1. Why are the back work ratios relatively high in gas turbine engines?

2. What 4 processes make up the simple ideal Brayton cycle?

3. For fixed maximum and minimum temperatures, what are the effect of the
pressure ratio on (a) the thermal efficiency and (b) the net work output of a
simple ideal Brayton cycle?

4. What is the back work ratio? What are typical back work ratios for gas-turbine
engines?

5. How do the inefficiencies of the turbine and the compressor affect (a) the back
work ratio and (b) the thermal efficiency of a gas-turbine engine?

6. A simple ideal Brayton cycle with air as the working fluid has a pressure ratio of
10. The air enters the compressor at 520 R and the turbine at 2000 R. Accounting
for the variation of specific heats with temperature, determine (a) the air
temperature at the compressor exit, (b) the back work ratio, and (c) the thermal
efficiency.

7. A simple Brayton cycle using air as the working fluid has a pressure ratio of 8.
The minimum and maximum temperatures in the cycle are 310 and 1160 K.
Assuming an isentropic efficiency of 75 percent for the compressor and 82
percent for the turbine, determine (a) the air temperature at the turbine exit, (b)
the net work output, and (c) the thermal efficiency.

8. Repeat Problem 7 using constant specific heats at room temperature.

9. Air is used as the working fluid in a simple ideal Brayton cycle that has a
pressure ratio of 12, a compressor inlet temperature of 300 K, and a turbine inlet
temperature of 1000 K. Determine the required mass flow rate of air for a net
power output of 70 MW, assuming both the compressor and the turbine have an
isentropic efficiency of (a) 100 percent and (b) 85 percent. Assume constant
specific heats at room temperature.

10. A stationary gas-turbine power plant operates on a simple ideal Brayton cycle
with air as the working fluid. The air enters the compressor at 95 kPa and 290 K
and the turbine at 760 kPa and 1100 K. Heat is transferred to air at a rate of 35,000
 kJ/s. Determine the power delivered by this plant (a) assuming constant specific
heats at room temperature and (b) accounting for the variation of specific heats
with temperature.

11. Air enters the compressor of a gas-turbine engine at 300 K and 100 kPa, where it
is compressed to 700 kPa and 580 K. Heat is transferred to air in the amount of
950 kJ/kg before it enters the turbine. For a turbine efficiency of 86 percent,
determine (a) the fraction of the turbine work output used to drive the
compressor and (b) the thermal efficiency. Assume variable specific heats for air.

12. Repeat Problem 11 using constant specific heats at room temperature.

13. A gas-turbine power plant operates on a simple Brayton cycle with air as the
working fluid. The air enters the turbine at 120 psia and 2000 R and leaves at 15
psia and 1200 R. Heat is rejected to the surroundings at a rate of 6400 Btu/s, and
air flows through the cycle at a rate of 40 lbm/s. Assuming the turbine to be
isentropic and the compressor to have an isentropic efficiency of 80 percent,
determine the net power output of the plant. Account for the variation of specific
heats with temperature.

14. For what compressor efficiency will the gas-turbine power plant in Problem 9
80E produce zero net work?

15. 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. Account for the
variation of specific heats with temperature.

16. Repeat Problem 15 using constant specific heats at room temperature.

17. The single-stage compression process of an ideal Brayton cycle without

regeneration is replaced by a multistage compression process with intercooling
between the same pressure limits. As a result of this modification,

a. Does the compressor work increase, decrease, or remain the same?

 b. Does the back work ratio increase, decrease, or remain the same?
c. Does the thermal efficiency increase, decrease, or remain the same?

18. The single-stage expansion process of an ideal Brayton cycle without

regeneration is replaced by a multistage expansion process with reheating
between the same pressure limits. As a result of this modification,
a. Does the turbine work increase, decrease, or remain the same?
b. Does the back work ratio increase, decrease, or remain the same?
c. Does the thermal efficiency increase, decrease, or remain the same?

19. A simple ideal Brayton cycle without regeneration is modified to incorporate

multistage compression with inter-cooling and multistage expansion with
reheating, without changing the pressure or temperature limits of the cycle. As a
result of these two modifications,
a. Does the net work output increase, decrease, or remain the same?
b. Does the back work ratio increase, decrease, or remain the same?
c. Does the thermal efficiency increase, decrease, or remain the same?
d. Does the heat rejected increase, decrease, or remain the same?

