9.

The Rankine Cycle

The Rankine Cycle is a power delivery cycle that uses Section 10-1& 10-2
steam as a working fluid. It is also called the Vapour
Power Cycle. In a way, the processes in the cycle are
similar to the Brayton cycle, however, in the Rankine
Cycle; water changes form liquid, to superheated steam
and saturated mixture. As seen from Figure 10-2, the
four processes in the cycle are:
1. Liquid water is pumped to very high pressure.
2. The high-pressure liquid water is heated in the Note that the need to
boiler into superheated steam. lose heat to convert
saturated steam into
3. Steam is allowed to expand by flowing through liquid water as
a turbine and hence produces work. The steam pumping liquid
leaving the turbine at a much lower pressure water to high
(almost atmospheric) and is most likely to be in pressure required
a saturated state of liquid-steam mixture. much less energy
4. A condenser is required to cool the saturated than compressing
water (taking the heat energy out) into saturated vapour.
liquid (quality, x, is zero). Back to process #1.

In the ideal Rankine Cycle, the process in the turbine Section 10-2
and the pump are isentropic. In the T-s diagram (Figure
10-2) process from state 1 to 2 & 3 to 4 are vertical
lines. In other words, the entropy s1 = s2 & s3 = s4 .
This condition is the key to the analysis of the cycle.
The control volume analysis is applicable to the
analysis of the processes in cycle.
The usual assumptions are: PE = KE = 0. The energy
equation for the four processes are as given in the
textbook: Note that the
formulae follow the
1. Pump: wp = h2 − h1 (wp is positive). textbook and make
2. Boiler: qin = h3 − h2 . all the values of w’s
3. Turbine: w = h − h & q’s positive.
T 3 4

4. Condenser: qout = h4 − h1 (qout is positive)

The net specific work output is
wnet = wT − wp = qin − qout
The thermal efficiency of the cycle is given by:
ηth = wnwt / qin = 1 − qout / qin

ENG234 Thermodynamics 2009 page: 1

 If the sign convention of the energy equations were to Section 10-2
follow, that is:
q = hout − hin + w
the equations for these four process should take the
forms:
1 Pump: w p = h1 − h2
2 Boiler: qin = h3 − h2
3 Turbine: wT = h3 − h4
4 Condenser: qout = h1 − h4
The net work output becomes
wnet = wT + wp = qin + qout

Example 10-1 is a typical problem in Rankine Cycle.

Remember that water is a simple substance and the
“State Postulate” states that two intensive properties are
required to define the state of the substance. In a
problem like Example 10-1, the given properties at
various states are the pressure and temperature.
The evaluation of the enthalpy at various states is
essential for solving the problem.
Consider that the pressure and temperature are given in
State 3, the enthalpy, h3, can be interpolated from the
steam tables. Since the process in the turbine is
isentropic, the entropy, s3 = s4, and hence s3 has to be
interpolated.
The enthalpy in State 4, h4 can be evaluated from s3
(=s4), and P4 (which is given) as follow:
1. Knowing that State 4 is in saturated state, P4
from the saturated tables will give the entropies,
sg & sf for the gas and liquid phases.
2. The quality of the mixture, x, can be calculated
from the equation: s4 = (1 − x ) s f + xsg .
3. The enthalpy at State 4 is given by:
h4 = (1 − x ) h f + xhg

ENG234 Thermodynamics 2009 page: 2

At the inlet to the pump, State 1, the pressure or the
temperature will be given. As the liquid water is in the
saturated state, the enthalpy, h1, is the same as hf.
For liquid water passing through the water pump, the
exit water is “compressed water” since the pressure is
rather high. Using the equation for work done by water
pump:
wp = v1 ( P2 − P1 ) and h2 – wp + h1
Note: This equation came for fluid mechanics.
To begin with:
wp = h2 − h1 u2 + P2 v2 − u1 − Pv
1 1

Next is to neglect the change in internal energy. Note this is a special

wp u2 + P2 v2 − u1 − Pv
1 1 P2 v2 − Pv
1 1
case where w = v∆P

and assumes that the specific volume of water is

virtually constant under pressure,
wp P2 v2 − Pv
1 1 v1 ( P2 − P1 )
Note also that there is not heat transfer and the
process is adiabatic which is approximated to This assumption is not
isentropic for the case of a pump. applicable to Turbine.
In this way, the enthalpies in all States known and
works, w’s, and heat transfer, q’s, can be calculated.

