You are working for NEXT, looking at basic design for a possible molten salt nuclear reactor for electricity generation. You are asked to determine whether a Brayton Cycle or Rankine Cycle would be more effective.

Use the following constraints for your analysis: The maximum temperature of the molten salt (and therefore both cycles) is 850 K. Assume simple cycles (no regen/reheat/combined cycles) The isentropic efficiency for all compressors and turbines is 85% The Rankine Cycle has these restrictions: o The working fluid is water o The condenser operates at a minimum temperature of 40C (it can be higher if needed), and outputs water as a saturated liquid o The final quality in the turbine is 90% The Brayton Cycle has these restrictions: o The working fluid is air o The inlet pressure is 100 kPa o The inlet temperature is 300 K

1. Create a Rankine Cycle that meets the requirements above and calculate the efficiency of the cycle. Report the pressure, enthalpy, entropy, and quality of each state. Plot the cycle on a - diagram

2. Create a Brayton Cycle that meets the requirements above and calculate the efficiency of the cycle. Report the pressure, enthalpy, and entropy of each state. Plot the cycle on an - diagram.

3. Plot the efficiency of the Brayton Cycle as a function of the maximum pressure in the cycle.