2nd Class Power Engineering (2B3) Practice Exam

The choice stating that turbine inlet air temperature decreases the mass of gas flow in the turbine is based on the principles of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. As the inlet air temperature increases, the density of the air decreases. This reduction in density leads to a lower mass flow rate of the air entering the turbine at a given volumetric flow rate.

In a gas turbine, the performance is highly sensitive to temperature. Higher temperatures can improve energy conversion efficiency, but they also mean that the same volume of air has a lower mass because of the reduced density. Therefore, for the same volume of intake, a higher inlet air temperature will result in a lesser mass of air flowing through the turbine.

Understanding this relationship is essential in power engineering, as operational parameters like temperature have significant effects on system efficiency, output, and overall performance.