20. A simple ideal Brayton cycle is modified to incorporate multistage compression

with intercooling, multistage expansion with reheating, and regeneration
without changing the pressure limits of the cycle. As a result of these
modifications,
a. Does the net work output increase, decrease, or remain the same?
b. Does the back work ratio increase, decrease, or remain the same?
c. Does the thermal efficiency increase, decrease, or remain the same?
d. Does the heat rejected increase, decrease, or remain the same?

21. For a specified pressure ratio, why does multistage compression with
intercooling decrease the compressor work, and multistage expansion with
reheating increase the turbine work?

22. In an ideal gas-turbine cycle with intercooling, reheating, and regeneration, as

the number of compression and expansion stages is increased, the cycle thermal
efficiency approaches (a) 100 percent, (b) the Otto cycle efficiency, or (c) the
Carnot cycle efficiency.

23. 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 variable specific heats.

24. Repeat Problem 23, assuming an efficiency of 80 percent for each compressor
stage and an efficiency of 85 percent for each turbine stage.

25. 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.

26. Repeat Problem 25 using argon as the working fluid.

27. A gas turbine has an overall pressure ratio of 5 and a maximum cycle
temperature of 550C. The turbine drives the compressor and an electric
generator, the mechanical efficiency of the drive being 97%. The ambient
temperature is 20C and the air enters the compressor at a rate of 15kg/s; the
isentropic efficiencies of the compressor and turbine are 80% and 83%.
Neglecting changes in kinetic energy, the mass flow rate of fuel and all pressure
losses, calculate:
i. Power output
ii. Cycle efficiency
iii. Work ratio

Cp and may be taken as 1.005kJ/kgK and 1.4 for air and 1.15kJ/kgK and 1.333
for combustion and expansion processes.

28. In a marine gas turbine unit HP stage turbine drives the compressor and a LP
stage turbine drives the propeller through suitable gearing. The overall pressure
ratio is 4/1., the mass flow rate is 60kg/s, the maximum temperature is 650C and
the air intake condition are 1.01 bar and 25C. The isentropic efficiencies of the
compressor, HP turbine and LP turbine are 0.8, 0.83 and 0.85 respectively and the
mechanical efficiency of both shafts is 98%. Neglecting kinetic energy, changes
and the pressure loss in combustion, calculate;
i. Pressure between turbine stages
 ii. Cycle efficiency
iii. Shaft power

Cp and may be taken as 1.005kJ/kgK and 1.4 for air and 1.15kJ/kgK and 1.333
for combustion and expansion processes.

29. For the unit of problem 28, calculate the cycle efficiency obtainable when a heat
exchanger is fitted. Assume a thermal ratio of 0.75.

30. In a gas turbine, generating set 2 stages of compression are used with an
intercooler between stages. The HP turbines the HP compressor and the LP
turbines drives the LP compressor and the generator. The exhaust from a LP
turbine passes through a HE, which transfers heat to the air leaving the HP
compressor. There is a reheat combustion chamber between turbine stages,
which raises the gas temperature to 600C, which is also the gas temperature at
the entry to the HP turbine. The overall pressure ratio is 10/1, each compressor
having the same pressure ratio and the air temperature at the entry to the unit is
20C. The HE thermal ratio may be taken as 0.7 and the intercooling is complete
between compressor stages and 0.85 for both turbine stages and that 2% of the
work of each turbine is used in overcoming friction. Neglecting all losses in
pressure, and assuming that velocity changes are negligibly small, calculate;
i. Power output in kilowatts for a mass flow of 115 kg/s
ii. Overall cycle efficiency of the plant

