The Constant Volume Gas Turbine Cycle According to Karavodine
The basic distinction between the constant volume cycle and the well known constant pressure cycle for gas turbines is the method of heat supply, which necessitates a system of combustion chamber valves to contain the fluid. The object of the proposed cycle analysis, which is mainly based on the fundamental laws of mass and energy, will consider a solution for the discrepancies between the former theory and practice of constant volume gas turbines. The overall performance characteristics which emerge from this analysis show the distinct superiority of the one-valve Karavodine cycle. Evaluation by experiment for this cycle variant shows, however, besides a refinement of the model, a marginal superiority in performance for the Brayton gas turbine at low pressure ratios. Any application could probably be justified by incorporating it in Brayton turbines to diminish starting power and to improve part load performance.