Rankine cycle is the basic thermal cycle of steam engine, which uses the components commonly used in simple power generation equipment and the phase change of water (boiling water produces steam and condensed steam produces liquid water) to realize the conversion of heat and work. Heat energy is added to this closed working medium loop from the outside, and waste heat will be discharged from the condenser. Almost all power generation applications use Rankine cycle.
In the11990s, about 90% of the world's electricity was generated by Rankine cycle, including almost all power plants using solar thermal energy, biomass energy, firepower and nuclear energy. Rankine cycle is named after the Scottish scholar William John Maccowen Rankine.
Extended data
The biggest advantage of modern steam engines is that they can use almost all fuels to convert thermal energy into mechanical energy, which is much higher than the original steam engines. Not picky about its fuel like an internal combustion engine. In addition, if there is no steam engine, it is difficult to use atomic energy at low cost. Atomic reactors do not directly generate mechanical energy and electrical energy, but actually only generate heat and heat water, and the steam generated after the water boils is converted into useful work by steam engines. Steam does not necessarily need to be produced by combustion. For example, solar collectors can also generate steam to drive steam engines.
Another small external combustion engine with similar advantages is the Stirling engine. Its disadvantage is that it is difficult to run in many cases. Modern hybrid electric vehicles are designed to make up for this shortcoming.
Especially in the mountains, the steam engine locomotive has obvious advantages, because it can also run at relatively low air pressure. This was discovered when their steam locomotives were replaced by diesel-electric locomotives in South America. They have to use more powerful diesel locomotives on high mountains.
The new railways in Switzerland and Austria use modern steam engines. These steam engines need only one person to run. Compared with previous steam engines, they save 60% fuel and are 50% lighter than motors and diesel engines, so the wear on the frame is much less. There is also a new steam engine ship on Lake Geneva, which is the first remote-controlled steam engine ship in the world.
Baidu encyclopedia-steam engine