See Also: Brayton Cycle, Combined Cycle, States Of Matter
The processes used in the basic Rankine Cycle are:
a to b: Water is vaporized in the boiler.
b to c: Vapor expands through a turbine and does Work as it decreases in Temperature, Pressure, and quality.
c to d: Vapor is liquified in the condenser - releasing Heat (Q).
d to e: Liquid water is brought up to the boiler pressure.
e to a: Water is heated to fluid saturation temperature.
The thermal efficiency of the Rankine Cycle can be calculated in two ways.
One, (Q(in) - Q(out))/Q(in). Two, (W(turbine) - W(pump))/Q(in). Q stands for
heat, and W stands for work.
The basic Rankine Cycle is a general vapor (see States Of Matter) Power system that makes use of a Boiler, a Turbine, a condenser, and a boiler feed pump (Compressor) as shown in the figure at the right. Most base-load power plants in the
world use this configuration.