Rankine

Rankine may refer to several topics in science and engineering. The most common are the Rankine temperature scale, the Rankine cycle, and the Scottish engineer William John Macquorn Rankine, after whom the scale and cycle are named.

Rankine temperature scale: An absolute thermodynamic temperature scale that uses Fahrenheit degrees as its unit. Zero on the Rankine scale equals absolute zero. The degree is the same size as a degree Fahrenheit, so temperatures can be converted by adding 459.67: T_R = T_F + 459.67. It is related to Kelvin by T_R = (9/5) T_K and is used mainly in some thermodynamics calculations in the United States.

Rankine cycle: A theoretical model of a steam power plant's thermodynamic cycle used to convert heat into mechanical work. It consists of four processes: pumping of liquid water to high pressure, heating to produce high-pressure steam in a boiler, expansion of steam through a turbine to produce work, and condensation of steam back to liquid in the condenser. The cycle is named after William Rankine. Practical plants implement variations such as preheating feedwater, reheating steam, and regenerative feedwater heating to improve efficiency; real cycles deviate from the ideal.

William Rankine: William John Macquorn Rankine (1820–1872) was a Scottish engineer and physicist whose work contributed to the development of thermodynamics and the theory of energy conversion. His writings helped formalize the study of heat engines, and the Rankine cycle and Rankine scale were named in his honor.