of many complex

processes can be reduced to a
manageable level by utilizing
some idealizations.

Idealizations (simplifications) in the analysis of power cycles

On a T-s diagram, the ratio of the area
enclosed by the cyclic curve to the area
under the heat-addition process curve
represents the thermal efficiency of the
cycle.

1. The cycle does not involve any friction. Therefore,

the working fluid does not experience any pressure
drop as it flows in pipes or 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, so heat transfer
through them is negligible.

Care should be exercised in the

interpretation of the results from
ideal cycles.

On both P-v and T-s diagrams, the area enclosed by the

process curve represents the net work of the cycle.

Carnot Cycle - Its Value In Engineering

The Carnot cycle is composed of 4 totally reversible
processes: isothermal heat addition, isentropic expansion,
isothermal heat rejection, and isentropic compression.
For both ideal and actual cycles: Thermal
efficiency increases with an increase in the
average temperature at which heat is supplied
to the system or with a decrease in the
average temperature at which heat is rejected
from the system.

P-v and T-s diagrams of a Carnot cycle.

Example: A steady-flow Carnot engine.

Air-standard Assumptions

The combustion process is replaced by a

heat-addition process in ideal cycles.

1. The working fluid is air, which continuously

circulates in a closed loop and always
behaves as an ideal gas.
2. All the processes that make up the cycle
are internally reversible.
3. The combustion process is replaced by a
heat-addition process from an external
source.
4. The exhaust process is replaced by a
heat-rejection process that restores the
working fluid to its initial state.

Cold-air-standard assumptions: When the working fluid is considered to be air

with constant specific heats at room temperature (25C).
Air-standard cycle: A cycle for which the air-standard assumptions are
applicable.

Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach, 6th Edition

Yunus A. Cengel, Michael A. Boles
McGraw-Hill, 2008

Chapter 9

GAS POWER CYCLES

(Part 1b)

Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Problem
Otto Cycle

934
An ideal Otto cycle has a compression ratio of 8. At the beginning of the
compression process, air is at 95 kPa and 27C, and 750 kJ/kg of heat is
transferred to air during the constant-volume heat-addition process. Assuming
that the specific heats are constant with temperature, determine:
a) the pressure & temperature at the end of heat addition process,
b) the net work output,
c) the thermal efficiency, and
d) the mean effective pressure for the cycle.
Answers: (a) 3898 kPa, 1539 K, (b) 392.4 kJ/kg, (c) 52.3 percent, (d ) 495 kPa

Overview of Reciprocating Engines

The reciprocating engine (basically a pistoncylinder device) is an invention that
has proved to be very versatile and has a wide range of applications.

Reciprocating engine is the

powerhouse of the vast majority of
automobiles, trucks, light aircraft,
ships, electric power generators,
and many other devices.

Basic Components
The piston reciprocates in the cylinder between two fixed positions called the top dead
centre (TDC) - the position that forms the smallest volume in the cylinder - and the bottom
dead centre (BDC) - position that forms the largest volume in the cylinder.
The distance between TDC and BDC is called the stroke of
the engine. The diameter of the piston is called the bore.

Compression ratio:

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Performance Characteristics
Net work output per cycle:

Mean effective pressure (MEP):

A fictitious pressure that, if it is acted on the piston
during the entire power stroke, would produce the
same amount of net work as that produced during the
actual cycle.

Classifications of IC Engines:
1. Spark-ignition (SI) or Petrol engines
2. Compression-ignition (CI) or Diesel
engines

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Otto Cycle: Ideal Spark-Ignition Engines Cycle

The piston executes four complete strokes within the cylinder. The crankshaft
completes two revolutions for each thermodynamic cycle.
These engines are called four-stroke IC engines.

12
Actual and ideal cycles in spark-ignition engines on a P-v diagram.

T-s Diagram of Ideal Otto Cycle

IC Engines Classifications:
Four-stroke cycle
1 cycle = 4 stroke = 2 revolutions of crankshaft
Two-stroke cycle
1 cycle = 2 stroke = 1 revolution of crankshaft
Sequence of processes:

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Two-Stroke IC Engines
In two-stroke engines, all four functions described earlier are executed in two
strokes: the power and compression stroke.
Generally less efficient, but are relatively simple and inexpensive. They have high
power-to-weight and power-to-volume ratios.

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Thermal Efficiency of Otto Cycle

The heat supplied to the working fluid during
constant-volume heating (combustion),

The heat rejected from the working fluid during

constant-volume cooling (exhaust),

Temperature-volume relation,
Thermal efficiency,

Cold-air standard assumption.

Compression ratio,

15

Problem
Otto Cycle

934B
Reconsider the ideal Otto cycle in Problem 9-34. Assuming that the specific
heats vary with temperature, determine:
a) the pressure & temperature at the end of heat addition process,
b) the net work output,
c) the thermal efficiency, and
d) the mean effective pressure for the cycle.
Answers: (a) 3898 kPa, 1539 K, (b) 392.4 kJ/kg, (c) 52.3 percent, (d ) 495 kPa

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Problem
Otto Cycle

937
The compression ratio of an air-standard Otto cycle is 9.5. Prior to the isentropic
compression process, the air is at 100 kPa, 35C, and 600 cm3. The temperature
at the end of the isentropic expansion process is 800 K. Using specific heat
values at room temperature, determine:
a) the highest temperature and pressure in the cycle;
b) the amount of heat transferred in, in kJ;
c) the thermal efficiency; and
d) the mean effective pressure.
Answers: (a) 1969 K, 6072 kPa, (b) 0.59 kJ, (c) 59.4 percent, (d) 652 kPa

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Problem
Otto Cycle

Class Exercise

939E
An ideal Otto cycle with air as the working fluid has a compression ratio of 8. The
minimum and maximum temperatures in the cycle are 300 K and 1340 K.
Accounting for the variation of specific heats with temperature, determine:
a) the amount of heat transferred to the air during heat-addition process,
b) the thermal efficiency, and
c) the thermal efficiency of a Carnot cycle operating between the same
temperature limits.

