Kufa University Engineering Collage Mechanical Department

Subject: Turbomachines Lecturer: Dr. Hayder Azeez

Chapter one / Introduction

1.1 Introduction

While discussing the minimal number of components needed to constitute

a heat engine, it was mentioned that mechanical energy output is obtained
from an expander (work output device), whereas mechanical energy input
to the system is due to a pump or a compressor which raises the pressure
of the working fluid, a liquid or a gas. Both the expander and the pump
(or compressor), are devices which provide work output or accept work
input to affect a change in the stagnation state of a fluid. These devices
are often encountered as parts of heat engines, though they can function
independently as well.

The principles of operation of both a work output device (e.g., an internal

combustion engine of the reciprocating type) and a work input device (the
reciprocating air-compressor), have already been studied. In addition to
these two types, there exist other devices which are invariably of the
rotary type (Rotary type machines such as gear pump and screw pump are
positive displacement machines and work by moving a fluid trapped in a
specified volume.) where energy transfer is brought about by dynamic
action, without an impervious boundary that prevents the free flow of a
fluid at any time. Such devices are called turbomachines.

The turbomachine is used in several applications, the primary ones being

electrical power generation, aircraft propulsion and vehicular propulsion
for civilian and military use. The units used in power generation are
steam, gas and hydraulic turbines, ranging in capacity from a few
kilowatts to several hundred and even thousands of megawatts, depending
on the application. Here, the turbomachine drives the alternator at the
appropriate speed to produce power of the right frequency.In aircraft and
heavy vehicular propulsion for military use, the primary driving element
has been the gas turbine.

There are many definitions of the turbomachine are similar and nearly
equivalent: (i) turbomachine is a device in which energy exchange is
accomplished by hydrodynamic forces arising between a moving fluid
and the rotating and stationary elements of the machine, (ii) turbomachine
is characterized by dynamic energy exchange between one or several
rotating elements and a rapidly moving fluid, and (iii) turbomachine is
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Kufa University Engineering Collage Mechanical Department
Subject: Turbomachines Lecturer: Dr. Hayder Azeez
Chapter one / Introduction

characterized by dynamic action between a fluid and one or more rotating

elements. Thus, a definition to include the spirit of all the preceding
statements would be: Turbomachine is a device in which energy transfer
occurs between a flowing fluid and a rotating element due to dynamic
action resulting in a change in pressure and momentum of the fluid.

Mechanical energy transfer occurs into or out of the turbomachine,

usually in steady flow. Turbomachines include all those types that
produce large-scale power and those that produce a head or pressure, such
as centrifugal pumps and compressors. The principal components of a
turbomachine are: (i) rotating element carrying vanes operating in a
stream of fluid, (ii) stationary element or elements which generally act as
guide vanes or passages for the proper control of flow direction and the
energy conversion process, (iii) an input and/or an output shaft, and (iv) a
housing (Fig. 1.1).

The rotating element carrying the vanes is also known by the names rotor,
runner, impeller, etc., depending upon the particular application. Energy
transfer occurs only due to the exchange of momentum between the
flowing fluid and the rotating elements; there may not be even a specific
boundary that the fluid is not permitted to cross.

The stationary element is also known by different names among them

guide-blade or nozzle depending on the particular machine and the kind
of flow occurring in it. A stationary element is not a necessary part of
every turbomachine. The common ceiling fan used in many buildings to
circulate air during summer and the table fan are examples of
turbomachines with no stationary element.

Such machines have only two elements of the four mentioned above: an
input shaft and a rotating blade element. Either an input or an output shaft
or both may be necessary depending on the application. If the
turbomachine is power-absorbing, the enthalpy of the fluid flowing
through it increases due to mechanical energy input at the shaft. If the
turbomachine is power-generating, mechanical energy output is obtained
at the shaft due to a decrease in enthalpy of the flowing fluid. It is also
possible to have power-transmitting turbomachines which simply
transmit power from an input shaft to an output shaft, just like a clutch-
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Kufa University Engineering Collage Mechanical Department
Subject: Turbomachines Lecturer: Dr. Hayder Azeez
Chapter one / Introduction

plate gear drive in a car which transmits the power generated by the
reciprocating engine to the shaft which drives the wheels. In principle, the
device acts merely as an energy transmitter to change the speed and
torque on the driven member as compared with the driver. There are
many examples of a these types of machines. Examples of power-
absorbing turbomachines are mixed-flow, axial-flow and centrifugal
pumps, fans, blowers and exhausters, centrifugal and axial compressors,
etc. Examples of power-generating devices are steam, gas and hydraulic
turbines. The best known examples of power-transmitting turbomachines
are fluid-couplings and torque-converters for power transmission used in
automobiles, trucks and other industrial applications.

