Project 1: Rankine Cycle

ENGR 225: Thermodynamics, Fall 2010

due: 22 November 2010

1 The Rankine Cycle

An ideal Rankine cycle consists of four processes:

°→
1 °
2 Isentropic expansion through a turbine
°→
2 °
3 Isobaric heat rejection through a condenser
°→
3 °
4 Isentropic compression through the pump
°→
4 °
1 Isobaric heat addition

The objective of this project is to explore and complete a model of the Rankine cycle,
to familiarize yourself with the energy balances and isentropic efficiencies of the pump and
turbine and what overall effect they have on the cycle.
Our textbook discussed the Rankine cycle in a lot of detail, in Chapter 8. For the
purposes of this project, you might want to look over Sections 8.1, 8.2 and the “Superheat”
section of Section 8.3. We will not be using Reheat (the rest of Section 8.3) in this Project;
that will be Project 2.
The Rankine cycle is widely used for power generation; most of the electricity generated
in the country was done by means of a Rankine cycle. Since it is a heat engine, it is limited
by the Second Law limits, and therefore must expel heat at a low temperature in order
to produce power. This heat rejection is °→2 °.
3 The power generation process is °→ 1 °,
2
where the superheated steam goes through a turbine, dropping its pressure. To return to the
high pressure, °→
3 °4 pressurizes the condensed liquid, and since liquid is incompressible, it
requires less work to pressurize than that extracted in the depressurization of °→1 °.
2 This
is a form of mechanical advantage that we use to our advantage. The ratio of pump work
input to turbine work extracted is called the “back work ratio”.

2 Ideal Rankine Cycle Simulation

A partially completed EES model of the ideal Rankine cycle has been provided for you in
the file RankineCycleProj1.EES. In the Diagram Window, you will find a schematic of a

1
Rankine cycle, with input values on the inside of the cycle, and output values around the
outside of the cycle. There are three plot windows with auto-updating cycle diagrams, T -s,
P -v, and P -h. Some additional points 5, 6 and 7 are defined at the bottom of the equation
window that help with making the plots look correct (the isobaric process between 4 and 1
needs to follow the isobar). You need not concern yourself with these equations.
The simulation is set up to take the following as input variables:

• Phigh : The high side pressure. This specifies the boiling temperature within the boiler.
The initial value is 12000 kPa, or 120 bar.
• ∆Tsuperheat : The amount of superheat that is added to the flow of steam after it is fully
evaporated in the boiler. This is T1 , the inlet temperature to the turbine. The initial
value is 50 K.
• ṁ: The mass flow rate of water/steam throughout the cycle. Since the cycle is closed,
this is the same value throughout the whole cycle. The initial value is 15 kgs
.
• Tcond : The condensing temperature of the steam. In a power system, this is limited by
the environmental temperature; 30 ◦ C is about as low as you can expect to find. The
initial value of 100 ◦ C corresponds to atmospheric pressure. Any value below 100 ◦ C
indicates a vacuum in the condenser, which is common.
• ηpump and ηturbine : These are for the isentropic efficiencies of the pump and turbine.
You will have to provide the equations that make these variables affect the cycle in the
proper manner.

State point variables for: enthalpy, h; pressure, P ; temperature, T ; and entropy, s; are
calculated and have been provided on the diagram for each point. In addition, at points ° 2
and °,3 where vapor quality is meaningful, the vapor quality, x, is provided. (The vapor
quality at point °
3 is always zero, because saturated liquid is the result from the condenser).
In addition, the equation for ηCarnot is given. This is the Carnot efficiency for a heat
engine that would run between T1 and Tcond . Since these are the maximum and minimum
temperatures for our Rankine cycle, a Carnot cycle that ran in place of our Rankine cycle
between these two temperature would have that efficiency.
The simulation has some variables that do not have defining equations. You need to
supply the equations for the following variables:

• Ẇ12 : The work extracted from the fluid by the turbine. This should be in the megawatt
range.1
• Q̇23 : The heat rejected by the turbine. Since our thermodynamic convention has heat
input as positive, this quantity should end up negative.
1
If you’re getting a Ẇ12 of about 12 MW using the initial values, then you’re on the right track.

