School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh

Engineering Thermodynamics 2

Tutorial 9 – Brayton Cycles

Note: numerical solution are based on one approach to solving the tutorial questions.
Other approaches can also be correct and could lead to slightly different numerical
answers.

Conceptual Questions:

1. Why is the back work ratio much higher for the Brayton cycle than it would be for
the Rankine cycle?

2. Why would one consider to operate a combined Brayton-Rankine cycle system

for a power plant?

3. How do inefficiencies of the turbine and the compressor affect the

a. Back work ratio?
b. Thermal efficiency of the Brayton cycle?

Problem Solving Questions

4. A gas-turbine power plant operating on an ideal Brayton cycle has a pressure
ratio of 9. Air enters the compressor at 300 K, 100 kPa and enters the turbine at
1300 K.
a) Determine the maximum pressure in the cycle.
b) Determine the back work ratio.
c) Calculate the thermal efficiency.
[ans: a) Pmax = 900 kPa , b) BWR = 0.43, c) 𝜼𝒕𝒉 = 𝟒𝟔. 𝟔%]

5. Consider an ideal closed Brayton cycle in which air enters the compressor at
300K, 100 kPa. Combustion adds 860 kJ/kg of heat in the burner. The maximum
temperature is 1500 K. Assume air as an ideal gas with constant specific heats,
CP = 1.004 kJ/kgK, R = 0.287 kJ/kgK.
a) Determine the pressure ratio.
b) Determine the highest pressure in the cycle.
c) Determine the exhaust temperature (T4) exiting the turbine.
d) Determine the cycle efficiency.
[ans: a) rp = 14.45, b) Pmax = 1445 kPa, c) T4 = 699.4K, d) 𝜼𝒕𝒉 = 𝟓𝟑. 𝟑%]
School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh
Engineering Thermodynamics 2

6. A thermal power plant operates with a combined Brayton-Rankine cycle. Air

enters the compressor at P1 = 100 kPa, T1=335K with a flow rate of 55 kg/s. The
closed Brayton cycle operates with a pressure ratio of 13 and the maximum
temperature reached is 1450 K. The air exits the gas-turbine and sent to a heat
exchanger, which is used as the heat source to operate the Rankine cycle
operating with water. The air returns to the same temperature/pressure as the air
that enters the compressor (assume it would re-enter the compressor).
The Rankine cycle operates between 20
2 3
kPa and 4000 kPa with the highest Combustion
Chamber
temperature reaching 450oC. Assume Brayton
both cycles are IDEAL and that air is an compressor turbine

ideal gas with constant specific heats CP

= 1.004 kJ/kgK & R = 0.287 kJ/kgK. 1 4

a) Determine the back work ratio of the Heat

exchanger
Brayton cycle
6 7
b) Determine the Brayton cycle efficiency Steam
Turbine

Rankine
c) Determine the heat supplied to the water Pump

in kW. Condenser

d) Determine the mass flow rate of water 5 8

required for the Rankine cycle.

e) Determine the Rankine cycle efficiency.

f) Determine the overall combined cycle efficiency.

[ans: a) BWR = 0.48, b) 𝜼𝒕𝒉,𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒕𝒐𝒏 = 𝟓𝟏. 𝟗%, c) 𝑸̇ = 𝟏𝟗, 𝟗𝟕𝟕. 𝟕𝟒𝒌𝑾, d) 𝒎̇𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 =
𝒌𝒈
𝟔. 𝟓𝟎 , e) 𝜼𝒕𝒉,𝑹𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒆 = 𝟑𝟑. 𝟖%, f) 𝜼𝒕𝒉,𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 = 𝟔𝟖. 𝟐% ]
𝒔

7) Consider an OPEN, Brayton cycle operating for jet engine propulsion system. Air
enters the compressor at T1 = 280K, P1 = 100 kPa with a mass flow rate of 9
kg/s. The compressor requires a shaft power of 4000 kW to raise the air pressure
to a higher working pressure of 2 MPa. The maximum temperature of the cycle is
Tmax = 1600 K and the air exhaust out of the nozzle to P5 = 100 kPa. Assume air
to behave as an ideal gas with constant specific heats of CP = 1.004 kJ/kgK and
R = 0.287 kJ/kgK.
a) Determine the pressure and
temperature of the air entering
the nozzle.
b) If the air velocity entering the
nozzle is negligible to the
velocity existing, determine the
air exit velocity from the nozzle.
c) What is the compressor isentropic efficiency?
d) Draw the process on the T-s diagram.
𝑚
[ans: a) 𝑃4 = 643.7 𝑘𝑃𝑎, 𝑇4 = 1157.3 𝐾, b) 𝑉5 = 979.2 𝑠 , c) 𝜂𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑟 = 85.6%]
School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh
Engineering Thermodynamics 2

8) A jet aircraft operates on the open Brayton cycle. The aircraft is flying at an
altitude of 4900 m where the ambient air pressure is 55 kPa and ambient air
temperature is 260 K. The ambient air enters the compressor at these conditions
with a mass flow rate of 10 kg/s. The pressure ratio across the compressor is 14.
The maximum temperature of the cycle is 1450 K. The air exhausts from the
turbine at 250 kPa and enters a nozzle where the air further exhausts to the
atmospheric pressure of 55 kPa. Assume air behaves as an ideal gas with
variable specific heats (i.e. use Table A7.1). Assume the turbine to operate
isentropically, while compressor and nozzle operate adiabatically, but irreversibly.
a. Determine energy required to operate the
compressor in kW.
b. Determine heat delivered in the combustor in
kW.
T
c. If the nozzle has an isentropic efficiency of 3 P =P
2 3

90%, determine the air velocity exiting the

nozzle. Assume the velocity entering the nozzle
2a 4
is negligible to that leaving. 2s
P1 = P5
5
d. Determine the thrust force and propulsion
efficiency if the aircraft is moving at a speed of 1 s
360 m/s.
𝑚
[ans: a) 𝑊̇𝑐 = 4099.8, b) 𝑄̇32 = 9050.9 𝑘𝑊 c) 𝑉5,𝑎 = 846.9 ; d) 𝐹𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑢𝑠𝑡 = 5327 𝑁,
𝑠
𝜂𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 21.2%]