The housing too is not a necessary part of a turbomachine. When present,

it is used to restrict the fluid flow to a given space and prevent its escape
in directions other than those required for energy transfer and utilization.
The housing plays no role in the energy conversion process. The
turbomachine that has housing is said to be enclosed and that which has
no housing is said to be extended. The ceiling-fan shown in Fig. 1.2 is an
example of an extended turbomachine and all the rest shown in the figure
are enclosed turbomachines.

Turbomachines are also categorized by the direction of fluid flow as

shown in Fig. 1.2. The flow directions are: (i) axial, (ii) radial and (iii)
mixed. In the axial-flow and radial-flow turbomachines, the major flow
directions are approximately axial and radial respectively, while in the
mixed-flow machine, the flow usually enters the rotor axially and leaves
radially or vice versa. Mixed flow may also involve flow over the surface
of a cone. An example of a mixed-flow machine is a mixed-flow pump. A
radial flow machine may also be classified into radial inward
flow(centripetal) or radial outward flow(centrifugal) types depending on
whether the flow is directed towards or away from the shaft axis.

1.2 Positive-displacement devices and turbomachines

In a positive-displacement machine (A positive-displacement machine is

one which takes a fresh charge at the beginning of each cycle and
discharges it at the completion of the cycle.), the interaction between the
moving part and the fluid involves a change in volume and/or a
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Kufa University Engineering Collage Mechanical Department
Subject: Turbomachines Lecturer: Dr. Hayder Azeez
Chapter one / Introduction

translation of the fluid confined in a given boundary. During energy

transfer, fluid expansion or compression may occur in a positive-
displacement machine without an appreciable movement of the mass
centre-of-gravity of the confined fluid. As such, changes in macroscopic
kinetic energy and momentum may be neglected in most of these
machines. The movement of a piston, screw or gear-tooth causes changes
in fluid volume because of the displacement of the boundaries, i.e., the
fluid cannot escape from the boundaries except due to unavoidable
leakage. An expansion or contraction may occur if the fluid is
compressible as for example, in a balloon being filled with air. The action
is therefore nearly static and completely different from that of a
turbomachine where the action is fast, dynamic and the energy transfer
occurs without the necessity for a confining boundary. (In compressible
flow handling machines, fluid flows at very high velocities close to
acoustic speed at certain locations).

The differences between positive-displacement machines and

turbomachines are clarified further by comparing their modes of action,
operation, energy transfer, mechanical features etc., in the following:

Action: A positive-displacement machine creates thermodynamic and

mechanical action between a nearly static fluid and a relatively slowly
moving surface. It involves a change in volume or a displacement (bodily
movement of the confined fluid).

A turbomachine creates thermodynamic and dynamic interaction between

a flowing fluid and rotating element and involves energy transfer with
pressure and momentum changes. There is no positive confinement of the
fluid at any point in the system.

Operation: The positive-displacement machine commonly involves

reciprocating motion and unsteady flow of the fluid, though it is not
impossible for the machine to have a purely rotary motion and nearly
steady flow. Examples of such rotating positive-displacement machines
are gear-pumps and screw-pumps as shown in Fig. 1.3. However, since
the fluid containment is positive, stopping a positive-displacement
machine during operation may trap a certain amount of fluid and maintain

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Kufa University Engineering Collage Mechanical Department
Subject: Turbomachines Lecturer: Dr. Hayder Azeez
Chapter one / Introduction

it indefinitely in a state different from that of the surroundings, if heat

transfer and leakage are completely absent.

The turbomachine involves, in principle, steady flow of fluid and a purely

rotary motion of the mechanical element. A turbomachine may also
involve unsteady flow for short periods of time, especially while starting,
stopping or during changes of loads. However, in most instances, the
machine is designed for steady-flow operation. As there is no positive
containment of the fluid, stopping of the machine will let the fluid
undergo a change of state (in a matter of milliseconds), and become the
same as that of the surroundings.

Mechanical features: The positive-displacement machine commonly

involves rather low speeds and is relatively complex in mechanical
design. It is usually heavy per unit of output and employs valves which
are open only part of the time, as in reciprocating machines. Also, rather
heavy foundations are usually needed because of reciprocating masses
and consequent vibration problems. Generally in such machines, the
mechanical features are more complex than in turbomachines.

