Rankine cycle is one of the typical thermal cycles in thermal power plants,which mainly includes four thermal processes:isentropic compression,isobaric heating,isentropic expansion,and isobaric condensation.On the basis of analyzing the Rankine cycle and combining with practical engineering cases,this article optimizes and corrects four thermal processes to improve the efficiency of the Rankine cycle in power plants.In combination with the"ASME PTC46 Overall Plant Performance Test Codes",thermal efficiency analysis software is developed using Excel software to conduct detailed analysis and diagnosis of the steam cycle process in power plants,identify the points of unit efficiency loss and the direction of optimization and improvement.Through maintenance work,the heat rate improvement plan was implemented one by one,achieving efficient operation of the unit and saving approximately $22.63 million in heat rate expenses.