Design of Small Centrifugal Compressors Performance Test Faciltity

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    DRAFT

    Proceedings of ASME Turbo Expo 2004

    Power for Land

    Sea, and Air

    June

    14-17,

    2004

    Vienna

    Austria

    GT2004-53821

    DESIGN OF SMALL CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSORS PERFORMANCE TEST

    FACILITY

    Al-Sulaiman

    , Fahd A.

    Graduate Assistant

    AI-Qutub

    Amro M

    Associate Professor

    Mechanical

    Engineering Department

    King Fahd University of Petroleum

    and Minerals

    Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia

    ABSTRACT

    Actual performance testing is a key element in the design

    stage, development and troubleshooting of centrifugal

    compressors. The present work discusses the procedure for

    designing the experimental setup and the selection of drive unit

    for variable centrifugal compressors sizes. It starts with setting

    criteria of selection. A survey over different types of drive units

    and facility setup was conducted. It was found that the electric

    drive unit with the aid of transmission for stepping-up the

    speeds is the most suitable type. This is due mainly to the

    excellent control property of electric motors allowing for wide

    range of operational speed and power. A new methodology was

    developed for selecting operational power and speeds of the

    drive unit for different sizes of impellers. The code, used for the

    analysis, was developed by the authors. It calculates the range

    of input power, input torque, and rotational speeds, as well as,

    the mass flow rate, total pressure and temperature ratios for

    different sizes of impellers. This will aid in selecting the proper

    instrumentation for the experiments. The code was validated

    with experimental results in the literature. It is expected that the

    present methodology will enhance selection procedure for

    designing compressor test facility.

    INTRODUCTION

    Improper selection of the instrumentation for a single test

    rig may

    lead to inaccurate reading increase

    cost or even failure

    in the system, such as the failure of the mass flow measurement

    at the venture nozzle, Colantuoni and Colella [I]. In other

    words, estimating the input power, torque, mass flow rate, rpm,

    and total pressure and temperature ratios for different sizes and

    configurations is essential in planning for compressor testing.

    Some commercial codes are available and designed to

    estimate the operating conditions of the centrifugal

    compressors. However,

    most

    of them are for industrial

    applications and used to evaluate conditions during operation

    and not for the designing purposes, such as, Centrifugal

    Compressor Tracking Program developed by Ronald. P.

    Lapina. On the other hand, there are limited codes that can

    calculate the operating conditions of the compressor for

    designing purposes. An example of that is the codes developed

    by PCA Engineering and Concepts Incs. However, these codes

    do not show on the same figure the effect of changing impeller

    size or configuration. The present work involves the

    development of a code that predicts centrifugal compressor

    performance at different sizes and configurations. Presentation

    of results is designed such as the selection of drive unit

    characteristics can be done in a very efficient manner.

    Designing a flexible centrifugal compressor test facility

    where different compressor configurations and sizes can be

    tested with minor modifications, means reduction in cost and

    time. Also, the quality of the experimental results depends on

    the design of the test facility. That is the instrumentation used

    for the measurement and the layout of the test rig. This raises

    the need to find a methodology to satisfy these requirements.

    On the other hand, one of the

    main requirements in

    designing the test facility

    is selecting the proper type of driver

    unit. For instance, in the present

    study, the driver has to be

    flexible to test different types of compressors with good control

    system

    on the rotational speed

    , especially near the surge

    condition.

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    Based on literature survey there are three major types of

    drivers

    electrical motor

    gas turbine and blow

    -down facility

    with a turbocharger

    Each one of them has its advantages and

    disadvantages, such as cost

    size, and power requirement as

    discussed below

    The present work evaluates these systems as

    alternatives for driving different sizes of high- speed small-size

    centrifugal compressors.

