Thermodynamic analysis of gas turbines topped with wave rotors

Wave rotors constitute promising gas turbine topping devices. In order to evaluate the potential benefit of these configurations, thermodynamic cycle analyses are carried out for various types of gas turbines including a four-port wave rotor. The parameters chosen to vary are the efficiencies of compression and expansion processes inside the rotor, the wave rotor compression ratio and the mixing and pressure losses in the ducts connecting the wave rotor to the adjacent components of the engine. The results obtained show that almost all the engines under study benefit from the wave rotor addition and that the most significant gain is obtained for gas turbines for which the compressor pressure ratio is moderate (∼5) and the turbine inlet temperature is fairly high (> 1600 K).