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Definition of Rankine cycle in English:

Rankine cycle

noun

Physics Engineering

  • A thermodynamic cycle which describes the operation of an ideal composite engine worked by steam or other condensable vapour.

    The four stages of a Rankine cycle are characterized as isentropic compression, heat addition at constant pressure, isentropic expansion, and heat loss at constant pressure.

Origin

Late 19th century; earliest use found in Robert Thurston (1839–1903).