ME 321: Applied Thermodynamics

Assignment 1: Gas Turbine, Compressible Turbomachinery and Psychrometry

Q 1. In a gas turbine installation, air is supplied at 1 bar, 300 K into compressor having
compression ratio of 8. The air leaving combustion chamber is heated upto 1200 K and
expanded upto 1 bar. A heat-exchanger having effectiveness of 0.8 is fitted at exit of turbine
for heating the air before its inlet into combustion chamber. Assuming compressor and turbine
are ideal, determine cycle efficiency, work ratio and specific net work output of plant. Take
Cp = 1.0032 kJ/kgK for air. If now in the same plant, the regenerator is removed and a
different set of compressor-turbine is used. The new pressure ratio is that which maximizes
the net work developed by the cycle per unit mass of air flow. Calculate the compressor work,
turbine work and thermal efficiency of the cycle. Which arrangement is better with respect
to thermal efficiencies?

Q 2. A 6000 kW gas turbine plant operates with two compressor stages with an intercooler.
The overall (low pressure and high-pressure compressor combined) pressure ratio is 9:1. The
two compressors have equal pressure ratio and intercooling is complete between the two stages.
In addition to this, there are two turbine stages such that high-pressure turbine drives the
high-pressure compressor, and low-pressure turbine drives the low-pressure compressor. The
maximum temperature of the system is 700◦ C. The outflow from the high-pressure turbine
is reheated to 700◦ C using a re-heater. The exhaust from the low-pressure turbine is passed
through a regenerator heating up the exhaust from the high-pressure compressor. The air inlet
temperature is 25◦ C and inlet pressure is 1 atm. Use Cp = 1.15 kJ/kgK and γ = 1.4. Assume
all components are functioning at ideal conditions. (a) Draw the schematic of gas turbine
power plant and label all the components clearly; (b) Draw schematic T-s and p-v diagrams
and label the components on the two graphs. Also, mark the temperatures and pressures on
the two graphs at each corner point; (c) Calculate the cycle efficiency; (d) Calculate work ratio;
(f) Calculate the mass flow rate given that the final electrical output is 6000 kW . Neglect the
mass of the fuel.

Q 3. The engineers after constructing the gas turbine power plant as per the description in
the previous question Q2, found that the final output was less than their estimate. This was
because they assumed that the components were working at ideal conditions. It was found that
isentropic efficiency of the individual compressors and turbine is 0.8. Heat exchanger effectivity
is 0.9. (a) Draw the updated schematic T-s diagram; (b) Calculate the cycle efficiency. (c)
Calculate work ratio.

Q 4. A Brayton cycle is designed for maximum work. The compressor inlet conditions are
100 kP a and 300 K. Compression ratio is 5.5. For air standard Brayton cycle determine the
turbine inlet temperature, cycle efficiency. Use Cp = 1.0 kJ/kgK and γ = 1.4.

Q 5. The stagnation temperatures at the start and at the end of a rotor in a single-stage
axial compressor are 400 K and 1000 K respectively. Given ηC = 0.8, what is the stagnation
temperature at the stator exit?

Q 6. The impeller tip speed of a centrifugal compressor is 370 m/s, slip factor is 1, and
the radial velocity component at the exit is 35 m/s. If the flow area at the exit is 0.18 m2
and compressor efficiency is 0.88, determine the mass flow rate of air, stagnation and static

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temperature at the impeller tip. Assume air density equal to 1.57 kg/m3 and inlet stagnation
temperature is 290 K. Also, find the overall pressure ratio of the compressor. (γ = 1.4,
R = 287 J/kgK and Cp = 1005 J/kgK)

Q 7. In a single-stage axial flow gas turbine gas enters at stagnation temperature of 1100 K
and stagnation pressure of 5 bar. Axial velocity is constant through the stage and equal to
250 m/s. Mean blade speed is 350m/s. Mass flow rate of gas is 15 kg/s and assume equal
inlet and outlet velocities. Nozzle efflux angle (α2 ) is 63◦ , stage exit swirl angle (α3 ) equal
to 9◦ . Determine the remaining angles (β2 , β3 ), blade loading coefficient and power output.
Draw properly marked (variables, no values needed) velocity triangles at the inlet and outlet
of rotor.

Q 8. Air with negligible velocity enters the impeller eye of a centrifugal compressor at 15◦ C
and 1 bar. The impeller has a tip diameter of 0.45 m that rotates at 18, 000 rpm. Find
the pressure and temperature of the air at the compressor outlet. Neglect losses and assume
γ = 1.4.

Q 9. An air-conditioning system consists of a spray section followed by a reheater. Moist

air at 32◦ C and 77% humidity enters the system and passes through a water spray, leaving
the spray section cooled and saturated with water. The moist air is then heated to 25◦ C and
45% relative humidity with no change in the amount of water vapor For operation at steady
state, determine the following parameters using psychrometric chart. (a) the temperature of
the moist air leaving the spray section; (b) the change in the amount of water vapor contained
in the moist air passing through the system, in kg per kg of dry air.

Q 10. Atmospheric air having dry-bulb and wet-bulb temperatures of 33◦ C and 29◦ C, respec-
tively, enters a well-insulated chamber operating at steady state and mixes with air entering
with dry-bulb and wet-bulb temperatures of 16◦ C and 12◦ C, respectively. The volumetric flow
rate of the lower temperature stream is three times that of the other stream. A single mixed
stream exits from the chamber. The pressure is constant throughout at 1 atm. Determine the
relative humidity and temperature for the exiting stream.