Rankine cycle: Meaning and Definition of

Ran'kine cy"cle

Pronunciation: [key]
— Thermodynam. Thermodynam.
  1. the hypothetical cycle of a steam engine in which all heat transfers take place at constant pressure and in which expansion and compression occur adiabatically. Also called
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.