VAPOR AND

COMBINED POWER
CYCLES
Dr. Suvanjan Bhattacharyya
BITS Pilani Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Pilani Campus suvanjan.bhattacharyya@pilani.bits-pilani.ac.in

Sunday, September 24, 2023

NUMERICAL 01
A steam power plant operates on a simple ideal Rankine cycle between the
specified pressure limits of 3 MPa and 50 kPa. The peak superheated
temperature is 300oC. The thermal efficiency of the cycle is to be determined.

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Actual Vapor Power Cycle

3
 How can we increase the
efficiency of the Rankine cycle

• Lowering the condenser pressure

• Superheating the steam to high temperature

• Increasing the boiler pressure

4
NUMERICAL 02
A simple ideal Rankine cycle which uses water as the working fluid operates its
condenser at 40oC and its boiler at 300oC. Calculate the work produced by the
turbine, the heat supplied in the boiler, and the thermal efficiency of this cycle
when the steam enters the turbine without any superheating.
Ans: 974.5 kJ/kg, 2573.4 kJ/kg, Efficiency = 0.375

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NUMERICAL 03
Consider a 210-MW steam power plant that operates on a simple ideal
Rankine cycle. Steam enters the turbine at 10 MPa and 5008C and is cooled
in the condenser at a pressure of 10 kPa. Show the cycle on a T-s diagram with
respect to saturation lines, and determine (a) the quality of the steam at the
turbine exit, (b) the thermal efficiency of the cycle, and (c) the mass flow rate of
the steam.
Answers: (a) 0.793, (b) 40.2 percent, (c) 165 kg/s

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NUMERICAL 04
Steam at 20 bar, 360oC is expanded in a steam turbine to 0.08
bar. It then enters a condenser, where it is condensed to
saturated liquid water. The pump feeds back the water into
the boiler.
(a) Assuming ideal processes, find per kg of steam the net
work and the cycle efficiency.
(b) If the turbine and the pump have each 80% efficiency,
find the percentage reduction in the net work and cycle
efficiency.

Ans: (a) Wnet = 969.61 kJ/kg and Efficiency = 32.5%

(b) Reduction in work output = 20.1%, and reduction in cycle
efficiency = 20.1%
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NUMERICAL 05
A steam power station uses the following cycle:
Steam at boiler outlet –50 bar, 500oC
Reheat at 20 bar, 500oC
Condenser at 0.9 bar.
Using the Mollier chart and table and assuming ideal
processes, find the (a) quality at turbine exhaust, and (b) cycle
efficiency

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Lecture Quiz
Important Dates:

Quiz 01: 04.09.2023

Quiz 02: 29.09.2023

Quiz 03: 23.10.2023

Quiz 04: 20.11.2023

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Experiments:
List of Experiments:
1. Study of Viscosity Co-efficient
2. Study of Reynold’s Apparatus
3. Verification of Bernoulli’s Theorem
4. Orificement
5. Venturimeter
6. Open Channel Flow: Notch Experiment
7. COP of VCRS Refrigeration System
8. COP of VCRS based heat pump
9. Air-conditioning System and Bypass Factor
10. VARS (Ice Plant Performance evaluation) and Electrolux Refrigeration System (Error and Uncertainty
Calculation)

LAB QUIZ 01: 04th OCT, 2023

LAB QUIZ 02: 22nd NOV, 2023

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NUMERICAL 06
In a single-heater regenerative cycle the steam enters the
turbine at 30 bar, 400oC and the exhaust pressure is 0.10 bar.
The feedwater heater is a direct-contact type which operates
at 5 bar. Find (a) the efficiency of the cycle, and (b) the
efficiency of the cycle without regeneration and compare.
Neglect pump work.

Ans: 35.36%, 34.18%

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NUMERICAL 07
An idea reheat Rankine cycle with water as the working fluid
operates the boiler at 15000 kPa, the reheater at 2000 kPa, and
the condenser at 100 kPa. The temperature is 450oC at the
entrance of the high pressure and low pressure turbines. The
mass flow rate through the cycle is 1.74 kg/s. Determine the
power used by pumps, the power produced by the cycle, the
rate of heat transfer in the reheater, and the thermal efficiency
of this cycle.

Ans: 27 kW, 2000 kW, 1140 kW, 34%

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14
NUMERICAL 08
Consider a steam power plant that operates on a reheat
Rankine cycle and has a net power output of 80 MW. Steam
enters the high-pressure turbine at 10 MPa and 500oC and the
low-pressure turbine at 1 MPa and 500oC. Steam leaves the
condenser as a saturated liquid at a pressure of 10 kPa.
The isentropic efficiency of the turbine is 80 percent, and that
of the pump is 95 percent. Show the cycle on a T-s diagram
with respect to saturation lines, and determine (a) the quality
(or temperature, if superheated) of the steam at the turbine
exit, (b) the thermal efficiency of the cycle, and (c) the mass
flow rate of the steam.