31. A motorcar gas turbine unit has 2 centrifugal compressor in series giving an
overall pressure ratio of 6/1. The air leaving the HP compressor passes through a
HE before entering the combustion chamber. The expansion is in 2 stages, the
first stage driving the compressors and the second stage driving the car through
gearing. The stage leaving the LP turbine passes through the HE before
exhausting to atmosphere. The HP turbine inlet temperature is 800C and the
inlet temperature to the unit is 15C. The isentropic efficiency of the compression
is 0.8 and that of each turbine is 0.85; the mechanical efficiency of each shaft is
98%. The HE thermal ration may be assumed 0.65. neglecting pressure losses and
changes in kinetic energy, calculate;
i. Overall cycle efficiency
ii. Power developed when the air mass flow is 0.7kg/s
iii. Specific fuel consumption when the caloric value of the fuel used is
42600kJ/kg and the combustion efficiency is 97%.
32. In a gas turbine generating station the overall compression ratio is 12/1,
performed in 3 stages the pressure ratios of 2.5/1, 2.4/1 and 2/1 respectively. The
air inlet temperature to the plant is 25C and intercooling between stages reduces
the temperature to 40C. The HP turbine drives the HP and intermediate-
pressure compressor stages; the LP turbine drives the LP compressor and the
generator. The gasses leaving LP turbine are passed through a HE, which heats
the air leaving the HP compressor. The temperature at the inlet to the HP turbine
is 650C. The gases leave the HE at a temperature of 200C. The isentropic
efficiency of each compressor stage is 0.83 and the isentropic efficiency of the HP
and LP turbine are 0.85 and 0.88 respectively. Take the mechanical efficiency of
each shaft as 98%. The air mass flow is 140kg/s. neglecting pressure losses and
changes in kinetic energy and taking the specific heat of water as 4.19 kJ/kgK,
calculate,
i. Power output in kilowatts
ii. Cycle efficiency
iii. Flow of cooling water required for the intercoolers when the rise in
the water temperature must not exceed 30K;
iv. The HE thermal ratio

33. In a gas turbine plant, air enters a compressor at atmospheric condition of 15C,
1.0133bar and is compressed through a pressure ratio of 10. The air leaving the
compressor passes through a HE before entering the combustion chamber. The
hot gases leave the combustion chamber at 800C and expand through an HP
turbine, which drives the compressor. On leaving the HP turbine the gases pass
through a reheat combustion chamber, which raises the temperature of the gases
to 800C before they expand through the power turbine, and then to the HE
where they flow in counter-flow to the air leaving the compressor. Using the data
below, neglecting the mass flow rate of fuel and changes of velocity throughout,
calculate:
i. Air flow rate required for a net power output of 10MW
ii. Work ratio of the cycle
iii. Temperature of the air entering the first combustion chamber
iv. Overall cycle efficiency

Isentropic efficiency of compressor, 80%; isentropic efficiencies of HP and power

turbine, 87 and 85%; mechanical efficiency of HP turbine-compressor drive, 92%;
mechanical efficiency of power turbine drive, 94%; thermal ratio of HE, 0.75;
pressure drop on air side of HE, 0.125 bar; pressure drop in first combustion
chamber, 01 bar; pressure drop in reheat combustion chamber,0.08 bar; pressure
drop on gas side of HE, 0.1 bar.
34. An open cycle gas turbine plant is used to generate power in an oil refinery. The
gas turbine unit drives a generator, which supplies electric motors of 2400 kW;
the overall mechanical and electrical efficiency is 92%. Some of the exhaust gas
from the turbine at 530C is supplied to a furnace in the refinery at a rate of 2
kg/s; the reminder of the exhaust gas is passed in counter flow through a HE
where it heats the air leaving the compressor, and then passes to exhaust at
400C. The compressor has a pressure ratio of 8 and the air entry is at 1.013bar
and 20C. The pressure loss in the air of the heat exchanger is 0.16bar, the
pressure loss in the combustion chamber is 0.12 bar, and the pressure loss in the
gas side of HE is 0.05bar. The isentropic efficiencies of the compressor and
turbine are 0.85 and 0.92 respectively. Neglecting heat losses in the HE, and the
mass flow rate of fuel, calculate:
i. Mass flow rate of air entering the compressor;
ii. Temperature of the air entering the combustion chamber;
iii. Overall cycle efficiency

35. A closed cycle gas turbine plant using helium as the working fluid is proposed
for an experimental nuclear reactor. The helium is compressed in 2 stages with
an intercooler between stages. Before passing through a heater where it is heated
externally by the reactor coolant, the helium is pre-heated in a HE where it is in
counter flow with the helium leaving the turbine. The helium leaving the turbine
is cooled in the HE before passing through a cooler where it is cooled by cooling
water to the required inlet temperature to the compressor, and the cycle is
complete. Using the data below, calculate the overall cycle efficiency.

Pressure and temperature at the entry to the first compressor, 18 bar and 30C;
pressure ratio for each compressor, 2; temperature of helium leaving the
intercooler, 30C; temperature of helium, entering the turbine , 800C; isentropic
efficiency of each compressor, 0.83; isentropic efficiency of the turbin, 0.86;
effectiveness of the HE, 0.8; pressure loss as a percentage of the inlet pressure to
each component: intercooler and external cooler, 1%; each side of HE, 2%;
external heater, 3%. Take for helium as 1.666