17. Thermodynamic Cycles

This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of thermodynamic cycles with an emphasis on the application of thermodynamic cycles in the real world. It starts with a brief introduction in Sect. 17.1. Section 17.2 explains Carnot cycle, reversed Carnot cycle, Carnot engine, and Carnot refrigerator. Comprehensive coverage of Rankine cycle including the use of regenerative feedwater heating and reheat cycle is provided in Sect. 17.3. Section 17.4 covers Brayton cycle along with the use of a regenerator. Section 17.5 illustrates the analysis and applications of combined gas and steam cycles. Cogeneration power plants are covered in Sect. 17.6 with numerous citations for further study. Otto Cycle, which is the basis of gasoline engines, is explained in Sect. 17.7. The use of vapor compression cycles in refrigeration, air-conditioning, and heating systems is explained in Sect. 17.8.