Alternative Approach to Teaching Gas Turbine-based Power Cycles

This paper presents the new approach in teaching Applied Thermodynamics in general and gas turbine cycles in particular to undergraduate mechanical engineering students through the integration of a simulation and modeling software to teaching gas turbine based cycles. Students developed several simple models and conducted sensitivity analysis and interpreted the results through modeling. First, they are asked to find various properties of a stream using the software and compare them with the values they found from the conventional thermodynamic tables. In this step students learn how to retrieve stream properties and how to validate them. Then, they develop a cycle composed of a compressor followed by a gas turbine. In this stage, they learn how to define characteristics and specifications of components in the model. Also, they experience the influences of these specifications on the performance of the equipments. As a next step, they add a combustion chamber to the model to make a complete model of a sample gas turbine cycle. As a part of this step they calculate the net output power, specific work, and efficiency of the cycle. They utilize this model to evaluate effects of the compressor pressure ratio, turbine inlet temperature, ambient temperature and pressure, efficiency of compressor and turbine, and pressure drop in the combustion chamber on the system overall performance parameters including output power, specific work, and efficiency of the cycle. Eventually, some students worked on this model and combined it with other cycles to make a hybrid cycle or other cycles as their projects.