Team Power Plant (Simple Rankine Cycle)
The model that is used to predict functioning of a steam turbine is known as Rankine cycle. This is an ideal thermodynamic cycle that is associated with converting heat to mechanical work. The heat that has to be converted is supplied via loops which are closed and makes use of water as the cooling fluid. It is symbiotic to the process of operating steam engines that are found in thermal power generation plants. Mostly nuclear fission and coal, oil, natural gas is the source of heat.
Process 1-2:
Condenser has low pressure while boiler has high pressure and water is pumped into it. It is reversely adiabatic.
Process 2-3:
Heat is added to boiler and water is converted to steam.
Process 3-4
Reverse adiabatic function takes place within the turbine
Process 4-1
There is constant pressure associated with it.
Further explanation:
Pumping process:
At first step, liquid and vapor is mixed and this in the second step gives rise to saturated liquid. So vapor is condensed completely and pump has only liquid. Rankin cycle is based on this.
Vapor being super-heated:
In the third stage there is constant pressure to vapor. In case of Carnot, heat transfer operation is carried out in this temperature and in the third stag vapor is superheated. But during this process pressure drops and when heat is transferred to vapor an expansion process is carried on. For steam power plant, this process can be approximated.
Process Description
1-2 Adiabatic pumping in reversible form
2-3 Constant pressure heat addition
3-4 Adiabatic expansion in turbine in reversible form
4-1 constant pressure heat reduction in the condenser
Comparison between Carnot Cycle and Rankine Cycle
Carnot cycle ·
=> 1′- 2′- 3-4-1′
Rankine cycle
=> 1-2-2′-3-3′-4′-1
Links of Previous Main Topic:-
- Conversion of work into heat
- Introduction to carnot cycle
- Clausius inequality entropy and irreversibility introduction
- Ideal gas or perfect gas
- Introduction about air standard cycles
- Properties of pure substances introduction
- Heating of pure substances other than ice
- Temperature enthalphy graph formation of steam
- Temperature and specific entropy diagram for steam
- The process of thermodynamic and their various properties
- Types of steam table
- Mollier diagram h s axis
Links of Next Mechanical Engineering Topics:-
