The Brayton cycle is a gas turbine cycle in which the working fluid is typically a gas. The fluid passes through a compressor, which applies pressure to it, increasing its energy so it can expand more effectively later. Heat from an external combustion source is then added to the gas, causing it to expand before it passes through a turbine. As this high-energy, expanding gas passes through the turbine, it turns the blades, producing mechanical work. If the Brayton cycle is an open one, the gas is not condensed back into a liquid but is instead released through an exhaust after passing through the turbine, whereas a closed Brayton cycle recompresses the gas and puts it back in the cycle. The Rankine cycle works on liquids. A pump propels the liquid, such as water, to a heat source that raises its temperature and vaporizes it. In conventional steam turbines, this means boiling water into steam, which is why the heat source is called a boiler. The resulting vapor expands in volume and passes through a turbine. As the vapor passes over the turbine’s blades, it causes the turbine to rotate. This turbine in turn drives a rotor, which generates electricity through electromagnetic induction (production of electric current by a changing magnetic field). Meanwhile, the vapor passes through a condenser and turns back into a liquid so it can be used for the next cycle.
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