CHE 412 (ChE Thermodynamics II)

Problem Set
Rankine Cycle
1. An ideal Rankine cycle producing 2.1 GW net power annually is equipped with a boiler
which generates steam at 58 bar and 650C and a condenser which operates at 0.15
bar. Assuming that the cycle is working 250 days a year. Calculate the following:
a. Amount of energy added in the boiler per kg of water
b. The thermal efficiency of the cycle
c. The daily steam demand in MT/day; and
d. The daily cooling water requirement for the condenser in m 3/day, if the cooling
water enters the condenser at 15C and leaves at 34C.
2. The influence of maximum temperature on the efficiency of a Rankine cycle is desired.
Holding the maximum and minimum pressures constant at 950 psia and 5 psia,
respectively, determine:
a. The cycle efficiency if the maximum temperature of the cycle is initially set at
800F.
b. The cycle efficiency if the maximum temperature of the cycle is increased by
25%.
c. The percent increase in efficiency if the boiler outlet steam temperature is
increased by 25%.
3. Water is the working fluid in a Rankine cycle. Superheated vapor enters the turbine at
9.2 MPa, 560C and the condenser pressure is 30 kPa. The turbine and pump have
isentropic efficiencies of 78% and 68%, respectively. Determine for the cycle:
a. The heat transfer to the working fluid passing through the steam generator in kJ
per kg of steam flowing.
b. The thermal efficiency
c. The heat transfer from the working fluid passing through the condenser to the
cooling water in kJ per kg of steam flowing.
4. Crude Oil (SG = 0.88) with a heating value of 30 MJ/kg is used as fuel to heat boiler
schematically shown below. The crude oil is purchased at $48.75 per barrel (1 barrel =
6.29 m3). If 85% of the energy is transferred to the working fluid, determine the daily
heating cost needed for the boiler considering the crude oil as the sole energy source.

5. Water at 27C is used to operate a Rankine power cycle. Water is collected from the
condenser outlet and pumped to a boiler. The boiler produces steam at maximum
temperature of 600C and 28 bar. If the overall efficiency of the power cycle is 33.1%,
and the pump is assumed to work 55% effectively, calculate the following:
a. Turbine efficiency
b. Actual power output of the turbine.
c. Heat released by the condenser.
6. A steam power plant operating in an ideal Rankine cycle has a high pressure of 9.8 MPa
and a low pressure of 27 kPa. The plant operates 250 days annually. The turbine
exhaust state should have a quality of at least 95% and the target turbine power
generation should be at least 750 MW. Determine the following:
a. The boiler exit temperature
b. The daily water demand to operate the power plant in m3/day
c. The thermal efficiency
d. The annual pumping cost if the pumping rate cost is Php 0.06/day
7. A nuclear power plant based on the Rankine cycle operates with a boiling-water reactor
to develop net cycle power of 10.2 million Btu/h. Steam exits the reactor core at 725
psia, 1,050F and expands through the turbine to the condenser pressure of 15 psia.
Saturated liquid exits the condenser and is pumped to the reactor pressure of 725 psia.
Isentropic efficiencies of the turbine and pump are 80% and 72% respectively. Cooling
water enters the condenser at 60F with a mass flow rate of 220,000 lbm/h. Determine:
a. The thermal efficiency.
b. The temperature of the cooling water exiting the condenser in F.
c. The steam quality at the turbine outlet.
8. A small power plant produces 72,000 kg/day of steam at 3 MPa, 600C in the boiler. The
power plant uses ocean water (CP = 4.184 J g -1 C -1) to cool the condenser. The ocean
water enters the condenser at 12C and it is sent back to the ocean at 15C so that the
condenser exit is at 45C. Find the:
a. Net power output
b. The required mass flow rate of ocean water.
9. An ideal reheat Rankine cycle operates between 8 MPa and 4 kPa with a maximum
temperature of 600C. Two reheat stages, each with a maximum temperature of 600C
are to be added at 1 MPa and 100 kPa. Calculate the cycle efficiency.
10. Consider an ideal steam reheat cycle where steam enters the high pressure turbine at
3.0 MPa, 400C and then expands to 0.8 MPa. It is then reheated to 400C and expands
to 10 kPa in the low-pressure turbine. Calculate the following:
a. Cycle thermal efficiency
b. The moisture content of the steam leaving the low pressure turbine.
11. An ideal reheat Rankine cycle operates between 750 psia and 2 psig with a maximum
temperature of 950R. Two reheat stages, each with a maximum temperature of 950R
are to be added at 60 psig and 50 psia. Calculate the cycle efficiency.

12. Consider a steam power plant that operates on the ideal reheat Rankine cycle. The plant
maintains the boiler at 6000 kPa, the reheat section at 1100 kPa, and the condenser at
25 kPa. The mixture quality at the exit of both turbines is 96%. Determine the
temperature at the inlet of each turbine and the cycles thermal efficiency.
13. Steam enters the high-pressure turbine of a steam power plant that operates on the
ideal reheat Rankine cycle at 850 psia and 1150F and leaves as saturated vapor.
Steam is reheated to 1000F before it expands to a pressure of 1 psig. Heat is
transferred to the steam in the boiler at a rate of 75,000 Btu/s. Steam is cooled in the
condenser by the cooling water from a nearby river, which enters the condenser at 50F.
Determine:
a. The pressure at which reheating takes place,
b. The net power output and thermal efficiency, and
c. The minimum mass flow rate of the cooling
14. An ideal reheat Rankine cycle with water as the working fluid operates the boiler at 10.5
MPa , the reheater at 1,700 kPa, and the condenser at 80 kPa. The temperature is
650C at the entrance of the high-pressure and low-pressure turbines. The mass flow
rate through the cycle is 22.4 kg/s. Determine the following:
a. Power used by the pumps
b. The power produced by the cycle
c. The rate of heat transfer in the reheater,
d. The thermal efficiency of this system.
15. A steam power plant operates on the reheat Rankine cycle. Steam enters the highpressure turbine at 11.0 MPa and 780C at a rate of 25.9 kg/s and leaves at 3.2 MPa.
Steam is then reheated at constant pressure to 650C before it expands in the lowpressure turbine. The isentropic efficiencies of the turbine and the pump are 80% and
85% respectively. Steam leaves the condenser as a saturated liquid. If the moisture
content of the steam at the exit of the turbine is not to exceed 5%, determine:
a. The condenser pressure,
b. The net power output, and
c. The thermal efficiency