    NOMENCLATURE

    Symbols

    bImpeller wdth

    CAbsolute

    elocity of the impeller

    coTangential

    velocity of the impeller

    Cr

    Constant

    pressure specific heat

    M Mach number

    m Mass flow rate

    N h

    Number of

    the blades in the impeller

    PPressure

    Pr Pressure ratio

    PwPower

    RGas constant

    r Impeller radius

    r p m

    Rotational speed per minute

    T Temperature

    U Impeller blade

    velocity

    WRadial relative

    velocity

    of the impeller

    Z The reference size

    Greek letters

    Subscripts

    Impeller angle

    Density

    Specific heat ratio

    Slip factor

    Efficiency

    Flow factor

    Angular velocity

    act

    Actual case

    cr Compressor rotor

    c Compressor stage

    h Valueat hub

    ideal Ideal case

    01 Impeller inlet (compressor) stagnation condition

    02 Impeller exit stagnation condition

    04 Compressor exit tagnation condition

    I Impeller inlet

    2 Impeller exit

    4 Compressor exit

    PERFORMANCE

    ANALYSIS

    One of the main requirements of designing the centrifugal

    compressor test facility is estimating the required input power

    and rotational speed to select the proper drive unit. This can be

    achieved through

    using

    the proper analysis. In addition to that,

    input torque , mass flow rate, stagnation pressure and

    temperature ratios can help in estimating the range of operating

    conditions and selection of proper instrumentation. Based on

    the analysis below a computer program was constructed to

    perform the calculations for different impeller sizes and

    configurations.

    Analysis

    The operating conditions for a given centrifugal

    compressor can be obtained theoretically through using

    reasonable assumptions

    as well as available information from

    the literature. Equations for input power, input torque, mass

    flow rate

    stagnation pressure and temperature ratios, as well as

    some other related equations were derived. The main derived

    equations are shown below. Most of the analysis, with

    additional modifications, is based on Hill and Peterson [2]

    derivation for centrifugal compressor.

    Geometry

    The geometry of the analyzed impeller is shown in Figs. I

    and 2.

    Major

    Assumptions:

    Ideal gas

    Bulk flow,

    No preswirl

    at the inlet

    Adiabatic flow.

    Fig. 1: Impeller inlet geome try and velocity vector

    I-V

    Fig. 2: Impeller exit geometry and velocity vector

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    Governing Equations:

    Actual mass flow rate

    To account for the bulk flow assumption in the analysis an

    estimated coefficient for the average mass flow rate was

    implemented in the code

    It was chosen based on a well-

    established experimental investigation in literature for smooth

    pipes Schlichting

    [3]. Also,

    to account for the flow separation

    (off design condition

    )

    an estimated relative flow angle, 10

    relative to inducer tip as flow off design limits, was

    implemented.

    The flow factor is used to account for

    the off-design

    condition

    When the relative flow is parallel to inducer tip the

    flow is considered to be in ideal case

    design condition);

    otherw ise it is off design condition.

    Using

    the definition of the flow factor

    the actual mass

    flow rate can be written as:

    Mact =

    1

    m

    deal

    In this case, the inlet axial velocity is:

    tan /3,

    1 )

    2 )

    Using the definitions of the static isentropic relation, Mach

    number, total temperature and inlet axial velocity, the mass

    flow can be written as a function of operating conditions and

    impeller geometry such that:

    m-,=P01

    ( 0,Qri2

    Ytan 31

    2

    0 O

    tan /31

    yRTo1- )

    x 7 c r , 2

    2) 0,

    rI) 3

    as =(1-2

    N b

    cosf2

    X(1-

    M

    ace tan

    t 2)

    m

    2P2 7r2 r2 b( )

    30

    The slip factor is also defined as:

    U

    Impeller exit static density

    4 . a )

    4 . b )

    To calculate the slip factor, the impeller exit static density

    needs to be found first. The general procedure to derive the

    required equation to find the density was done by Hill and

    Peterson [2]. Some improvements were done by taking into

    account actual inlet and exit mach number, as well as off design

    condition as shown below. This procedure includes the

    following assumptions:

    Neglect the thickness of the vanes,

    Neglect the boundary layer displacement thickness,

    Assume the isentropic efficiency of the rotor

    : 7 er x 1 277, , 17

    ,

    is the stage isentropic efficiency.

