Brayton Cycle

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Brayton Cycle Open-cycle gas-turbine

Constant pressure heat addition

Isentropic compression

Isentropic expansion

Constant pressure heat rejection

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Brayton Cycle closed-cycle gas turbine

Constant pressure heat addition

Isentropic compression

Isentropic expansion

Constant pressure heat rejection

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T-s and P-v Diagrams

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Brayton Cycle Thermal Efficiency

From conservation of energy (First Law):

(q in q out ) + (w in w out ) = h exit h inlet q in = h 3 h 2 = cp (T3 T2 ) q out = h 4 h1 = cp (T4 T1 ) cp (T4 T1 ) w net q out th ,Brayton = = 1 = 1 q in cp (T3 T2 ) q in T1 (T4 T1 1) = 1 T2 (T3 T2 1)
Process 1-2 and 3-4 are isentropic and P2=P3 and P4=P1, thus:

T2 P2 = T1 P1
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( k 1 ) k

P3 = P4

( k 1 ) k

T3 T4

th ,Brayton = 1
p2 rp = p1

( rpk 1 ) k
5

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Air Standard Assumptions

The 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. A cycle for which the air-standard assumptions are applicable is frequently referred to as an air-standard cycle.

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Cold-air Assumption
Another assumption that is often utilized to simplify the analysis even more is that air has constant specific heats whose values are determined at room temperature (25C, or 77F). When this assumption is utilized, the airstandard assumptions are called the cold-airstandard assumptions. A cycle for which the cold-air assumptions are applicable is frequently referred to as a cold-air cycle.
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Example
A gas-turbine power plant operating on an ideal Brayton cycle has a pressure ratio of 8. The gas temperature is 300 K at the compressor inlet and 1300 K at the turbine inlet. Utilizing the airstandard assumptions, determine (a) the gas temperature at the exits of the compressor and the turbine, (b) the back work ratio, and (c) the thermal efficiency.

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Solution
A power plant operating on the ideal Brayton cycle is considered. The compressor and turbine exit temperatures, back work ratio, and the thermal efficiency are to be determined. Assumptions:
Steady operating conditions exist The air-standard assumptions are applicable Kinetic and potential energy changes are negligible The variation of specific heats with temperature is to be considered.

Analysis: The T-s diagram of the ideal Brayton cycle described is shown. We note that the components involved in the Brayton cycle are steady-flow devices.
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Solution (a)

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Solution (b)

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Solution (c)

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Deviations from Ideal Cycle

Compressor Efficiency:

w s h 2s h1 c = = w a h 2a h1
Turbine Efficiency:

w a h 3 h 4a t = = w s h 3 h 4s

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Example Actual Gas-turbine Cycle

Assuming a compressor efficiency of 80 percent and a turbine efficiency of 85 percent for the previous example, determine (a) the back work ratio, (b) the thermal efficiency, and (c) the turbine exit temperature of the gas-turbine cycle discussed in the previous example

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Solution (a)
(a) The T-s diagram of the cycle is shown in the figure. The actual compressor work and turbine work are determined by using the definitions of compressor and turbine efficiencies:

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Solution (b)

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Solution (c)

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Gas-turbine engine with regenerator

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. Therefore, the high-pressure air leaving the compressor can be heated by transferring heat to it from the hot exhaust gases in a counter-flow heat exchanger, which is also known as a regenerator or a recuperator.

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Why Regeneration?
The thermal efficiency of the Brayton cycle increases as a result of regeneration since the portion of energy of the exhaust gases that is normally rejected to the surroundings is now used to preheat the air entering the combustion chamber. This, in turn, decreases the heat input (thus fuel) requirements for the same net work output. Note, however, that the use of a regenerator is recommended only when the turbine exhaust temperature is higher than the compressor exit temperature. Otherwise, heat will flow in the reverse direction (tothe exhaust gases), decreasing the efficiency. This situation is encountered ingas-turbine engines operating at very high pressure ratios.
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Gas-turbine engine with regenerator T-s diagram

The highest temperature occurring within the regenerator is T4, the temperature of the exhaust gases leaving the turbine and entering the regenerator. Under no conditions can the air be preheated in the regenerator to a temperature above this value. Air normally leaves the regenerator at a lower temperature, T5. In the limiting (ideal) case, the air exits the regenerator at the inlet temperature of the exhaust gases T4.

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Regenerator Effectiveness
Assuming the regenerator to be well insulated and any changes in kinetic and potential energies to be negligible, the actual and maximum heat transfers from the exhaust gases to the air can be expressed as

q regen ,act = h 5 h 2 q regen , max = h 5' h 2 = h 4 h 2

The extent to which a regenerator approaches an ideal regenerator is called the effectiveness, , and is defined as

=
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q regen ,act q regen ,max

h5 h2 = h4 h2
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Cold-air Assumptions
When the cold-airstandard assumptions are utilized, it reduces to
T5 T2 T4 T2
Under the cold-air-standard assumptions, the thermal efficiency of an ideal Brayton cycle with regeneration is:

th ,regen
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T1 (k 1 ) k = 1 (rp ) T 3
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