Gas Turbine Cycles

Arrangement of a simple gas turbine plant

Chemical Energy → Mechanical Energy → Electrical Energy

 Major fields of application of Gas Turbines:
• Aviation (low weight per unit power)
• Power generation
• Oil and gas industry
• Marine propulsion
 APPLICATIONS OF GAS TURBINE PLANTS

• To drive generators and supply peak loads in steam,

diesel or hydro-electric power plants.

• To work as combination plants with conventional

steam boilers.(STAG-Steam and Gas Turbine Power
plants)

• To supply mechanical drive for auxiliaries.

BRAYTON CYCLE: THE IDEAL CYCLE FOR GAS-TURBINE ENGINES

The combustion process is replaced by a constant-pressure heat-

addition process from an external source, and the exhaust process
is replaced by a constant-pressure heat-rejection process to the
ambient air.
• The Siemens SGT-800 A 50-MW-class industrial gas
turbine
https://youtu.be/fr5eDxiYqEs

• Gas Turbine | Gas Turbine Working | Gas Turbine

Components
https://youtu.be/4r1-IMMS73s
• Gas turbines have an advantage of quick starting and
flexible operation over a wide range of loads.

• Improvement in a gas-turbine cycle efficiencies can

be effected by a boost in the inlet combustion gas
temperatures to the turbine from the present 1100 oC
to 1260 oC.

• Research and development is going on to raise this to

close 1540 oC – 1650 oC.

• Gas turbine power plants have low cycle efficiency

that can be overcome by means of combined cycles.
Gas Turbine Blades:
Material Used:
Nimonic ( nickel-based high temperature low creep
super alloy)
Nimonic 90: Ni 54% min,Cr 18–21%,Co 15–21%
,Ti 2–3%, Al 1–2%

Inconels are a class of nickel-chrome-based super

alloys characterized by high corrosion resistance,
oxidation resistance, strength at high
temperatures, and creep resistance.
Inconel is able to withstand elevated temperatures and
extremely corrosive environments due to two factors.
• Inconel 718
Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs):
• 100 μm to 2 mm thick coatings
• Thermal barrier coatings typically consist of four
layers: the metal substrate, metallic bond
coat, thermally-grown oxide (TGO), and ceramic
topcoat.
• The ceramic topcoat is typically composed of yttria-
stabilized zirconia (YSZ), which has very low
conductivity while remaining stable at the nominal
operating temperatures typically seen in TBC
applications.
• This ceramic layer creates the largest thermal
gradient of the TBC and keeps the lower layers at a
lower temperature than the surface.
Gas Turbine Cycles:
(i) Direct open cycle

(ii) Indirect open cycle

(iii) Direct closed cycle

(iv) Indirect closed cycle

(i) Direct open cycle:
(ii) Indirect open cycle:
(iii) Direct closed cycle (iv) Indirect closed cycle

– In this cycle a gas other than air may be used. Helium is the
most suitable working fluid.
1-2 :Isentropic compression (in a compressor)
2-3 :Constant-pressure heat addition
3-4 :Isentropic expansion (in a turbine)
4-1 :Constant-pressure heat rejection
Energy balance gives

Pressure ratio
The highest temperature in the cycle is limited by the maximum
temperature that the turbine blades can withstand. This also
limits the pressure ratios that can be used in the cycle.
• The air in gas turbines supplies the necessary oxidant
for the combustion of the fuel, and it serves as a coolant
to keep the temperature of various components within
safe limits.

• An air–fuel ratio of 50 or above is not uncommon.

• Back Work ratio(rbw):

Deviation of Actual Gas-Turbine Cycles from Idealized Ones

Reasons: Irreversibilities in
turbine and compressors
leads to pressure drops, heat
losses

Isentropic efficiencies of
the compressor and turbine
 Problem Solving based on Specific Heats

(i) Constant Specific Heats (Approximate Analysis)

Where specific heat ratio, ,

(ii) Variable Specific Heats (Exact Analysis)

Note: Relative pressure, Pr is a dimensionless quantity that is a

function of temperature only since so depends on temperature
alone. Therefore, values of Pr can be tabulated against
temperature.
Problem 1: The Simple Ideal Brayton Cycle
• 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 air-standard
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.
Solution:
Given Data: T1 = 300 K ;
T3 = 1300 K ;
Pressure ratio, rp = 8
P2/P1 = P3/P4 = 8
• Using Ideal gas equation PV = RT and isentropic
correlation, PVk = C , for compression process 1-2,
expansion process 3-4

• T2 = ?? ; T4 = ??