Turbomachines usually employ high rotational speeds, are simple in

design principle and are generally light in weight per unit of power
output. Their foundations may be quite light since vibration problems are
not severe. They do not employ valves that open and close during steady-
state operation. Usually, only inexpensive associated equipment is
required.

Efficiency of conversion process: In positive-displacement machines,

the use of positive containment and a nearly static energy transfer process
may result in a higher efficiency relative to that of a turbomachine which
employs a dynamic process including high-speed fluid flow. The higher
efficiency of energy conversion used to be the advantage of a positive-
displacement machine as compared with a turbomachine which used to
exhibit somewhat lower efficiencies. Compression by dynamic action
often involves higher losses and hence lower efficiencies, though
expansion in a turbomachine results in better efficiencies than in
compression. Nevertheless, both these often used to fall short of the
corresponding reciprocating machine in performance. In modern
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Kufa University Engineering Collage Mechanical Department
Subject: Turbomachines Lecturer: Dr. Hayder Azeez
Chapter one / Introduction

turbomachines which are designed through the aid of computers and high
quality, efficient software, the difference between compressive and
expansive efficiencies is not large. They are both high nearly 85-90%.

Volumetric efficiency: The volumetric efficiency of a machine with

positive-displacement is normally well below that of turbomachines and
in some cases, very low because of the opening and the closing of valves
needed for continuous operation. In turbomachines, during steady state
operation, there exist no inlet and outlet valves and the volumetric
efficiency differs little from 100%. Also, since the flow is continuous and
the fluid velocities are high, a turbomachine has a high fluid handling
capacity per kilogram weight of the machine. As an example, a 300 kW
gas turbine plant typically handles about 22 kg.s-1 of air and has a weight
of 900 kg. Thus, the specific power output of this plant is 15 kJ.kg-1 of air
and it has a power plant weight per unit mass flow rate of air between 10
and 100. In comparison, an aircraft reciprocating power plant producing
300 kW handles 2 kg.s-1 of air and has a weight of 1000 kg. Thus, its
specific weight is 150 per kg.s-1 of air flow. For all types of industrial
power plants, the specific weight of a reciprocating plant is about 10-15
times that of a turbo-power plant.

Fluid phase change and surging: Phase changes occurring during flow
through a turbomachine can frequently cause serious difficulties to
smooth operation. Examples of these are cavitation at pump inlets and
hydraulic turbine outlets as well as condensation in steam turbines
resulting in blade erosion and/or a deterioration of machine performance.
Surging or pulsation (a phenomenon associated with turbomachinery), is
caused by an unstable flow situation due to a rising head-discharge
characteristic. It is characterized by the pulsation of fluid pressure
between the inlet and the outlet of the turbomachine, i.e., the reversal of
flow direction accompanied by violent flow fluctuations. The machine
may vibrate violently, and under certain operating conditions, may even
be damaged by these vibrations. The performance of the device
deteriorates considerably even when the flow fluctuations are not violent.
Problems of phase change pulsation and surging are of no importance in
positive-displacement machines.

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Kufa University Engineering Collage Mechanical Department
Subject: Turbomachines Lecturer: Dr. Hayder Azeez
Chapter one / Introduction

Fig. 1.1. Schematic cross-sectional view of a turbine showing the

principal parts of the turbomachine

Fig. 1.2. Classification based on fluid flow in turbomachine

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Kufa University Engineering Collage Mechanical Department
Subject: Turbomachines Lecturer: Dr. Hayder Azeez
Chapter one / Introduction

Fig. 1.3. Screw pump and gear pump

1.3 Types of turbomachines

As shown in the section 1.1, turbomachines can be classified as:

1. Turbomachines in which (i) work is done by the fluid and (ii) work is
done on the fluid.

2. Turbomachines in which fluid moves through the rotating member in

axial direction with no radial movement of the streamlines. Such
machines are called axial flow machines whereas if the flow is essentially
radial, it is called a radial flow or centrifugal flow machine. In addition,
there is third type of turbomachines which involves mixed flow direction.
Two primary points will be considered here: first, that the main element
is a rotor or runner carrying blades or vanes; and secondly, that the path
of the fluid in the rotor may be substantially axial, substantially radial, or
in some cases a combination of both.

However, the porpoise of using turbomachines is to convert energy from

stat to another one. Foremost among them are methods for converting this
energy into electricity. This is done in steam power plants, in which
combustion of fuel is used to vaporize steam and the thermal energy of
the steam is then converted to shaft work in a steam turbine. The shaft
turns a generator that produces electricity. Nuclear power plants work on
the same principle, with uranium, and in rare cases thorium, as the fuel.

