Equations · equation
Brayton Cycle Efficiency
Thermodynamics · 1872
- Equation
- η = 1 − (p_1/p_2)^((γ−1)/γ)
- Field
- Thermodynamics
- Named After
- George Brayton
- Symbols
- p_1 the pressure at the compressor inlet · p_2 at its outlet — the ratio p_2/p_1 is what a cycle is rated by · γ ratio of specific heats
- Year
- 1872
Significance
The gas-turbine cycle: efficiency rises with pressure ratio, so jet engines have gone from 5:1 to over 50:1 in eighty years. The catch is that a higher ratio means a hotter turbine inlet, and the whole history of the jet engine is the history of alloys and cooling that survive that temperature.
Referenced by
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