    Using the

    isentropic relation the static

    density ratio can be

    written as:

    P2 Po2

    P Poi

    [1 M

    1+Y] M

    L2

    Y - l

    5 )

    In the case

    of no preswirl condition

    the stagnation pressure

    ratio can be written in terms

    of the blade velocity at the

    impeller tip and

    the absolute tangential velocity at the impeller

    exit. This can be achieved by using the isentropic

    relation and

    the definition of the power,

    as will as the rotor efficiency.

    c

    There are some formulas that can be used to calculate the

    P 02

    141 77,

    U2

    Fez

    1 r-I

    The oneli factor which was discussed by Wiesner [4] and

    6

    modified by Hill and Peterson [

    2], is a representative formula

    Poi

    2

    r

    RTo

    U2

    since it has been validated experimentally. It takes into

    consideration number

    of the impeller blades and the exit

    condition and configuration. Using their formula and

    introducing the definition of the exit radial relative velocity

    yields:

    The rotor efficiency

    is modeled from the experimental

    results done by Krain et al

    . [5]. These

    results were selected

    since they are close to the operating conditions

    of the desired

    test facility of the compressor Also, because Krain et al. [5]

    study

    was chosen as a reference to validate

    four different

    advanced codes which indicates the confident in their results

    see Eisenlohr et al. [6 ]. The chosen eff iciency

    model for

    validation was:

    77,. = 0.8545*exp -IE-06*rpm)

    C e2

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    This efficiency

    equation will be introduced in the code to

    account for the stage loses

    so the total stage pressure and

    temperature ratios can be obtained

    .

    The main purpose of

    pressure ratio validation is to check whether the code can

    predict the compressor performance accurately as shown later.

    Mach number at the impeller inlet can be written as:

    M, _

    C

    2(7

    C, )

    YR T01-2C

    r

    Substituting

    for C,

    in term of the angular velocity and the

    inlet angle and then square the Mach numb er leads to:

    yR

    2

    f .

    tan /3,

    z

    0, Qr.

    t a n 1 3

    o

    2C

    r

    Similarly, the square exit Mach number can be written as:

    z

    M

    2

    =

    C2

    C

    YR (T02 - )

    n

    8 )

    9 )

    where

    C, is the absolute velocity at

    the impeller exit as

    illustrated

    in Fig. 2.

    It can be written as:

    2

    C2= U2-

    Wr

    2

    ttanQ2)_

    Wr

    1 0 )

    The derived Eqs., 4 and 6, can be substituted into Eq. 10 to

    obtain the density at the impeller exit.

    2

    y ) RT

    o

    x

    1t^^

    ^

    Input Power

    Assuming there is no presw irl at the inlet, CO

    , is equal to

    zero so the input pow er can be written as:

    Pw=

    y

    ., 6sU22

    1 2 )

    Substituting into Eq. 12 for the slip factor and write blade

    velocity at the impeller tip as a function of the angular velocity,

    the power can be obtained as:

    Pw =M'

    1- cosfl2)

    b

    z

    x 1

    mom, m

    tan/i2)(2r2)

    2P2 n2 r2 b(0 )

    IMPLEMENTATIONS

    OF THE ANALYSIS

    1 3 )

    A computer code was developed

    , using MATLAB

    software

    to calculate compressor performance parameters.

    Figure 3 is a flow chart for the code. The input data are:

    Impeller radiuses,

    Impeller configuration (angles and number of blades),

    Inlet conditions, total pressure and temperature, as

    well as flow factor,

    Gas properties ideal gas only).

    Three types of output are configured to present the

    compressor performance as the following:

    The first type produces plots for input power, input torque.

    total pressure and temperature ratios, separately vs. mass flow

    rate for different rpm. This will serve in validating the code.

    The second type produces plots for input power, input

    torque,

    total pressure and temperature ratios and mass flow rate.

    separately, vs. rpm for different impeller sizes and exit

    tangential

    velocities. This will aid in selecting proper

    instrumentation range and determine

    the required power input

    for a given impeller geometry.

