An Analysis of the Performance of Large Reciprocating Expansion Engines with the Aid of a Computer and Laboratory Prototype

Abstract

Since the development of the reciprocating expansion engine by Claude in 1902, its use has been extended to a broad range of commercial processes. Most of these processes involve the large-scale refrigeration and liquefaction of relatively pure gases and their separation from mixtures by distillation. Although the performance of the idealized expansion engine cycle with an ideal working fluid has been analyzed, there is no published analysis of the behavior of an actual engine with a nonideal gas. The work described in this paper involved the determination of an adequate mathematical model of the engine, the implementation of this model on a digital computer, and the verification of the analysis with a prototype engine, Finally, a series of computer runs was made to investigate the effect of variations in clearance, recompression ratio, valve loss, and heat leak.