Brayton cycle

The constant-pressure cycle of energy release used to describe the action of a gas turbine engine. Fuel is added to the air passing through the engine and is burned. Heat from the burning fuel-air mixture expands the air, and since this air is not confined, it accelerates as it moves through the engine. The Brayton cycle, a constant-pressure cycle, is an open cycle because all the events, compression, combustion, expansion, and exhaust take place at the same time, but in different locations within the engine. The Brayton cycle differs from the Otto cycle used in reciprocating engines because the Otto cycle is a constant-volume cycle.