Gas Turbine

Outline
Comprehend the basic components of gas
turbine engines and their basic operation
Comprehend the thermodynamic
processes occurring in a gas turbine
Comprehend the types of gas turbine
engines
 Background
There are industrial gas turbines and there are jet engine
gas turbines

Gas Turbines find their applications in

- electric
power generation, mechanical drive systems,
supply of process heat and compressed air, pump drives
for gas or liquid pipelines

- jet propulsion, land and sea transport (infancy state)

Industrial turbines or prime movers 3

 Brayton Cycle
Unlike diesels, operate on STEADY-FLOW cycle
Open cycle, unheated engine

1-2: Compression

2-3: Combustion

3-4: Expansion through

Turbine and Exhaust
Nozzle

(4-1: Atmospheric
Pressure)
Output 22.3 MW
Thermal Eff. 40%

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Basic Components
Basic Components
 Basic Components
Compressor
Draws in air & compresses it
Combustion Chamber
Fuel pumped in and ignited to burn with compressed
air
Turbine
Hot gases converted to work
Can drive compressor & external load
 Basic Components
Compressor
Draws in air & compresses it
Combustion Chamber
Fuel pumped in and ignited to burn with compressed
air
Turbine
Hot gases converted to work
Can drive compressor & external load
 Basic Components
Compressor
Draws in air & compresses it
Combustion Chamber
Fuel pumped in and ignited to burn with compressed
air
Turbine
Hot gases converted to work
Can drive compressor & external load
 Compressor
Supplies high pressure air for combustion
process
Compressor types
Radial/centrifugal flow compressor
Axial flow compressor
 Compressor
Radial/centrifugal flow
Adv: simple design, good
for low compression
ratios (5:1)
Disadv: Difficult to stage,
less efficient

Axial flow
Good for high
compression ratios (20:1)
Most commonly used
 Compressor
Controlling Load on Compressor
To ensure maximum efficiency and allow for
flexibility, compressor can be split into HP &
LP sections
Vane control: inlet vanes/nozzle angles can be
varied to control air flow
Compressor Stall
Interruption of air flow due to turbulence
 Use of Compressed Air
Primary Air (30%)
Passes directly to combustor for combustion
process
Secondary Air (65%)
Passes through holes in perforated inner shell
& mixes with combustion gases
Film Cooling Air (5%)
Insulates/cools turbine blades
 Combustion Chambers
Where air & fuel are mixed, ignited, and
burned
Spark plugs used to ignite fuel
Types
Can: for small, centrifugal compressors
Annular: for larger, axial compressors
Can-annular: rarely used
 Turbines
Consists of one or more stages designed to
develop rotational energy
Uses sets of nozzles & blades
Single shaft
Power coupling on same shaft as turbine
Same shaft drives rotor of compressor and
power components
 Turbines
Split Shaft
Gas generator turbine drives compressor
Power turbine separate from gas generator turbine
Power turbine driven by exhaust from gas generator
turbine
Power turbine drives power coupling
Dual Shaft, Split Shaft
 Gas Turbine Systems
Air System
Air intakes are located high up & multiple
filters
Exhaust discharged out stacks
Fuel System
Uses either DFM or JP-5
Lubrication System
Supply bearings and gears with oil
 Gas Turbine Accessory
Systems
Starting System
To get compressor initially rotated, HP air
used (can use electrical also)
Once at certain RPM, fuel injected and spark
ignited
Power Transmission System
Reduction gears used to transfer torque
With split shaft, turbines can run @ different
speeds
 GTG vs Steam
For the same hP,
Weight reduction of 70%
Simpler (less maintenance, fewer
components)
Reduced manning automated control
Quicker response time
Modular replacement
 Engine Power Transfer
Turbojet
Thrust provided by reaction against expansion of
exhaust gases
Turbofan
Thrust provided by reaction against expansion of
large volumes of air
Turboprop
Thrust provided by turbine
SCRAMjet/RAMjet
Characteristics and Applications
The turbojet engine :
Turbojet engine derives its thrust by highly
accelerating a mass of air , all of which goes
through the engine. Since a high " jet " velocity is
required to obtain an acceptable of thrust, the
turbine of turbo jet is designed to extract only
enough power from the hot gas stream to
drive the compressor and accessories . All of
the propulsive force (100% of thrust ) produced
by a jet engine derived from exhaust gas.

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 The turboprop engine :
Turboprop engine derives its propulsion by the
conversion of the majority of gas stream energy into
mechanical power to drive the compressor , accessories ,
and the propeller load. The shaft on which the turbine
is mounted drives the propeller through the
propeller reduction gear system . Approximately 90%
of thrust comes from propeller and about only 10%
comes from exhaust gas.

The turbofan engine :

Turbofan engine has a duct enclosed fan mounted at
the front of the engine and driven either
mechanically at the same speed as the compressor , or
by an independent turbine located to the rear of the
compressor drive turbine The fan air can exit
seperately from the primary engine air , or it can be
ducted back to mix with the primary's air at the rear .
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 The turboshaft engine :
Turboshaft engine derives its propulsion by the
conversion of the majority of gas stream energy
into mechanical power to drive the compressor ,
accessories , just like the turboprop engine but
the shaft on which the turbine is mounted
drives something other than an aircraft
propeller such as the rotor of a helicopter
through the reduction gearbox . The engine is
called turboshaft.