    The third type produces plots of the total pressure ratio vs.

    impeller size for different input power and rpm. This output is

    the distinguish one which will aid in designing compressor for

    a given system, as well as aid in the design of a drive unit for

    different impeller sizes and configurations. Further details are

    given in the example set in results and discussion section.

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    Input

    geometry

    , size, gas properties,

    inlet stagn ation

    conditions, efficiency, flow factor, rpm, bulk flow correction.

    p2 = pt , as a first iteration for p2

    Calculate: slip factor

    , W,2. C2, C 02 ,

    Power

    Torque T a Mi Mt

    efficiency over the flow range for a given rpm. Figure 4

    illustrates

    clearly the validation of the efficiency model used in

    the present code for the given case. Input to the code is the

    same as provided in the literature. The impeller data are shown

    in Fig. 5. Figure 5 is a comparison between the experimental

    results and the present code output for total pressure ratio. It is

    clear that the present code predicts total pressure ratio very well

    up to the running speed of 40,000 rpm with negligible error,

    specifically near the maximum efficiency. At higher rpm the

    present code over predicts the total pressure ratio. The

    deviation increases with rpm and as operating condition

    deviates from maximum efficiency point. However, the

    maximum deviation

    is less

    than 11% at 50, 000 rpm at the

    highest efficiency. Surge cannot be predicted by the present

    code, which is the usual case for many codes.

    K r a i n e t a l [ 6 ]

    0.85

    Calculate: p2rew

    u

    0.83

    N d

    V

    0.81

    CL m

    0.79

    - - - -1

    U

    N

    0.77

    0.75

    25,000

    35,000

    rpm

    , 0.07 s.-G.tt2r.-0.93

    63se.

    q.. -310.8

    0-36 b. 010T

    Fig. 4: Efficiency

    modeling validation.

    If U2> 6 00, break

    the loop rpm loop)

    Calculate final

    Power

    Torque

    , Pa/Pui, T(Mrrn,

    3

    Show

    the output

    Fig. 3: General flow chart of the code.

    RESULTS AND DISCUSSION OF THE ANALYSIS

    Code validation

    The present code and analysis are to be validated through

    comparison with experimental results of Krain et al. [5]. The

    validation of the code is based on the comparison of the total

    pressure ratio. So, efficiency model of the compressor must be

    first validated with experimental results of Krain et al. [5].

    Experimental results shown in Fig. 4 are based on the average

    Efficiency m odel

    45,000 55.000

    sower;'' ,

    116 . 1S2

    _2S3

    Anu6wr

    0* )

    Fig. 5: Code validation,

    total pressure

    r a t io vs .

    flow rate for different

    rotational speeds

    Example

    Dimensions

    of the impeller given in

    table I are for the

    reference

    size in the example

    . A multiplication factor, Z, is

    used to

    alter the dimensions

    of the reference impeller without

    effecting

    geometrical angles and number

    of blades.

    The working fluid is

    air with inlet total pressure and

    temperature

    of 101.3 kPa and 27 C, respectively. Both high

    and low mass

    flow rate impellers are considered

    each as a case

    as shown in table

    I (,(3l = 45 and 67). Figures 6 to 9 are the

    first type of output for

    the present

    code for the basic dimension

    of impeller (Z=1). This type of output is useful for code

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    validation with experimental work for further development and

    modification. It can also aid in the selection of instrumentation

    for a given impeller, as well as predicting the required drive

    power and speed range. In addition, it shows the effect of

    changing impeller configuration, such as impeller inlet angle.

    The second type of output is illustrated in Figs. 10-14.

    Here,

    mass

    flow rate, the input power and torque, as well as

    total temperature and pressure ratios are provided for different

    impeller sizes vs. rpm on the same plot. Moreover, impellers tip

    speeds are indicated. The information provided will indicate the

    set of instrumentation required for the whole test rig. The first

    design constrain is the available input power (say 500 kW, for

    example). This will provide the limit for the impellers tip

    speed. For example, if the tested impeller is of a 3Z size, this

    will lead to a tip speed limit of about 530 m/s at (0, =1). The

    second design constrains is the maximum output rpm for the

    drive unit (say 100,000 rpm as an example). This would also

    put a limit for tip speed of small impellers as shown in Fig. 10.

