How does the thermodynamic cycle of the AVE compare with ideal cycles for other thermal engines?
The thermodynamic cycle of the AVE is very similar to the Brayton gas turbine cycle. The figures below show a gas-turbine ideal cycle and an AVE or gravity ideal cycle. The working fluid in both cases is dry air assumed to behave as an ideal gas. Link to presentation containing the figures for question 9.2 of the FAQ in PDF format In both ideal cycles, the air is heated from 290 K to 300 K at a pressure of 100 kPa and cooled from 189.4 K to 183.1 K at the 20 kPa level. The gas is heated a constant pressure, expanded in the turbine, cooled at constant pressure, and compressed back to its original pressure. The work produced by the expansion of the warm gas is more than required to compress the cooled gas and the excess is available to drive a load. The thermodynamic calculations were carried out using standard thermodynamic techniques. The efficiency of an ideal gas-turbine is solely a function of the pressure ratio. For the pressure ratio of 5 used in the figures the ideal cycle effici