The actual vapour power cycle deviated from the Section 10-3
idealised cycle is shown in Figure 10-4 (a) & (b).
Our analysis is focus on the case of Fig. 10-4 (b). In
this case, the process paths for the turbine and pump are
not isentropic. As dictated by the Second Law, these
processes increase entropy and hence these paths are
sloping toward the right of the T-s diagram.

ENG234 Thermodynamics 2009 page: 3

Consider the case of the actual turbine operation. In
contrast to the isentropic turbine, the exit condition of the
turbine has to be given: either P4 and x4 (for saturated
steam) or P4 and T4 (for superheated steam).
On the other hand is the isentropic efficiency, ηT , is See Eqn 10-11 for
definition of
given, then the approach is to calculate the isentropic
isentropic efficiency
work of the turbine as before and obtain the actual turbine
for turbine.
work, as well as the actual enthalpy at turbine exit by the
formulae: Note that the
subscript, s, denote
( wT )actual = ( wT )isen ×ηT and ( h4 )actual = h3 − ( wT ) actual the end of an
isentropic process.

Similar treatment applies to the case of water pump, See Eqn 10-10 for
except that the isentropic efficiency of a pump, η p , is isentropic efficiency
defined as the (isentropic work)/(actual work), hence: of a pump.

(w )
p actual = ( wp )
isen
/ η p and ( h2 )actual = h1 − ( wp )
actual

This section deals with methods of increasing the thermal Section 10-4
efficiency of the Rankine Cycle.
For a given amount of heat input, more work can be
extracted form the turbine is the exhaust pressure can be
reduced, see Figure 10-6. By increasing the pressure drop
across the turbine, the difference in enthalpy will also
increase. Although there will also be an increase in the
work done to the pump, but this marginal increase in
pump work is more than compensated by the increase of
turbine output.
Another way is to increase the boiler temperature, see
Figure 10-7. Here in increase of heat input to the boiler
has delivered a far more work output from the turbine.
The increase of boiler pressure (as shown in Fog 10-8) is
a more complicated issue in terms of increasing
efficiency. However, that is what has been done in the
history of power generation. Detail is described in this
section.
Example 10-3 compared the efficiency of three cases: the
original cycle; by increasing boiler temperature and by
increase boiler pressure.
Note that one of the possible disadvantages of increasing
the boiler pressure is that the exhaust steam form the
turbine may ends up with a higher moisture (lower value
of x, the quality). In other words, there will be moisture
at the final stage of the turbine and that is undesirable.

ENG234 Thermodynamics 2009 page: 4

ENG234 Thermodynamics 2009 page: 5
To overcome the above mentioned disadvantage of Section 10-5
increasing boiler pressure is to find a way to shift the state .
of turbine exhaust further to the right of the T-s diagram.
One of the ways is to achieving this is to have two
turbines in cascade: a high-pressure turbine follows by a
low-pressure turbine as shown in Figure 10-11.
The steam passes through the high pressure turbine Example 10-4
operating from State 3 to State 4 is then reheated in the Illustrate the
boiler to State 5 before passing through the low pressure computation of a
turbine. Reheat Rankine
The total output from the two turbines is: Cycle.
wT = ( h3 − h4 ) + ( h5 − h6 ) Note that P4 = P5.

In a regenerating cycle part of the steam in the turbine is Section 10-6

channel off to heat the water before it enters the boiler.
Note the mixing of
Say a portion of the mass flow to the turbine, y, is bleed
fluids from State 6
off to an Open Feedwater Heater to heat the water form and State 3. In the
the exhaust from the turbine before being pumped into the
T-s diagram, the
boiler. This required two pumps as shown in Figure 10- resulting mixture,
15.
State 3, lied
Equations 10-14 to 10-17 show the relevant equation for between 3 & 6 in
this cycle. the T=-s diagram.
For a Closed Feedwater Heater System, a heat
exchanger is required to use the hot steam bled from the
Note again in the T-
turbine to heat up the condensed water from the turbine
s diagram, that the
exhaust. These two fluid is then allowed to mixed before
mixed fluid at 5 lies
enter the boiler. between the two
Again, two pumps are required (see Figure 10-16). incoming fluids, 4
& 9.
The reason:
The mixture will
have the mass-
weighted properties
of the original
components.

ENG234 Thermodynamics 2009 page: 6