    The third type of output is illustrated in Figs. 15. a and b.

    The figures indicate the total pressure ratio vs. impeller size for

    two different angles

    . Iso-lines of input power and rpm provide a

    useful tool not only for experimental drive unit setup but also

    for selecting impeller size for a given compression system or

    gas turbine engine. For example, if the power limit is 200 kW,

    speed limit is 100,000 rpm and inlet impeller angle is 67, then

    the maximum total pressure ratio that can be tested is 2.9 for

    impeller size of (Z= 3) due to power limit. Also, the maximum

    total pressure ratio for an impeller size of (Z=1) is 2.8 due to

    speed limit. However, the maximum possible total pressure

    ratio that can be obtained for 200 kW at 100,000 rpm is 8.2

    with impeller size corresponding to (Z= 1.56). The same

    outputs of the code may be obtained for any configuration of

    impeller for the design purpose of a test facility.

    Table 1: Impeller characteristics of the reference size Z

    Impeller characteristics Value

    Inlet im pe

    l ler raduis r , m)

    0.025

    H u

    p

    im p

    eller raduis ri, (m)

    0.008

    Exit impeller raduis

    r2 m)

    0.0381

    Im el ler width

    m ) 0.005

    Im eller inlet an gle deg)

    67,45

    Im

    p

    eller exit angle (deg)

    25

    Impeller blades

    number

    7+ 7

    a t

    o

    0.05... 0.1015..... 02...025 03... 035 04

    A6W.1 mess Aow rep tkgfs)

    Fig. 6: Input power vs. actual mass flow rate

    for different rpm and a given size, Z=1.

    00005 0 04602025

    Acted mesa now W e tkp0 s )

    i39R rt ka^

    o _ _ _ _

    03504

    Fig. 7: Input torque vs. actual mass flow rate for

    different

    rpm and a given

    size, Z=1.

    +flrn k,afi

    0 050t 0

    t5 02 .._..0.25

    Ac tual m.s1 flow rate l 51)

    0 .3 0 . 3 5 04

    Fig. 8: Stagnation temperature ratio vs. actual mass

    flow rate

    for different

    rpm and a given

    size, Z=1.

    6

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    1I .. 60k rpm

    12

    ... _., .... _.,._.

    00060AOti 02026. 0

    6OJ6Oa

    M1* maea now rue ftW

    Fig. 9: Stagnation

    pressure ratio

    vs. actual mass flow rate

    for different rpm and a given size, Z=1.

    U -000.M

    7 ..............., .... _...

    2762

    :,- 32

    5w

    2 757

    6 6 0 x , . ^ .

    5

    a l e _ 2 262

    4 6 Q,

    2 2

    62

    1.7

    z M o .

    .

    %W tb

    2

    .7 15z

    I

    Fig. 10: Input power vs. rpm for different

    impeller sizes

    and exit tangential velocities.

    120-

    100.

    60 .

    252

    GO 400 ..-1 2165 ..

    2Z

    a

    1762

    20 ti 152

    Zk m wp.[.

    1la.

    t26Z

    Z

    TSZ

    00O1Y6. 2

    I n

    Fig. 11: Input torque

    vs. rpm for different

    impeller sizes and

    impeller exit tangential velocities.

    25

    10

    Fig. 13: Stagnation pressure ratio vs. rpm for different impeller

    sizes and impeller exit tangential velocities.

    0

    0611622S

    151510

    Fig. 14: Actual

    mass

    flow rate vs. rpm for different impeller

    sizes and impeller exit tangential

    velocities.

    ^,na.i.,.u.12r

    Fig. 15.a: Pressure ratio versus impeller size for different

    rotational speed and input power where 6, = 670.

    Fig. 15.b

    Pressure ratio versus im peller size for different

    Fg 12: Stagnation Temperature ratiovs rpmfor different o

    impeller sizes and impeller exit tangential velocities. rotational speed and input power where

    ,5I = 45.

