Gas Power Cycle with Temperature Dependent Heat Capacity

by Mathew Warrilow

Submitted : Spring 2009

In this project we look at the cycle of a gas powered turbine and compared the (Ẇnet/ṁ) with two cases: one with the heat capacity (Cp) of the air a constant and one that allowed Cp to vary with temperature. We used an integral to find the temperatures coming out the compressor and the turbine. With these values we can find the work per unit of mass flow rate of gas (Ẇ/ṁ), for both the compressor and the turbine, and with those values we found the (Ẇnet/ṁ) for both the constant Cp and the Cp that varies with temperature. Comparing the two cases at P=10 bars, when Cp was allowed to vary with temperature, it required less energy form the compressor and produce more energy from the turbine yielding a higher (Ẇnet/ṁ).

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