Question Details

In a steam power plant based on Rankine cycle, steam is initially expanded in a high-pressure turbine. The steam is then reheated in a reheated and finally expanded in a low-pressure turbine. The expansion work in the high-pressure turbine is 400 kJ/kg and in the low-pressure turbine is 850 kJ/kg, whereas the pump work is 15 kJ/kg. If the cycle efficiency is 32%, the heat rejected in the condenser is ________ kJ/kg (round off to 2 decimal places).

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Correct Answer :

Correct answer is : 2624.37

Work done in HPT, WT1 = 400 kJ/kg ,

Work done in LPT, WT2 = 850 kJ/kg

Wp = 15 kJ/kg, ηcycle = 0.32,

Heat rejected in the condenser, Qout =?

η c y c l e = W n e t Q i n = W T 1   +   W T 2     W P Q i n

0.32 = (400 + 850 - 15) / Qin

Qin = 3859.37 kJ/kg

Efficiency is also written as:

η c y c l e = Q i n Q o u t Q i n

0.32 = 1 - (Qout / Qin )

Qout = 3859.37 × 0.68

Qout = 2624.37 kJ/kg

Solution :

The correct answer is 2624.37.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

To find the heat rejected in the condenser, we can analyze the energy distribution in the reheating Rankine cycle. Let's first list the given parameters:
- Expansion work in the high-pressure turbine (HPT), WT1 = 400 kJ/kg
- Expansion work in the low-pressure turbine (LPT), WT2 = 850 kJ/kg
- Pump work input, WP = 15 kJ/kg
- Thermal efficiency of the cycle, ηcycle = 32% = 0.32

Step 1: Calculate the net work output (Wnet) of the cycle
The net work output of a steam power plant is the total work produced by the turbines minus the work consumed by the pump:
W n e t = W T 1 + W T 2 W P
Substituting the given values:
W n e t = 400 + 850 15 = 1235  kJ/kg

Step 2: Calculate the total heat input (Qin) to the cycle
The thermal efficiency of the cycle is defined as the ratio of net work output to the total heat input:
η c y c l = W n e t Q i n
Rearranging the equation to solve for Qin:
Q i n = W n e t η c y c l
Substituting the values:
Q i n = 1235 0.32 = 3859.375  kJ/kg

Step 3: Calculate the heat rejected in the condenser (Qout)
Applying the first law of thermodynamics to the cycle, the net work output is equal to the net heat input (total heat input minus heat rejected):
W n e t = Q i n Q o u t
Rearranging to find Qout:
Q o u t = Q i n W n e t
Substituting the calculated values:
Q o u t = 3859.375 1235 = 2624.375  kJ/kg
Rounding off to 2 decimal places as per the question requirements:
Q o u t 2624.37  kJ/kg

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