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Kufa University Engineering Collage Mechanical Department
Subject: Turbomachines Lecturer: Dr. Hayder Azeez
Chapter one / Introduction

Oil is used sparingly this way, and it is mainly refined to gasoline and
diesel fuel. The refinery stream also yields residual heating oil, which
goes to industry and to winter heating of houses. Gasoline and diesel oil
are used in internal-combustion engines for transportation needs, mainly
in automobiles and trucks, but also in trains. Ships are powered by diesel
fuel and aircraft, by jet fuel.

Natural gas is largely methane, and in addition to its importance in the

generation of electricity, it is also used in some parts of the world as a
transportation fuel. A good fraction of natural gas goes to winter heating
of residential and commercial buildings, and to chemical process
industries as raw material.

Renewable energy sources include the potential energy of water behind a

dam in a river and the kinetic energy of blowing winds. Both are used for
generating electricity. Water waves and ocean currents also fall into the
category of renewable energy sources, but their contributions are
negligible today.

In all the methods mentioned above, conversion of energy to usable

forms takes place in a fluid machine, and in these instances they are
power-producing machines. There are also power-absorbing machines,
such as pumps, in which energy is transferred into a fluid stream.

In both power-producing and power-absorbing machines energy transfer

takes place between a fluid and a moving machine part. In positive-
displacement machines the interaction is between a fluid at high pressure
and a reciprocating piston. Spark ignition and diesel engines are well-
known machines of this class. Others include piston pumps, reciprocating
and screw compressors, and vane pumps.

In turbomachines energy transfer takes place between a continuously

flowing fluid stream and a set of blades rotating about a fixed axis. The
blades in a pump are part of an impeller that is fixed to a shaft. In an axial
compressor they are attached to a compressor wheel. In steam and gas
turbines the blades are fastened to a disk, which is fixed to a shaft, and
the assembly is called a turbine rotor. Fluid is guided into the rotor by
stator vanes that are fixed to the casing of the machine. The inlet stator
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Kufa University Engineering Collage Mechanical Department
Subject: Turbomachines Lecturer: Dr. Hayder Azeez
Chapter one / Introduction

vanes are also called nozzles, or inlet guide vanes.

Examples of power-producing turbomachines are steam and gas turbines,

and water and wind turbines. The power-absorbing turbomachines
include pumps, for which the working fluid is a liquid, and fans, blowers,
and compressors, which transfer energy to gases.

Methods derived from the principles of thermodynamics and fluid

dynamics have been developed to analyse the design and operation of
these machines. These subjects, and heat transfer, are the foundation of
energy engineering, a discipline central to modern industry.

Thus, turbomachines can further be classified as follows:

Turbines: Machines that produce power by expansion of a continuously

flowing fluid to a lower pressure or head. Generally, turbines can be
classified into four types:

Steam turbines: Central station power plants, fuelled either by coal or

uranium, employ steam turbines to convert the thermal energy of steam
to shaft power to run electric generators. Coal provides 50% and nuclear
fuels 20% of electricity production in the United States. For the world the
corresponding numbers are 40% and 15%, respectively. It is clear from
these figures that steam turbine manufacture and service are major
industries in both the United States and the world.

Fig. 1.4 shows a 100 MW steam turbine manufactured by Siemens AG of

Germany. Steam enters the turbine through the nozzles near the center of
the machine, which direct the flow to a rotating set of blades. On leaving
the first stage, steam flows (in the sketch toward the top right corner)
through the rest of the 12 stages of the high-pressure section in this
turbine. Each stage consists of a set rotor blades, preceded by a set of
stator vanes. The stators, fixed to the casing (of which one-quarter is
removed in the illustration), are not clearly visible in this figure. After
leaving the high-pressure section, steam flows into a two-stage low-
pressure turbine, and from there it leaves the machine and enters a
condenser located on the floor below the turbine bay. Temperature of the
entering steam is up to 540 0C and its pressure is up to 140 bar. Angular

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Kufa University Engineering Collage Mechanical Department
Subject: Turbomachines Lecturer: Dr. Hayder Azeez
Chapter one / Introduction

speed of the shaft is generally in the range 3500-15,000 rpm (rev/min). In

this turbine there are five bleed locations for the steam. The steam
extracted from the bleeds enters feedwater heaters, before it flows back to
a boiler. The large regulator valve in the inlet section controls the steam
flow rate through the machine.

