Advanced Gas Turbine Cycles

Book excerpt: Primarily this book describes the thermodynamics of gas turbine cycles. The search for high gas turbine efficiency has produced many variations on the simple "open circuit" plant, involving the use of heat exchangers, reheating and intercooling, water and steam injection, cogeneration and combined cycle plants. These are described fully in the text. A review of recent proposals for a number of novel gas turbine cycles is also included. In the past few years work has been directed towards developing gas turbines which produce less carbon dioxide, or plants from which the CO2 can be disposed of; the implications of a carbon tax on electricity pricing are considered. In presenting this wide survey of gas turbine cycles for power generation the author calls on both his academic experience (at Cambridge and Liverpool Universities, the Gas Turbine Laboratory at MIT and Penn State University) and his industrial work (primarily with Rolls Royce, plc.) The book will be essential reading for final year and masters students in mechanical engineering, and for practising engineers.