Rankine Cycle Efficiency

Ideal Rankine cycle thermal efficiency from the four cycle enthalpies - the steam-plant / WHR / ORC benchmark.

SteamRankine

h1 (turbine inlet)kJ/kgh2 (turbine outlet)kJ/kgh3 (pump inlet / condensate)kJ/kgh4 (pump outlet / feedwater)kJ/kg

Rankine efficiency: 31.03%

Net cycle work: 990.0kJ/kg

Boiler heat input: 3,190.0kJ/kg

Changing the inputs requires JavaScript. The calculator above shows its default inputs and result. The formula, symbols, and regulatory sources are shown in the Formula section below.

Formula, assumptions, and limits

\eta_\text{Rankine} = \frac{(h_1 - h_2) - (h_4 - h_3)}{h_1 - h_4}

Symbol	Meaning	Unit
$h_1$	Turbine inlet (sup-heated steam)	kJ/kg
$h_2$	Turbine exit (wet steam)	kJ/kg
$h_3$	Condensate at pump suction	kJ/kg
$h_4$	Compressed feedwater	kJ/kg

Source: Cengel & Boles - Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach

In short

Ideal Rankine cycle thermal efficiency from the four cycle enthalpies - the steam-plant / WHR / ORC benchmark.

Learn the theory Marine Auxiliary Engines and Generators