Answers: (a) 88.1oC, (b) 34.1 percent, (c) 62.7 kg/s

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NUMERICAL 09
A steam power plant operates on an ideal regenerative
Rankine cycle. Steam enters the turbine at 6 MPa and 450oC
and is condensed in the condenser at 20 kPa. Steam is
extracted from the turbine at 0.4 MPa to heat the feedwater in
an open feedwater heater. Water leaves the feedwater heater as
a saturated liquid.
Show the cycle on a T-s diagram, and determine (a) the net
work output per kilogram of steam flowing through the boiler
and (b) the thermal efficiency of the cycle.

Answers: (a) 1017 kJ/kg, (b) 37.8 percent

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Binary Power Cycle

“A power cycle that is a combination of two cycles, one in

a high temperature region and the other in a low
temperature region”.
A binary cycle utilizes two working fluids, usually mercury
and water to get maximum efficiency from a turbine
plant.

For Water: T cri = 374.15o C and P Cri = 225.65 bar.

For Mercury: T cri = 588.4oC and P Cri = 21 bar

 Apparently the binary cycle is a
combination of two Rankine cycles
and the two fluids do not mix with
each other.
T-S Plot of Mercury-Water Binary vapour cycle.
Efficiency Calculation
The thermal efficiency of a binary cycle plant can
be calculated by considering the mass and
energy balance of the system.

In the plant heat lost by mercury in the mercury

condenser is equal to heat gained by the steam
(water plant).
Efficiency Calculation
Let, m = mass of mercury required per kg of
steam required.

The energy balance for the mercury condenser –

steam boiler gives,
m(h4- h1) = 1(h7 – h6)
Or, m = h7 – h6 / h4 – h1
Efficiency Calculation
Work output from the mercury and steam
turbines,
Wt = m ( h3 – h4 ) + 1 ( h8 – h9 )
Work input of the pumps
= m(h2 – h1) + 1(h6 – h5)
Network done
= m(h3 – h4) + (h8 – h9) – m(h2 – h1) – (h6 – h5)
Efficiency Calculation
Heat supplied per kg of steam
= m(h3 – h2) + 1(h8 – h7)
Efficiency
= Wnet/Heat Supplied
Drawbacks
Thermal efficiencies of the order of 50% are
possible with binary cycles. However, such
cycles could not be attractive economically
because of the following disadvantage of using
mercury:
(i) Mercury is toxic, and also attacks most of
the metals in common use.
(ii) For vaporization of 1 kg of water vapour, 8
to 10 Kg of mercury being quite expensive,
the cost of the plant becomes too high.
Quick Recap

Ideal Rankine Cycle

Quick Recap

Actual Rankine Cycle

Quick Recap

Ideal Reheat Rankine Cycle

Quick Recap

Regenerative Rankine Cycle

One open feedwater heater
Quick Recap

Binary Power Cycle

Quick Recap

Reheat and Regenerative Rankine

cycle with open feedwater heaters

Please follow notes for more details

Closed Feed-water Heater
Closed Feed-water Heater
Closed Feed-water Heater

TRAP
Closed Feed-water Heater

TRAP
NUMERICAL 10
A steam power plant operates on an ideal regenerative
Rankine cycle. Steam enters the turbine at 6 MPa and 450oC
and is condensed in the condenser at 20 kPa. Steam is
extracted from the turbine at 0.4 MPa to heat the feedwater in
an closed feedwater heater. Water leaves the feedwater heater
as a saturated liquid.
Show the cycle on a T-s diagram, and determine (a) the net
work output per kilogram of steam flowing through the boiler
and (b) the thermal efficiency of the cycle.

Answers: (a) 1017 kJ/kg, (b) 37.8 percent

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NUMERICAL 10

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Steam Trap

TRAP
Numerical 11
Consider a steam power plant that operates on the ideal regenerative Rankine cycle
with a closed feedwater heater as shown in the figure. The plant maintains the turbine
inlet at 3000 kPa and 350oC; and operates the condenser at 20 kPa. Steam is extracted
at 1000 kPa to serve the closed feedwater heater, which discharges into the condenser
after being throttled to condenser pressure. Calculate the work produced by the
turbine, the work consumed by the pump, and the heat supply in the boiler for this
cycle per unit of boiler flow rate.

