= Rankine cycle
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A vapour-power cycle using a liquid pump, high-pressure heat addition, turbine expansion and low-pressure condensation. Ideal components are reversible apart from heat transfer through finite temperature differences. With states numbered pump inlet, pump outlet, turbine inlet and turbine outlet, the net <thermal efficiency> is $[(h_3-h_4)-(h_2-h_1)]/(h_3-h_2)$. Liquid pumping avoids the impractical compression of a wet two-phase mixture in a steam realization of the <Carnot cycle>. Named after <William John Macquorn Rankine>.
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