Thermodynamic

Cycles
Carlos Silva
November 18th 2009
THERMODYNAMIC
PROCESSES
Different Processes

Isobaric Isometric Isothermal

ΔT = 0 but Q ≠ 0

Adiabatic Cyclic
ΔT ≠ 0 but Q = 0 If clockwise – heat engine
If counterclockwise – heat pump
THERMODYNAMIC CYCLES
Ideal (Carnot) Cycle

Carnot Theorem
• No engine operating between two heat reservoirs can be more
efficient than a Carnot engine operating between those same
reservoirs

Pressure-Volume Temperature-Entropy
Real Cycles

There are no ideal cycles

• Irreversible systems, losses of heat
Types of Cycles

Heat Engine
• Rankine
Gas Power Systems
• Brayton
Internal Combustion Engines
• Otto, Diesel,Stirling, Atckison
Refrigeration
Heat Pump
Air Conditioning
HEAT ENGINE
Heat Engines

Converts thermal energy (heat) to mechanical output (work)

The working fluids are gases and liquids.
Phase change cycles
• The engine converts the working fluid from a gas to a liquid.
• Rankine
• Regenerative
Gas cycles
• The working fluid is always gas
• Carnot
• Stirling
Rankine (Classical steam engine)

Generation power plants

• practical Carnot Cycle
• heat addition and ejection are isobaric (and not isothermal)
Working fluid is alternatively vaporized and condensed
PV vs TS diagrams
Alternative Rankine cycles

Super Heat Reheat Regenerative

Reheat and Regenerative
Efficiencies

Unmodified Rankine Rankine Cycle

Cycle Efficiencies
Cycle with Regeneration
Carnot efficiency 52.6% 52.6%
Thermal efficiency 36.2% 38.4%
% Increase in Power
0% 6.1%
Generation
mean temperature of
226.7 C 251.5 C
heat addition
GAS POWER SYSTEMS
Brayton Cycle (Joule Cycle)

Usually used in gas turbines

• Basis of jet engines
Examples

1968 Howmet TX
480 MW GE unit

J85 GE unit Jet Engine diagram

A-37 Dragonfly
Combined Cycle

Combining Rankine and Brayton cycles

INTERNAL COMBUSTION
Special type of heat engines

Combustion of fuel used to produce work

directly
• in heat engines is used to heat the fluid
• the expansion of the high temperature and
pressure gases, produced by the
combustion, directly applies force to a
movable component of the engine, such as
the pistons or turbine blades and by moving
it over a distance, generate useful
mechanical energy
• combustion is usually intermittent
Otto engine

Gasoline vehicles
• External ignition
• Octane rating- measure of the resistance
of gasoline and other fuels to detonate at
constant volume.
• The higher the value, the slower the fuel
burns
Diesel engine

Diesel cars
• no external ignition
• highest efficiency due to compression
ration
• low speed engines can exceed 50%
• Diesel Cetanes
• combustion quality during compression
ingnition
Stirling Cycle

Similar to Otto cycle

• replace adiabatic per isothermals
Used in Micro CHP
Atkison Cycle

four-stroke cycle to occur in a single turn of the crankshaft

designed to bypass patents covering the existing Otto cycle engines
REFRIGERATION AND HEAT
PUMP
Vapor compression cycle

Refrigerator vapor
• Freon
Heat Pump

Can pump heat in two directions

• reversing valve
Absorption Heat Pump

Heated by gas, solar thermal, etc..

Air Conditioning

Refrigerator + resistance
Heat pump