Power Plant: Effect of pressure ratio, L-3

We have already seen that the efficiency of brayton cycle increases as the pressure ratio increases (in L-2), but that comes with the cost of decrease in the net work output, that ultimately increases the size of the plant for the same power output. Here net work output has more importance than the cycle efficiency. In this lesson we will derive the optimum pressure ratio for maximum work output and the maximum work output. We will also see the maximum possible pressure ratio, its relation with the optimum pressure ratio and variation of net work output with pressure ratio.