TRAP
Numerical 11
Numerical 12
Consider a steam power plant that operates on the ideal regenerative Rankine cycle
with a closed feedwater heater as shown in the figure. The plant maintains the turbine
inlet at 3000 kPa and 350oC; and operates the condenser at 20 kPa. Steam is extracted
at 1000 kPa to serve the closed feedwater heater, which discharges into the condenser
after being throttled to condenser pressure. Determine the thermal efficiency of the
regenerative Rankine cycle when the isentropic efficiency of the turbine before and
after steam extraction point is 90 percent and the condenser condensate is subcooled by
10oC.
Numerical 12
Open and Closed Feed-water Heater
Open and Closed Feed-water Heater
Numerical 13
Consider an ideal steam regenerative Rankine cycle with two feedwater heaters, one
closed and one open. Steam enters the turbine at 10 MPa and 600oC and exhausts to
the condenser at 10 kPa. Steam is extracted from the turbine at 1.2 MPa for the closed
feedwater heater and at 0.6 MPa for the open one. The feedwater is heated to the
condensation temperature of the extracted steam in the closed feedwater heater. The
extracted steam leaves the closed feedwater heater as a saturated liquid, which is
subsequently throttled to the open feedwater heater. Show the cycle on a T-s diagram
with respect to saturation lines, and determine (a) the mass flow rate of steam through
the boiler for a net power output of 400 MW and (b) the thermal efficiency of the cycle.
Numerical 13
Numerical 13
Topic
1. Ideal Rankine Cycle
2. Actual Rankine Cycle (with different conditions)
3. Reheat Cycle
4. Regenerative cycle
5. Reheat and Regenerative cycle
6. Regenerative cycle with open feedwater heater
7. Regenerative cycle with closed feedwater heater
8. Regenerative cycle with open and closed feedwater
heater
9. Reheat and Regenerative cycle with open feedwater
heater
10. Reheat and Regenerative cycle with open and closed
feedwater heater
11. Cogeneration
12. Binary Power Cycle
13. Thermodynamics Analysis (Self Study)
Numerical
1. We have solved around 15 Numerical in the lecture class
plus several numerical discussed in the tutorial classes.

2. Some important numerical from Text book (9th Edition)

are as follows:

10.13, 10.16, 10.17, 10.21, 10.24, 10.25, 10.30, 10.32,

10.33, 10.35, 10.36, 10.46, 10.49, 10.51, 10.53, 10.54,
10.56, 10.58, 10.62, 10.69, 10.70, 10.72, 10.96,10.97,
10.104, 10.105, 10.106

Practice all the numerical solved in the lecture class and

tutorials
Combined Open and Closed Feed-water Heater
Reheat and Regenerative RC with feed-water Heaters
Reheat and Regenerative RC with feed-water Heaters
Cogeneration
Cogeneration
Cogeneration
Numerical 14
A steam power plant operates on an ideal reheat– regenerative Rankine cycle
and has a net power output of 80 MW. Steam enters the high-pressure turbine at
10 Mpa and 550oC and leaves at 0.8 MPa. Some steam is extracted at this
pressure to heat the feedwater in an closed feedwater heater. The rest of the
steam is reheated to 500oC and is expanded in the low-pressure turbine to the
condenser pressure of 10 kPa. Show the cycle on a T-s diagram with respect to
saturation lines, and determine (a) the mass flow rate of steam through the boiler
and (b) the thermal efficiency of the cycle.
Numerical 14
Numerical 15
Consider a cogeneration power plant modified with regeneration. Steam enters the turbine
at 9 MPa and 400oC and expands to a pressure of 1.6 MPa. At this pressure, 35 percent of
the steam is extracted from the turbine, and the remainder expands to 10 kPa. Part of the
extracted steam is used to heat the feedwater in an open feedwater heater. The rest of the
extracted steam is used for process heating and leaves the process heater as a saturated
liquid at 1.6 MPa. It is subsequently mixed with the feedwater leaving the feedwater heater,
and the mixture is pumped to the boiler pressure. Assuming the turbines and the pumps to
be isentropic, show the cycle on a T-s diagram with respect to saturation lines, and
determine the mass flow rate of steam through the boiler for a net power output of 25 MW.
Numerical 15
Numerical 16
Steam enters the turbine of a cogeneration plant at 7 MPa and 500oC. One-fourth
of the steam is extracted from the turbine at 1200-kPa pressure for process
heating. The remaining steam continues to expand to 10 kPa. The extracted
steam is then condensed and mixed with feedwater at constant pressure and the
mixture is pumped to the boiler pressure of 7 MPa. The mass flow rate of steam
through the boiler is 55 kg/s. Disregarding any pressure drops and heat losses in
the piping, and assuming the turbine and the pump to be isentropic, determine
the net power produced and the utilization factor of the plant.
Answer: 50%
Numerical 16
Numerical 17
A textile plant requires 4 kg/s of saturated steam at 2 MPa, which is extracted
from the turbine of a cogeneration plant. Steam enters the turbine at 8 MPa and
500oC at a rate of 11 kg/s and leaves at 20 kPa. The extracted steam leaves the
process heater as a saturated liquid and mixes with the feedwater at constant
pressure. The mixture is pumped to the boiler pressure.
Assuming an isentropic efficiency of 88 percent for both the turbine and the
pumps, determine (a) the rate of process heat supply, (b) the net power output,
and (c) the utilization factor of the plant.

Answers: (a) 8.56 MW, (b) 8.60 MW, (c) 53.8 percent
Numerical 17
Thank you!

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