ELECTRIC OUTPUT
—MW
↗Generator output
YOUR PLANT. YOUR PARAMETERS.
Make steam work.
Tune the cycle. See where the energy goes.
LIVE EXPERIMENT
Adjust any control to begin
Adjust any control to begin
THERMAL EFFICIENCY
—%
Heat converted to work
EXIT STEAM QUALITY
—%
CALCULATING
TURBINE SPEED
—RPM
Shaft speed estimate
02 / CONVERSION
Steam to spin
HP TURBINE0 RPM
Blade speed responds to net power output
03 / QUICK START
Choose a plant
06 / ENERGY BALANCE
Follow the energy
Cycle heat input is balanced against net shaft work and rejected heat. Select a flow to inspect its share.
Heat input is the full 100% energy budget.
THERMAL INPUT— MW100% OF ENERGY BUDGET
07 / THE SCIENCE
What changed?
A quick read of your current operating point.
Tune a control to explore the cycle.
How does the Rankine cycle work?
The pump raises liquid-water pressure. The boiler adds heat to make steam. Steam expands through a turbine, producing shaft work. A generator converts most shaft work to electricity. The condenser rejects heat so the water can return to the pump. The cycle model uses Q̇in = Ẇturbine − Ẇpump + Q̇out.
What do the controls mean?
Boiler pressure: the high-side pressure before expansion. Steam temperature: turbine-inlet temperature; above saturation this is superheat. Mass flow: steam passing each second. Turbine efficiency: actual enthalpy drop divided by ideal isentropic enthalpy drop. Condenser pressure: turbine exhaust pressure; lower pressure generally increases the available expansion.
How should I read steam quality?
Quality is the vapor mass fraction of a saturated liquid–vapor mixture. It is defined only inside the two-phase region. A “superheated” exhaust has quality undefined, not greater than 100%. Low quality means more liquid droplets and can increase turbine-blade erosion risk.
ⓘ Educational approximation using interpolated saturation data; not a design or operating tool. Open the interactive learning guide →