(a) T2 = 543.41 K ; T4 = 717.65 K

26
(b) Back Work Ratio (rbw):

• rbw = (h2-h1)/(h3-h4) = cp(T2-T1)/cp(T3-T4) = 41.8%

(c)

η = 44.8 %

27
 2. Assuming a compressor efficiency of 80 percent and
a turbine efficiency of 85 percent, determine (a) the
back work ratio, (b) the thermal efficiency, and (c) the
turbine exit temperature of the gas-turbine cycle
discussed in Problem-1.
Isentropic efficiencies of the compressor and
turbine

= 0.8

= 0.85

Find h2a, h4a → T2a, T4a 28

Given T1 = 300 K ; T3 = 1300 K ;
T2s = 543.41 K ; T4s = 717.65 K

= 0.8

= 0.85

29
30
3. A gas-turbine power plant operates on the simple
Brayton cycle with air as the working fluid and
delivers 32 MW of power. The minimum and
maximum temperatures in the cycle are 310 and 900
K, and the pressure of air at the compressor exit is 8
times the value at the compressor inlet. Assuming an
isentropic efficiency of 80 percent for the compressor
and 86 percent for the turbine, determine the mass
flow rate of air through the cycle. Assume constant
specific heats with temperature.
Given Data: T1 = 310 K ; T3 = 900 K ; P = 32 MW
Pressure ratio, rp = 8
P2/P1 = P3/P4 = 8

31
• Find T2s, T4s:

• Find T2a, T4a:

32
Power, P(in kW) = mass flow rate x (Wnet) kW
32,000 = mass flow rate x (WT -Wc)
32,000 = mass flow rate x {[h3-h4a] - [h2a-h1]}
32,000 = mass flow rate x {cp[T3-T4a] - cp[T2a-T1]}
cp of air = 1.005 kJ/kg.K

• mass flow rate = ________ kg/s

33
 Development of Gas Turbines

1. Increasing the turbine inlet (or firing) temperatures

2. Increasing the efficiencies of turbomachinery

components (turbines, compressors):

3. Adding modifications to the basic cycle

(intercooling, regeneration or recuperation, and
reheating).

34
 THE BRAYTON CYCLE WITH REGENERATION
• 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.
• The high-pressure air leaving the compressor can be
heated by the hot exhaust gases in a counter-flow heat
exchanger (a regenerator or a recuperator).
• The thermal efficiency of the Brayton cycle increases
as a result of regeneration since less fuel is used for the
same work output.

A gas-turbine
engine with
regenerator.
 Effectiveness of regenerator

Effectiveness under
cold-air standard
assumptions

Efficiency under cold-air standard assumptions

The thermal efficiency depends on the ratio of the minimum to
maximum temperatures as well as the pressure ratio.

Regeneration is most effective at lower pressure ratios and low

minimum-to-maximum temperature ratios.
THE BRAYTON CYCLE WITH INTERCOOLING,
REHEATING, AND REGENERATION

For minimizing work input to compressor and

maximizing work output from turbine:

T-s diagram of an
ideal gas-turbine
cycle with
intercooling,
reheating, and
regeneration.

38
Multistage compression with
intercooling: The work required to
compress a gas between two specified
pressures can be decreased by carrying
out the compression process in stages
and cooling the gas in between. This
keeps the specific volume as low as
possible.
Multistage expansion with reheating
keeps the specific volume of the working
fluid as high as possible during an
expansion process, thus maximizing
work output.
Intercooling and reheating always
decreases the thermal efficiency unless
they are accompanied by regeneration.

39
40
T-s and P-v diagrams of Carnot and Ericsson cycles.
THE BRAYTON CYCLE WITH INTERCOOLING, REHEATING, AND REGENERATION

42
 Backwork Ratio

qprimary =h6 – h4 (No Regeneration)

qprimary =h6 – h5 (With Regeneration)

Thermal Efficiency
 Problem 4: A Gas Turbine with Reheating and Intercooling
• An ideal gas-turbine cycle with two stages of
compression and two stages of expansion has an
overall pressure ratio of 8. Air enters each stage of the
compressor at 300 K and each stage of the turbine at
1300 K. Determine the back work ratio and the
thermal efficiency of this gas-turbine cycle, assuming
(a) no regenerators and (b) an ideal regenerator with
100 percent effectiveness.
Solution:
Given overall pressure ratio = 8
(a) With No Regenerator :

From Ideal-gas properties of air

Where Pr = relative pressure

 From Ideal-gas properties of air

We know that
wcomp,in = wcomp,I + wcomp,II = (h2-h1)+(h4-h3) = 2(h2-h1)

Since

wcomp,in = 2 (wcomp,I )

Simillarly
wturb,out = wturb,I + wturb,II = (h6 - h7)+(h8 - h9) = 2(h6 - h7)

Since
Wturb,out = 2 (wturb,I )
Net Work output:

Total Heat input supplied (No Regenerator)

Thermal Efficiency
Backwork Ratio

(b) With Regenerator, effectiveness (ε) =100%

qregen,act = h5’ – h4

qregen,max = h5 – h4 = h7 – h4 (Since h5 = h7= h9)

h5’ = (h7 - h4) + h4 = 1053.33 kJ/kg

Net Work output (wnet) remains the same.

