Brayton cycles have been used extensively in gas turbine power plants and aircraft propulsion systems. In this paper, an exergy analysis, based on an ecological optimization criterion, has been carried out for an irreversible Brayton engine with an external heat source. A cycle pressure ration is solved to yield optimum work done and reduced entropy production. Even though the work output and thermal efficiency are reduced by a certain amount, the ecological exergy analysis results in a better performance than that obtained with the maximum power (or work) output conditions.
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