Some detailed parametric studies of wet cycles

The general thermodynamic conclusions given above are confirmed by more detailed parametric studies which have been made by several authors of various wet cycles. 

Macchi et al. [9] made an extensive study of water injection cycles in their two classic papers and their results are worth a detailed study. Some of their calculations (for ISTIG, RWI and HAT) are reproduced in Figs. 6.18-6.20, all for surface intercooling (parallel calculations for evaporative intercooling are given in the original papers). 

For the ISTIG cycle, Fig. 6.18 shows thermal efficiency plotted against specific work for varying overall pressure ratios and two maximum temperatures of 1250 and 1500°C. Peak efficiency is obtained at high pressure ratios (about 36 and 45, respectively), before the specific work begins to drop sharply. Note that the pressure ratios of the LP and HP compressors were optimised within these calculations. 

Macchi et al. provided a similar comprehensive study of the more complex RWI cycles as illustrated in Fig. 6.19, which shows similar carpet plots of thermal efficiency against specific work for maximum temperatures of 1250 and 1500°C, for surface intercoolers. The division of pressure ratio between LP and HP compressors is again optimised within these calculations, leading to an LP pressure ratio less than that in the HP. For the RWI cycle at 1250°C the optimisation appears to lead to a higher optimum overall pressure ratio (about 20) than that obtained by Horlock [5], who assumed LP and HP pressure ratios to be same in his study of the simplest RWI (EGT) cycle. His estimate of optimum pressure ratio 

Macchi et al. presented similar calculations for the HAT cycle based on comparable a.ssumptions (Fig. 6.20). As to be expected, they obtain efficiencies about 2% higher 

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