Question

A steam turbine inlet is at 200 psia, 900 F. The exit is at 40 psia. What is the lowest possible exit temperature? Which efficiency does that correspond to?

Answer 1

We would expect the lowest possible exit temperature when the maximum amount of work is taken out. This happens in a reversible process so if we assume it is adiabatic this becomes an isentropic process.

The efficiency Eq measures the turbine relative to an isentropic turbine, so the efficiency will be 100%.