Thermal Efficiency:

As the number of compression and expansion stages increases , the cycle will
approach The Carnot cycle, and the thermal efficiency will approach :
5. Consider an ideal gas-turbine cycle with two stages
of compression and two stages of expansion. The
pressure ratio across each stage of the compressor and
turbine is 3. The air enters each stage of the
compressor at 300 K and each stage of the turbine at
1200 K. Determine the back work ratio and the
thermal efficiency of the cycle, assuming (a) no
regenerator is used and (b) a regenerator with 75
percent effectiveness is used. Use constant specific
heats.
Answer: (a) back work ratio=33.5% , ηth = 36.8%
(b) ηth = 55.3 %
6. Consider a regenerative gas-turbine power plant with
two stages of compression and two stages of
expansion. The overall pressure ratio of the cycle is 9.
The air enters each stage of the compressor at 300 K
and each stage of the turbine at 1200 K. Accounting
for the variation of specific heats with temperature,
determine the minimum mass flow rate of air needed
to develop a net power output of 110 MW.
Answer: 250 kg/s
7. Air enters a gas turbine with two stages of
compression and two stages of expansion at 100 kPa
and 17oC. This system uses a regenerator as well as
reheating and intercooling. The pressure ratio across
each compressor is 4; 300 kJ/kg of heat are added to
the air in each combustion chamber; and the
regenerator operates perfectly while increasing the
temperature of the cold air by 20oC. Determine this
system’s thermal efficiency. Assume isentropic
operations for all compressor and the turbine stages
and use constant specific heats at room temperature.
 Combined Steam Turbine and Gas Turbine
(STAG) Power Plants
• Gas-turbine cycles typically operate at considerably
higher temperatures than steam cycles.

• The maximum fluid temperature at the turbine inlet is

about 620oC for modern steam power plants, but over
1425oC for gas-turbine power plants.

• It is over 1500oC at the burner exit of turbojet

engines.
• Higher temperatures in gas turbines is made possible
by developments in cooling the turbine blades and
coating the blades with high-temperature-resistant
materials such as ceramics.

• The gas leaves the gas turbine at very high

temperatures (usually above 500oC).
• A 1350-MW combined-cycle power plant built in
Ambarli, Turkey, in 1988 by Siemens of Germany is
the first commercially operating thermal plant in the
world to attain an efficiency level as high as 52.5
percent at design operating conditions.

• This plant has six 150-MW gas turbines and three

173-MW steam turbines. Some recent combined-
cycle power plants have achieved efficiencies above
60 percent.
Combined Steam Turbine and Gas Turbine (STAG)
Power Plant
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF GAS TURBINE
POWER PLANTS OVER DIESEL POWER PLANTS

Advantages over Diesel Plants :

• The work developed per kg of air is large compared
with diesel plant.
• Less space requirements.
• Less vibrations due to perfect balancing.
• Higher mechanical efficiency.
• The running speed of the turbine (40,000 to 100,000
r.p.m.) is considerably large compared to diesel
engine (1000 to 2000 r.p.m.).
• The torque characteristics of turbine plants are far
better than diesel plants.
• Lower installation and maintenance costs.
• The ignition and lubrication systems are simpler.
• The specific fuel consumption does not increase with
time in gas turbine plant as rapidly as in diesel plants.
• Poor quality fuels can be used.

Disadvantages :
• Poor part load efficiency.
• Special metals and alloys are required for different
components of the plants.
• Special cooling methods are required for cooling the
turbine blades.
• Short life.
Advantages Over Steam Power Plant:
• No ash handling problem.
• Low capital cost.
• The gas turbine plants can be installed at selected
load centre as space requirement is considerably
less where steam plant cannot be accommodated.
• Fewer auxiliaries required/used.
• Gas turbines can be built relatively quicker.
• They require much less space and civil
engineering works and water supply.
• The gas turbine plant as peak load plant is more
preferable as it can be brought on load quickly
and surely.
• The components and circuits of a gas turbine plant
can be arranged to give the most economic results in
any given circumstances which is not possible in case
of steam power plants.

• For the same pressure and initial temperature

conditions the ratio of exhaust to inlet volume would
be only 3.95 in case of gas turbine plant as against
250 for steam plant.

• Above 550°C, the thermal efficiency of the gas

turbine plant increases three times as fast the steam
cycle efficiency for a given top temperature increase.
• The site of the steam power plant is dictated by the
availability of large cooling water whereas an open
cycle gas turbine plant can be located near the load
centre as no cooling water is required.

• The cooling water required for closed cycle gas

turbine is hardly 10% of the steam power plant.

• The gas turbine plants can work quite economically

for short running hours.

• Storage of fuel is much smaller and handling is easy.

 References
• El Wakil M. M. – “Power Plant Technology” – McGraw
Hill – 5 ed (2010).

• Yunus A Cengel, Michael A Boles, “Thermodynamics-An

Engineering Approach”, McGraw Hill, 9 ed (2019).

• R. K. Rajput, “A Text Book of Power Plant Engineering”,

Laxmi Publications Pvt Ltd, 5 ed (2016).