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26
 RAMJET/
SCRAMJET

a variant of a ramjet airbreathing jet engine in which combustion

takes place in supersonic airflow.
Ramjets/scramjet relies on high vehicle speed to forcefully
compress the incoming air before combustion
scramjet is supersonic throughout the entire engine.
ramjet decelerates the air to subsonic velocities before
combustion
operate efficiently at extremely high speeds: theoretical
projections place the top speed of a scramjet between Mach 12
(8,400 mph; 14,000 km/h) and Mach 24 (16,000 mph;
25,000 km/h)
 Energy balance
mFqRcomb

minCpTin Gas Turbine (min+mF)CpTout

Shaft power

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 Simplistic Gas Turbines working principles

1-2 Isentropic compression (in a compressor); h2-h1 = mCp(T2-T1)

2-3 Constant pressure heat addition (in a combustor); h3-h2 = mCp(T3-T2)
3-4 Isentropic expansion (in a turbine); h3-h4 = mCp(T3-T4)
4-1 Constant pressure heat rejection

Wnett = Wturbine - Wcompressor

Wnett = Cp [ (T3-T4) - (T2-T1) ]
Because T3-T4 > T2-T1, then Wnett > 0
 OPEN CYCLE
CLOSED CYCLE

Based on the air supply

Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach, 6th Edition
Yunus A. Cengel, Michael A. Boles
McGraw-Hill, 2008

GAS POWER CYCLES

Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.
Brayton Cycle: Ideal Cycle for Gas-Turbine Engines
Gas turbines usually operate on an open cycle (Fig. 929).
Air at ambient conditions is drawn into the compressor, where its temperature and
pressure are raised. The high pressure air proceeds into the combustion chamber,
where the fuel is burned at constant pressure.

The high-temperature gases then

enter the turbine where they expand
to atmospheric pressure while
producing power output.
Some of the output power is used to
drive the compressor.
The exhaust gases leaving the
turbine are thrown out (not re-
circulated), causing the cycle to be
classified as an open cycle.

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Closed Cycle Model
The open gas-turbine cycle can be
modelled as a closed cycle, using
the air-standard assumptions (Fig.
930).
The compression and expansion
processes remain the same, but the
combustion process is replaced by
a constant-pressure heat
addition process from an external
source.
The exhaust process is replaced by
a constant-pressure heat
rejection process to the ambient
air.

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The Brayton Cycle
The ideal cycle that the working fluid
undergoes in the closed loop is the Brayton
cycle. It is made up of four internally
reversible processes:
1-2 Isentropic compression;
2-3 Constant-pressure heat addition;
3-4 Isentropic expansion;
4-1 Constant-pressure heat rejection.
The T-s and P-v diagrams of an ideal Brayton
cycle are shown in Fig. 931.
Note: All four processes of the Brayton cycle
are executed in steady-flow devices thus,
they should be analyzed as steady-flow
processes.

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Thermal Efficiency
The energy balance for a steady-flow process can
be expressed, on a unitmass basis, as

The heat transfers to and from the working fluid

are:

The thermal efficiency of the ideal Brayton cycle,

Constant specific heats

wher is the pressure

e ratio. 35
 Simplistic Gas Turbines working principles

W compresor; h2-h1 = mCp(T2-T1)

W turbine; h3-h4 = mCp(T3-T4)

Back work ratio = Wcomp,in/Wturb,out

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W turb = W net + W back work (W comp)
Parameters Affecting Thermal
Efficiency
The thermal efficiency of an ideal Brayton
cycle depends on the pressure ratio, rp of
the gas turbine and the specific heat ratio,
k of the working fluid.
The thermal efficiency increases with both
of these parameters, which is also the
case for actual gas turbines.
A plot of thermal efficiency versus the
pressure ratio is shown in Fig. 932, for
the case of k =1.4.

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Improvements of Gas Turbines Performance
The early gas turbines (1940s to 1959s) found only limited use despite their
versatility and their ability to burn a variety of fuels, because its thermal efficiency
was only about 17%. Efforts to improve the cycle efficiency are concentrated in
three areas:

1. Increasing the turbine inlet (or firing) temperatures.

The turbine inlet temperatures have increased steadily from
about 540C (1000F) in the 1940s to 1425C (2600F) and
even higher today.
2. Increasing the efficiencies of turbo-machinery
components (turbines, compressors).
The advent of computers and advanced techniques for
computer-aided design made it possible to design these
components aerodynamically with minimal losses.
3. Adding modifications to the basic cycle (intercooling,
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regeneration or recuperation, and reheating).
Actual Gas-Turbine Cycles
Some pressure drop occurs during the
heat-addition and heat rejection processes.
The actual work input to the compressor is
more, and the actual work output from the
turbine is less, because of irreversibilities.

