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How CyclePad Views Thermodynamic Cycles

A thermodynamic cycle consists of a collection of components connected together in some appropriate fashion. The components CyclePad knows about include compressors, turbines, heaters, coolers, pumps, mixers, splitters, throttles, and heat exchangers. CyclePad describes connections in terms of the properties of the material at the connection, that is, the properties of the stuff that is flowing between the components.

cpadw003.gif

Simple Rankine Cycle

In the above diagram, for example, you will see that there are four components: a heater, a turbine, a cooler, and a pump. These components are connected via four stuffs, S1, S2, S3, and S4.

The major source of information about the cycle is the set of parameters associated with each stuff and each component. CyclePad knows what parameters are associated with each component and with each stuff. It knows that the set of what parameters are relevant can vary; when a stuff is saturated, for example, its dryness (quality) becomes relevant, and a turbine which is not approximated as isentropic requires some specification of its presumed efficiency. Part of your job as a designer is selecting numerical values and modeling assumptions to see if a particular design can satisfy your performance criteria (e.g., desired work output, efficiency, etc.).


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