In order to increase the plant efficiency, new designs operate at

supercritical pressures. In an ultra-supercritical plant, the boiler pressure
can reach 600 bar and turbine inlet temperature, 620 0C. Critical pressure
for steam is 220.9 bar, and its critical temperature is 373.14 0C.

Fig. 1.4. The Siemens SST-600 industrial steam turbine with a capacity
of up to 100-MW

Gas turbines: Major manufacturers of gas turbines produce both jet

engines and industrial turbines. Since the 1980s, gas turbines, with clean
burning natural gas as a fuel, have also made inroads into electricity
production. Their use in combined cycle power plants has increased the
plant overall thermal efficiency to just under 60%. They have also been
employed for stand-alone power generation. In fact, most of the power
plants in the United States since 1998 have been fuelled by natural gas.
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Kufa University Engineering Collage Mechanical Department
Subject: Turbomachines Lecturer: Dr. Hayder Azeez
Chapter one / Introduction

Unfortunately, production from the old natural gas-fields of North

America is strained, even if new resources have been developed from
shale deposits. How long they will last is still unclear, for the technology
of gas extraction from shale deposits is new and thus a long operating
experience is lacking.

Fig. 1.5 shows a gas turbine manufactured also by Siemens AG. The flow
is from the back toward the front. The rotor is equipped with advanced
single-crystal turbine blades, with a thermal barrier coating and film
cooling. Flow enters a three-stage turbine from an annular combustion
chamber which has 24 burners and walls made from ceramic tiles. These
turbines power the 15 axial compressor stages that feed compressed air to
the combustor. The fourth turbine stage, called a power turbine, drives an
electric generator in a combined cycle power plant for which this turbine
has been designed. The plant delivers a power output of 292 MW.

Fig. 1.5. An open rotor and combustion chamber of an SGT5-4000F gas

turbine

Hydraulic turbines: In those areas of the world with large rivers, water
turbines are used to generate electrical power. At the turn of the
millennium hydropower represented 17% of the total electrical energy
generated in the world. The installed capacity at the end of year 2007 was
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Kufa University Engineering Collage Mechanical Department
Subject: Turbomachines Lecturer: Dr. Hayder Azeez
Chapter one / Introduction

940,000 MW, but generation was 330,000 MW, so their ratio, called a
capacity factor, comes to 0.35.

With the completion of the 22,500 MW Three Gorges Dam, China has
now the world's largest installed capacity of 145,000 MW, which can be
estimated to give 50,000 MW of power. Canada, owing to its expansive
landmass, is the world's second largest producer of hydroelectric power,
with generation at 41,000 MW from installed capacity of 89,000 MW.
Hydropower accounts for 58% of Canada's electricity needs. The sources
of this power are the great rivers of British Columbia and Quebec. The
next largest producer is Brazil, which obtains 38,000 MW from an
installed capacity of 69,000 MW. Over 80% of Brazil's energy is
obtained by water power. The Itaipu plant on the Parana River, which
borders Brazil and Paraguay, generates 12,600 MW of power at full
capacity. Of nearly the same size is Venezuela's Guri dam power plant
with a rated capacity of 10,200 MW, based on 20 generators.

The two largest power stations in the United States are the Grand Coulee
station in the Columbia River and the Hoover Dam station in the
Colorado River. The capacity of the Grand Coulee is 6480 MW, and that
of Hoover is 2000 MW. Tennessee Valley Authority operates a network
of dams and power stations in the Southeastern parts of the country.
Many small hydroelectric power plants can also be found in New
England. Hydroelectric power in the United States today provides 289
billion kilowatthours (kWh) a year, or 33,000 MW, but this represents
only 6% of the total energy used in the United States. Fossil fuels still
account for 86% of the US energy needs.

Next on the list of largest producers of hydroelectricity are Russia and

Norway. With its small and thrifty population, Norway ships its extra
generation to the other Scandinavian countries, and now with completion
of a high-voltage power line under the North Sea, also to western Europe.
Norway and Iceland both obtain nearly all their electricity from
hydropower.

Wind turbines: The Netherlands has been identified historically as a

country of windmills. She and Denmark have seen a rebirth of wind
energy generation since 1985 or so. These countries are relatively small
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Kufa University Engineering Collage Mechanical Department
Subject: Turbomachines Lecturer: Dr. Hayder Azeez
Chapter one / Introduction

in land area and both are buffeted by winds from the North Sea. Since the
1990s Germany has embarked on a quest to harness its winds. By 2007 it
had installed wind turbines on most of its best sites with 22,600 MW of
installed capacity.