    7

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    DRIVER UNIT SELECTION

    The type of driver unit used to drive a compressor has to

    satisfy many criteria. For instance, the driver has to be flexible

    to test different types of compressors with good, control system

    on the rotational speed, especially near the surge line. In

    general, the driver has to be:

    Flexible (

    can accumulates

    several sizes of compressor),

    Reliable,

    Excellent control on the rpm and torque,

    Safe,

    Easy to use,

    Environment friendly,

    Economical.

    Comparison Between The Electric Motor,

    The Combustion

    Gas Turbine And The Blow

    -

    Down Facility Wth A

    Turbocharger

    The choice of an electric motor type depends on the

    application. One of the examples of the electric motor selection

    criteria was discussed by Clarkson et al. [7]. In case of selection

    a motor driver for driving a high-speed centrifugal compressor,

    over 30,000 rpm, usually a gearbox is used since majority of

    motors in the market cannot reach a very high speed, especially

    in the case of high power requirements (>250 hp). Recently,

    considerable efforts are made to

    overcome this problem for the

    case

    of the low power, Soong et al. [8] and Yuri and Smith, [9].

    Most of these motors

    are still under development phase, so

    availability and reliability is questionable at the present. Most

    of the

    experimental

    investigations for centrifugal compressors

    with high rotational speed and power are accompany with a

    gearbox, Kim et al. [101.

    As a drive unit for centrifugal compressors,

    gas turbines

    have many drawbacks compared to electric motors. In general,

    the efficiency of the gas turbine is low, except at its design

    operation point. Normally, the gas turbine is affected by the

    change in the ambient temperature, operation at partial loads,

    filtration of inlet air and blade fouling of the compressor,

    Saxena [11]. It is also difficult to control the turbine especially

    if it is operating at off-design condition. Actually, the control

    unit of the turbine engine alone needs speed, temperature, flame

    detection and vibration inputs. These inputs are important to

    control the turbine engine during startup and shutdown, steady

    state operation and for the turbine protection, Boyce [12].

    Moreover, gas turbines require a number of auxiliaries, such as,

    the electrical starter, the main oil pump and the fuel pump. All

    of these auxiliaries require control. These supplementary

    devices increase the maintenance difficulty and price, as well as

    complexity of control system. The flexibility to test many

    different sizes of compressors is also reduced due to

    performance characteristics of gas turbines. In addition, special

    type of fuel and filtration need to be used to decrease air

    pollution. Gas turbines are also considered to be unsafe

    machine. Sometimes the available turbine needs some

    development before it can be used to drive the centrifugal

    compressor for the purpose of testing; see Turner et al. [13] as

    an example. In their case, any considerable change in

    compressor size and characteristics may require some

    modifications, such as, a special gearbox. This means this type

    of drive is not suitable for testing wide range of compressors

    sizes and configurations.

    The third possible driver is the cold air turbine, such as in

    turbochargers. Blow-down facility is usually required to

    provide compressed air to the turbocharger to rotate the radial

    turbine that is coupled directly with the centrifugal compressor

    through a common shaft. This type of experiment is not

    expensive especially if the blow-down facility is available.

    However, it needs some auxiliaries for the purpose of control,

    which leads to larger size and more complexity in construction

    and maintenance compared to the electric motor. The facility is

    considered to be safe, has no negative effect on the

    environment but its major drawback is the limited flexibility for

    the purpose of testing different sizes of compressors.

    The main objective of this study is to develop a test

    facility that can be used to test different compressor sizes with a

    good controlling system up to a speed limit of 100,000 rpm.

    Table 2 compares the characteristics of the three driver units

    discussed. From this table the selection of the electrical motor

    as a driver unit is the best choice. The main reasons of that are

    the simplicity of control and flexibility to test different

    compressor sizes. In addition, it is easier to maintain and the

    overall system is smaller compared to the other two drive

    systems.