Deviation of actual compressor and

turbine behavior from the idealized
isentropic behavior can be accounted
for by utilizing isentropic efficiencies
of the turbine and compressor.

Turbin
e:
Compress
or: 39
Brayton Cycle With Regeneration
Temperature of the exhaust gas leaving
the turbine is higher than the
temperature of the air leaving the
compressor.
The air leaving the compressor can be
heated by the hot exhaust gases in a
counter-flow heat exchanger (a
regenerator or recuperator) a process
called regeneration (Fig. 9-38 & Fig. 9-
39). Note:
The thermal efficiency of the Brayton The use of a regenerator
is recommended only
cycle increases due to regeneration when the turbine exhaust
since less fuel is used for the same work temperature is higher than
the compressor exit
output. temperature.
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Effectiveness of the Regenerator
Assuming the regenerator is well insulated and changes in kinetic and potential
energies are negligible, the actual and maximum heat transfers from the exhaust
gases to the air can be expressed as

Effectiveness of the regenerator,

Effectiveness under cold-air standard

assumptions,

Thermal efficiency under 41

cold-air standard
assumptions,
Factors Affecting Thermal
Efficiency
Thermal efficiency of Brayton cycle
with regeneration depends on:
a) ratio of the minimum to
maximum temperatures, and
b) the pressure ratio.
Regeneration is most effective at
lower pressure ratios and small
minimum-to-maximum temperature
ratios.

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Brayton Cycle With Intercooling,
Reheating, & Regeneration
The net work output of a gas-turbine cycle
can be increased by either:
a) decreasing the compressor work, or
b) increasing the turbine work, or
c) both.
The compressor work input can be decreased by
carrying out the compression process in stages
and cooling the gas in between (Fig. 9-42), using
multistage compression with intercooling.

The work output of a turbine can be increased by

expanding the gas in stages and reheating it in
between, utilizing a multistage expansion with
reheating.

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Physical arrangement of an ideal two-stage gas-
turbine cycle with intercooling, reheating, and
regeneration is shown in Fig. 9-43.

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Conditions for Best Performance
The work input to a two-stage compressor is minimized when equal pressure
ratios are maintained across each stage. This procedure also maximizes the
turbine work output.
Thus, for best performance we have,

Intercooling and reheating always

decreases thermal efficiency unless
are accompanied by regeneration.
Therefore, in gas turbine power
plants, intercooling and reheating are
always used in conjunction with
regeneration.

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Problem
Ideal and Actual Gas-Turbine (Brayton)
Cycles
973
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 K and 1160 K,
respectively. 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.

Assume variable specific heats conditions.

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Problem
Ideal and Actual Gas-Turbine (Brayton)
Cycles
977
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.

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Problem
Ideal and Actual Gas-Turbine (Brayton) Class Exercise
Cycles
978
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 turbine work output used to drive the compressor,
(b) the thermal efficiency.
Assume:
(a) variable specific heats for air.
(b) constant specific heats at 300 K.

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Problem
Brayton Cycles with Regeneration
991
The 7FA gas turbine manufactured by General Electric is reported to have an
efficiency of 35.9 percent in the simple-cycle mode and to produce 159 MW of
net power. The pressure ratio is 14.7 and the turbine inlet temperature is
1288C. The mass flow rate through the turbine is 1,536,000 kg/h.
Taking the ambient conditions to be 20C and 100 kPa, determine:
(a) the isentropic efficiency of the turbine and the compressor,
(b)the thermal efficiency of this gas turbine if a regenerator with an
effectiveness of 80 percent is added.
Assume constant specific heats at 300 K.

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Problem
Brayton Cycles with Regeneration
996
A Brayton cycle with regeneration using air as the working fluid has a pressure
ratio of 7. The minimum and maximum temperatures in the cycle are 310 and
1150 K respectively.
Assuming an isentropic efficiency of 75 percent for the compressor and 82
percent for the turbine and an effectiveness of 65 percent for the regenerator,
determine:
(a) the air temperature at the turbine exit,
(b) the net work output, and
(c) the thermal efficiency.

Answers: (a) 783 K, (b) 108.1 kJ/kg, (c) 22.5 percent

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Problem
Brayton Cycles with Regeneration
998
Air enters the compressor of a regenerative gas-turbine engine at 300 K and 100
kPa, where it is compressed to 800 kPa and 580 K. The regenerator has an
effectiveness of 72 percent, and the air enters the turbine at 1200 K.
For a turbine efficiency of 86 percent, determine:
(a) the amount of heat transfer in the regenerator, and
(b) the thermal efficiency.
Assume variable specific heats for air.

Answers: (a) 152.5 kJ/kg, (b) 36.0 percent

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Problem
Brayton Cycle with Intercooling, Reheating, and
Regeneration
9108
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:
(a) the back work ratio, and
(b) the thermal efficiency of the cycle
assuming:
(I) no regenerator is used, and
(II) a regenerator with 75 percent effectiveness is used.
Use a variable specific heats assumption.

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Problem
Brayton Cycle with Intercooling, Reheating, and
Regeneration
9110
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 net power output of 110 MW.

Answer: 250 kg/s.

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