2
 • Ẇ34 : The work input to the fluid by the pump. Since our thermodynamic convention
has work output as positive, this quantity should end up negative.
• Q̇41 : This is the heat input by the boiler.
• ηcycle : The cycle efficiency of the Rankine cycle.

Once you have the equations for these variables input, use the simulation to investigate
the effects of the following variations:

1. ṁ: The effect of changing the mass flow rate, ṁ, from 15 to 45 kg s
. Use four increments
between these limits (e.g. 15, 25, 30, 45) and observe the effect of ṁ on: Ẇ12 , Q̇23 ,
Ẇ34 , Q̇41 , and ηcycle . Also observe the effect on ηCarnot and the back work ratio, bwr.
2. Tcond : The book talks about the effects of boiler and condenser pressures on the Rankine
cycle in Section 8.2.3, but doesn’t present any numbers. Demonstrate the effect of
varying the condensing pressure by leaving ṁ constant and changing the condensing
temperature from 100 ◦ C to 30 ◦ C. Observe the level of vacuum pressure that is caused
by the condensing temperature. As before use four increments for the independent
variable Tcond and observe the effect on Ẇ12 , Q̇23 , Ẇ34 , Q̇41 , ηcycle , ηCarnot , and bwr.
3. Phigh : Demonstrate the effect of varying the high side pressure between 120 bar and
200 bar. Again, use four increments and the same seven dependent variables as before.
(Don’t input a value above 220 bar, because the critical pressure of water is 220.64 bar,
and some of the equations call for the saturation states. Supercritical Rankine cycles
are commonly used, but would need to be coded slightly differently that what I pro-
vided).
4. ∆Tsuperheat : Vary the amount of superheat between 50 and 250 K using four or five
increments. A turbine-inlet temperature of 1000 ◦ F (540 ◦ C) is typical of sub-critical
Rankine power cycles. Observe the same seven dependent variables as before.

To present the effects of the variations above, you should make a table and also (where
useful) present the results of the variations in a graph. In addition, some comments on each
effect is required along the lines of which variables have the most effect on which output
variables. It is recommended that you return all the other variables to their initial values
when observing the effect of any of the other variables. In addition, please make comments
on the property plots (P -v, etc) for the different conditions that you run.

3 Isentropic Efficiencies for the Pump and Turbine

Finally, you need to introduce reality to the pump and turbine. Find the equations that
govern °→
1 °2 and °→
3 °
4 in the Equation window. (They should look like: s 2 = s 1 and:

3
s 3 = s 4). Comment out these equations and replace them and the equation for isentropic
efficiency with equations that will allow for isentropic efficiencies of the pump and turbine.2
As long as you use the same variable name for the efficiency of the turbine and pump
(eta turbine and eta pump, respectively), you will be able to enter the values into the
diagram window and affect the cycle.
Once you have done this, use the new simulation to observe the effect of varying ηturbine
between 0.8 and 0.95 and then vary ηpump between about 0.5 and 0.9. Use five or so incre-
ments for each one and observe the same seven dependent variables as earlier (Ẇ12 , Q̇23 , Ẇ34 ,
Q̇41 , ηcycle , ηCarnot , and bwr). Present the observations in tables and plots where appropriate,
and make some comment about the effect (or lack of effect) of each of the variables.

4 Other guidelines
• You may work in pairs to complete this project, and turn in one project for the two of
you. Discussion between groups is allowed, but each group of two must turn in their
own unique EES code, plots, and commentary on the results.
• You will need to turn in the EES program that you generate for this project. They
can be turned in by email (bsfield@usi.edu)or in person on a Flash drive. Please
comment your EES file, and include the names of both partners in the filename. You
will also need to turn in the tables, plots, and comments that you generate as obser-
vations on the variations that you make. This can be turned in electronically as well
by email or flash drive.
• The project is due on Monday the 22nd , at the start of class. If you are present in
class, you can turn in your file(s) by flash drive immediately after class.
• Any questions or problems that arise, please email me: bsfield@usi.edu. You can
attach your EES file that is giving you troubles to the email and I will do my best to
figure out what your trouble is.

2
HINT: It might help you to define some new variables, h2,s and h4,s .