What Is the Gas Turbine Brayton Cycle Recuperator Calculator?
A recuperator preheats compressor discharge air using hot turbine exhaust gases, reducing fuel required to reach firing temperature.
How Does the Gas Turbine Brayton Cycle Recuperator Calculator Work?
Heat transfers across counter-flow metallic cores, lowering exhaust stack temperature while raising combustor inlet temperature.
Gas Turbine Brayton Cycle Recuperator Calculator Formula & Variables
The core mathematical equation utilized by this calculator is expressed as:
epsilon = rac{T_{ ext{air,out}} - T_2}{T_4 - T_2}, quad dot{Q} = dot{m} C_p epsilon (T_4 - T_2)
Heat exchanger effectiveness and recuperated thermal power duty.
How to Use the Gas Turbine Brayton Cycle Recuperator Calculator
- Input compressor discharge temp T2, turbine exhaust temp T4, mass flow, and heat exchanger effectiveness.
Step-by-Step Example Calculation
Industrial Microturbine Recuperator
Input Values:
compressorExitTempK:520
turbineExhaustTempK:860
airMassFlowKgS:12.5
effectivenessEpsilon:0.8
Worked Steps: Combustor inlet air preheated to 792 K (+272 K rise), Heat recovered = 3,417 kW, Stack cooled to 588 K.
Understanding Your Result
Shows preheated combustor air temperature, thermal duty in kW, and cooled exhaust stack temperature.
Factors That Affect the Result
- Recuperation is only effective when turbine exhaust is hotter than compressor discharge (T4 > T2).
When Should You Use This Calculator?
- Microturbines, vehicular gas turbines (Abrams tank), and high-efficiency distributed power generation.
Assumptions & Limitations
- Assumes balanced heat capacities and constant average specific heat Cp = 1.005 kJ/kg·K.
Frequently Asked Questions
Calculation Accuracy & Reference Note
Standard thermodynamic effectiveness-NTU formulation.