Introduction to the Brayton Cycle
The Brayton cycle is gas power cycle originally devised by George Brayton in 1870 as an oil burning engine. The Brayton cycle is used today to describe an open system, rotating assembly that consists of several steps that the working fluid undergoes:
1) Compression
2) Heat addition at constant pressure
3) Expansion
4) Heat rejection at constant pressure
Left: Image Sourced: http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4404/p157b.jpg
Text reference (Thermodynamics 5th Ed., Cengle, Y. p 507-508)