    Comparison

    Between

    Two Electrical Motors,

    With And

    Without Vacuum System

    There are two methods commonly used to satisfy dynamic

    similarity when testing centrifugal compressors driven by

    electric motors. First method includes a vacuum environment

    system and the second one is without vacuum. By using the

    vacuum system almost all practical conditions can be tested and

    this is done mainly by simulating the pressure to match the

    Reynolds and Mach numbers while maintaining low rpm.

    However, this type of driving system is relatively complex. It

    requires an advanced sealing system; a closed loop that needs a

    heat exchanger to cool the output air from the compressor; and

    flow straightener and equalizer to improve the flow quality at

    the compressor inlet, Shirley [14]. Also, the test section of the

    vacuumed type is more difficult to move, maintain, control

    (inlet conditions) and has larger size compared to non-vacuum

    one. However, it has lower power requirement for the motor

    due to low rpm and vacuum. On the other hand, driving the

    impeller without the vacuum system is relatively simple

    compared to the vacuum assisted system. It does not need a

    closed loop or advanced sealing system but requires higher

    power and rpm drive unit, which might require a gearbox in

    some cases Table 2 shows the characteristics of the two type of

    electrical system.

    To sum up, the non-vacuumed type is the most suitable to

    meet the objectives of the present design. However, future

    developments can be made by adding a vacuum loop to

    broaden the test condition, Re and Mach numbers. The

    suggested drive unit will be composed of electric motor,

    8Copygh

    2004 by ASME

  • 8/10/2019 Design of Small Centrifugal Compressors Performance Test Faciltity

    9/9

    gearbox and variable speed torque converter to meet variation

    of impeller size, see Fig. 16.

    Table 2: Characteristics of the electric motor gas turbine and

    bow down facility with a turbocharger as centrifugal

    compressor driver units.

    Drive

    Motor no Motor

    with Blow-down

    vacuum

    a v acu u m Gas Turb ine

    facility with

    Characte r is t ics

    Sys.)

    system

    turbocharger

    Cost

    Expe nsive

    Ex pen sive V ex pe nsive Medium

    Size

    Medium Medium

    Medium La r ge

    Specification

    Isolated -La rg er E xtra

    Blow-down

    base - Isolated

    vent i l a t ion facility

    requirement

    Al loca t ion

    Diff icul t difficult Possible

    Possible

    flexibili

    Energy High

    Relatively

    Fuel

    Compressed air

    re q

    uirement

    low

    Technology S p e c i a l

    Advanced

    V . h i g h

    V . h i g h

    gearbox

    scal ing S y

    s

    Excellent

    Contro l

    Difficult

    at

    Diff icu l t a t

    rpm, power

    Excellent

    Difficult

    flow

    surge

    surge

    conditions)

    Ma in te n a n c e

    Easy

    Difficult Difficult

    Medium

    Environmenta l

    Excellent

    Excellent

    Poor Excellent

    issue

    Bi-directional

    OK

    OK

    Special

    No

    g e a rbox

    S a f e

    t y

    H i

    gh

    High Low High

    Flexibility of

    V. good

    Excel lent Low

    Low

    compressors

    sizes

    C

    I- Centrifugal compressor, 2- Gearbox

    3- Torque converter, 4- Electric motor

    Fig. 16: General facility layout of the centrifugal compressor,

    CONCLUSION

    A performance analysis for centrifugal Compressors of

    high-pressure ratio was developed and incorporated into a

    numerical code. The analysis was validated with experimental

    results. A special output configuration was made for

    compressor perfomance in which total pressure ratio was

    plotted against both power requirements and operating speeds

    for different impeller sizes. This proved to be vital tool on the

    selection process of the drive unit for testing varies impeller

    sizes. Moreover, the results of the analysis will guide the

    selection of the instrumentation

    range

    . Further improvement of

    the code is needed in terms of efficiency prediction.

    Alternatives of drive units were studied carefully. As a result,

    eclectic motor in combination with a variable speed torque

    converter and a gearbox was selected to meet present

    requirements. In addition a vacuum loop can be integrated with

    the facility to broaden test conditions.

    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

    The authors would like to acknowledge KFUPM for the

    support in the preparation

    of this

    research.

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