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Engine Knock (Autoignition)

Premature ignition of the fuel produces audible noise called engine knock. It hurts
performance and causes engine damage.
Autoignition places upper limit on compression ratios that can be used in SI engines.
Specific heat ratio, k affects the thermal efficiency of the Otto cycle.

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Problem
Otto Cycle

941
A four-cylinder, four-stroke, 2.2-L gasoline engine operates on the Otto cycle with
a compression ratio of 10. The air is at 100 kPa and 60C at the beginning of the
compression process, and the maximum pressure in the cycle is 8 MPa. The
compression and expansion processes may be modeled as polytropic with an
index of 1.3. Using constant specific heats at 850 K, determine:
a) the temperature at the end of the expansion process,
b) the net work output and the thermal efficiency,
c) the mean effective pressure,
d) the engine speed for a net power output of 70 kW, and
e) the specific fuel consumption, in g/kWh, defined as the ratio of the mass
of the fuel consumed to the net work produced.
Note: The airfuel ratio, defined as the amount of air divided by the amount of
fuel intake, is 16.
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Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach, 6th Edition

Yunus A. Cengel, Michael A. Boles
McGraw-Hill, 2008

Chapter 9

GAS POWER CYCLES

(Part 1c)

Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Problem
Diesel Cycle

947
An air-standard Diesel cycle has a compression ratio of 16 and a cutoff ratio of
2. At the beginning of the compression process, air is at 95 kPa and 27C.
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.
Answers: (a) 1724.8 K, (b) 56.3 percent, (c) 675.9 kPa

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Diesel Cycle: Ideal Cycle for CI Engines

In diesel engines, only air is compressed during the compression stroke, eliminating
the possibility of autoignition. These engines can be designed to operate at higher
compression ratios, typically between 12 and 24.
Fuels that are less refined (thus less expensive) can be used in diesel engines.
The combustion process takes place over a
longer interval - fuel injection starts when
the piston approaches TDC and continues
during the first part of power stroke.
Hence, combustion process in the ideal
Diesel cycle is approximated as a constantpressure heat-addition process.

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Sequence of processes:
1-2 Isentropic compression
2-3 Constant-pressure heat addition
3-4 Isentropic expansion
4-1 Constant-volume heat rejection.
Note:
Petrol and diesel engines differ only in the
manner the heat addition (or combustion)
process takes place.
It is approximated as a constant volume
process in the petrol engine cycle and as a
constant pressure process in the Diesel
engine cycle.

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Thermal Efficiency of Diesel Cycle

Heat supplied to the working fluid during the
constant-pressure heating (combustion),

Heat rejected from the working fluid during the

constant-volume cooling (exhaust),

Thermal efficiency of Diesel cycle (general),

- constant specific heats

Cutoff ratio,

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Problem

Skip

Diesel Cycle

951
An ideal diesel engine has a compression ratio of 20 and uses air as the working
fluid. The state of air at the beginning of the compression process is 95 kPa and
20C. If the maximum temperature in the cycle is not to exceed 2200 K,
determine:
a) the thermal efficiency, and
b) the mean effective pressure.
Assume constant specific heats for air at room temperature.
Answers: (a) 63.5 percent, (b) 933 kPa

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Problem

Skip

Diesel Cycle

954
A four-cylinder two-stroke 2.4-L diesel engine that operates on an ideal Diesel
cycle has a compression ratio of 17 and a cutoff ratio of 2.2. Air is at 55C and 97
kPa at the beginning of the compression process.
Using the cold-air standard assumptions, determine how much power the
engine will deliver at 1500 rpm.

27

For the same compression ratio, thermal efficiency of Otto cycle is greater than that
of the Diesel cycle.
As the cutoff ratio decreases, the thermal
efficiency of the Diesel cycle increases.

Thermal efficiencies of large diesel engines

range from about 35 to 40 percent.

When rc =1, the efficiencies of the Otto

and Diesel cycles are identical.

Higher efficiency and lower fuel costs

make diesel engines attractive in
applications such as in locomotive engines,
emergency power generation units, large
ships, and heavy trucks.

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Problem
Diesel Cycle

9-59
A six-cylinder, four-stroke, 4.5-L compression-ignition engine operates on the
ideal Diesel cycle with a compression ratio of 17. The air is at 95 kPa and 55C
at the beginning of the compression process and the engine speed is 2000 rpm.
The engine uses light diesel fuel with a heating value of 42,500 kJ/kg, an airfuel
ratio of 24, and a combustion efficiency of 98 percent. Using constant specific
heats at 850 K, determine:
a) the maximum temperature in the cycle and the cutoff ratio,
b) the net work output per cycle and the thermal efficiency,
c) the mean effective pressure,
d ) the net power output, and
e) the specific fuel consumption, in g/kWh, defined as the ratio of the
mass of the fuel consumed to the net work produced.
Answers: (a) 2383 K, 2.7 (b) 4.36 kJ, 0.543, (c) 969 kPa, (d ) 72.7 kW, (e) 159 g/kWh
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Dual Cycle: Realistic Ideal Cycle for CI Engines

Approximating the combustion process as
a constant-volume or a constant-pressure
heat-addition process is overly simplistic
and not quite realistic.
A better approach would be to model the
combustion process in both SI and CI
engines as a combination of two heattransfer processes, one at constant volume
and the other at constant pressure.
The ideal cycle based on this concept is
called the dual cycle.

Note: Both the Otto and the Diesel cycles can be obtained
as special cases of the dual cycle.

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