The installed capacity in the United States was 16,600 MW in the year
2007. It was followed by Spain, with an installed capacity of 15,400
MW. After that came India and Denmark. The capacity factor for wind
power is about 0.20, thus even lower than for hydropower. For this
reason wind power generated in the United States constitutes only 0.5%
of the country's total energy needs. Still, it is the fastest-growing of the
renewable energy systems. The windy plains of North and South Dakota
and of West and North Texas offer great potential for wind power
generation.

Compressors: Machines that impart kinetic energy to a gas by

compressing it and then allowing it to rapidly expand. Compressors can
be axial flow, centrifugal, or a combination of both types, in order to
produce the highly compressed air. In a dynamic compressor, this is
achieved by imparting kinetic energy to the air in the impeller and then
this kinetic energy is converted into pressure energy in the diffuser.

Compressors find many applications in industry. An important use is in

the transmission of natural gas across continents.' Natural-gas production
in the United States is centered in Texas and Louisiana as well as
offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. The main users are the midwestern cities,
in which natural gas is used in industry and for winter heating. Pipelines
also cross the Canadian border with gas supplied to the west-coast and to
the northern states from Alberta. In fact, half of Canada's natural-gas
production is sold to the United States.

Russia has 38% of world's natural-gas reserves, and much of its gas is
transported to Europe through the Ukraine. China has constructed a
natural-gas pipeline to transmit the gas produced in the western provinces
to the eastern cities. Extensions to Turkmenistan and Iran are in the
planning stage, as both countries have large natural-gas resources.

Fig. 1.6 shows a multistage compressor.

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Kufa University Engineering Collage Mechanical Department
Subject: Turbomachines Lecturer: Dr. Hayder Azeez
Chapter one / Introduction

Fig. 1.6. A multistage compressor

Pumps: Machines that increase the pressure or head of flowing fluid.

Pumps are used to increase pressure of liquids. Compressors, blowers,
and fans do the same for gases. In steam power plants condensate pumps
return water to feedwater heaters, from which the water is pumped to
boilers. Pumps are also used for cooling water flows in these power
plants.

Fig. 1.7 shows a centrifugal pump. Flow enters through the eye of an
impeller and leaves through a spiral volute. This pump is designed to
handle a flow rate of 100 m3/h, with a 20 m increase in its head.

Fans and blowers: Machines that impart only a small pressure-rise to a

continuously flowing gas; usually the gas may be considered to be
incompressible. In the mining industry, blowers circulate fresh air into
mines and exhaust stale, contaminated air from them. In oil, chemical,
and process industries, there is a need for large blowers and pumps.
Pumps are also used in great numbers in agricultural irrigation and
municipal sanitary facilities.

Offices, hospitals, schools and other public buildings have heating,

ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, in which conditioned
air is moved by large fans. Pumps provide chilled water to cool the air

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Kufa University Engineering Collage Mechanical Department
Subject: Turbomachines Lecturer: Dr. Hayder Azeez
Chapter one / Introduction

and for other needs.

Fig. 1.7. A centrifugal pump

1.4 Other uses and issues

Small turbomachines are present in all households. In fact, it is safe to

say that in most homes, only electric motors are more common than
turbomachines. A pump is needed in a dishwasher, a washing machine,
and the sump. Fans are used in the heating system and as window and
ceiling fans. Exhaust fans are installed in kitchens and bathrooms. Both
an air conditioner and a refrigerator are equipped with a compressor,
although it may be a screw compressor (which is not a turbomachine) in
an air-conditioner. In a vacuum cleaner a fan creates suction. In a car
there is a water pump, a fan, and in some models a turbocharger. All are
turbomachines.

In addition to understanding the fluid dynamical principles of

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Kufa University Engineering Collage Mechanical Department
Subject: Turbomachines Lecturer: Dr. Hayder Azeez
Chapter one / Introduction

turbomachinery, it is important for a turbomachinery design engineer to

learn other allied fields. The main ones are material selection, shaft and
disk vibration, stress analysis of disks and blades, and topics covering
bearings and seals. Finally, understanding control theory is important for
optimum use of any machine.

In more recent years, the world has awoken to the fact that fossil fuels are
finite and that renewable energy sources will not be sufficient to provide
for the entire world the material conditions that Western countries now
enjoy. Hence, it is important that the machines that make use of these
resources be well designed so that the remaining fuels are used with
consideration, recognizing their finiteness and their value in providing for
some of the vital needs of humanity.

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