ABSTRACT

Compressor is a device used to increase the pressure of compressible fluid, either gas or
vapor, by reducing the fluid specific volume during passage of the fluid through compressor.
One of the basic aims of compressor usage is to compress the fluid, then deliver it to a higher
pressure than its original pressure. An open process system by definition has mass crossing its
boundary as the process occurs. Compressor is one of the examples of an open system that
operate at steady state. Compressor is mainly used to increase the pressure of a fluid by
supplying work from an external source through a rotating shaft. This is an introductory
experiment of single stage compressor that related with energy balance. This experiment
explores and shows the working principles of a compressor such as heat loss from a
compressor. When the power and motor is switched on, the temperature of the outlet air is
recorded until two consecutives readings are the same in order to distinguish the rate of single
stage compressor heats up. The two consecutives readings are obtained at 28 minute and 29
minute, that is 133 ⁰ C. The graph is plotted in order to analyze the heating curve and behavior
of the single stage compressor. The outlet temperature of the compressor will increase
exponentially with time after analyzing the data obtained throughout the experiment of one
minute intervals for 29 minutes.

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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................3
OBJECTIVES.......................................................................................................................................3
THEORY...............................................................................................................................................3
APPARATUS........................................................................................................................................5
METHODOLOGY................................................................................................................................5
RESULTS..............................................................................................................................................6
DISCUSSION.......................................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION...................................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES....................................................................................................................................13
APPENDIX.........................................................................................................................................14

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INTRODUCTION

In this experiment, we will identify how quickly a single stage compressor heats up
and how a single stage compressor lost heat in a steady-state. Single-stage compressor is a
device that converts power (usually from an electric motor, a diesel engine or a gasoline
engine) into kinetic energy by compressing and pressurizing air. It is often used for lower
pressures. The schematic diagram of single stage compressor is shown as in Figure 1.

OBJECTIVES

i. To evaluate how quickly a single stage compressor heats up

ii. To analyze the steady-state heat loss of a single stage compressor

THEORY

In a standard single stage vane compressor (Figure 1), a fixed volume of air is trapped
between two sliding vanes driven by an offset rotor. This volume of air is pushed to the outlet
where the area (and hence volume) is reduced. Its pressure is thus higher and it is squeezed
out of the outlet port.

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 Figure 1: schematic of
a Single-stage compressor

4
APPARATUS

Single stage compressor

METHODOLOGY

1. The ‘power’ switch was turned on.

2. The green inlet valve was fully opened (the valve was turned ‘anti-clockwise’ to open
it).
3. Initial readings for all parameters were recorded in Table 1 at the beginning of the
experiment. A tachometer is used to record the motor speed, N.
4. The ‘motor’ switch was turned on.
5. The compressor outlet pressure, p2 was set to 1 bar gauge using the red outlet valve (the
valve is turned ‘clockwise’ to increase pressure).
6. The spring balance was adjusted to ensure that the indicator on the motor is between the two
black lines prior before recording any motor ‘force’ values.
7. The temperature of the outlet air, T 2 was recorded at one minute interval (stop watch is used)
until two consecutives readings are the same (i.e. € ˂ 0.5%).

To stop the experiment:-

1. The red valve is used to reduce the compressor outlet pressure, p 2 to 0 bar gauge (the
valve is turned ‘anti-clockwise’ to decrease pressure)
2. The ‘motor’ switch was turned off.
3. The ‘power’ switch was turned off.

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RESULTS

Data:

Length of Torque Arm L = 0.2 m

Compressor Swept Volume V Vcomp = 267 cm3 rev -1

Specific Heat Capacity of Air cp = 1005 J kg-1K-1

Table 6.1: Parameters consisting of important parameters for the single stage
compressor unit

Parameters Initial readings

Air temperature into apparatus, To (°C) 29.00
Air temperature into compressor, T1 (°C) 27.00
Air temperature out of compressor, T2 (°C) 27.00
Atmospheric pressure (from barometer), Po (bar) 1.027
Vacuum into compressor (gauge), P1 (bar) 0.052
Air pressure out of compressor (gauge), P2 (bar) 1.00
Flow meter, Vin (Lmin-1) 280
Motor speed, (rev min-1), N (rev min-1) 1448
Motor spring balance, F (kg) 2.50
Electric power in, Wel (watt) 1200

Table 6.2: Outlet temperature data over time

Time, t (min) Temperature, T2 (°C)

0 66
1 73
2 78

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 3 83
4 88
5 92
6 95
7 99
8 102
9 104
10 107
11 109
12 112
13 114
14 115
15 117
16 119
17 120
18 122
19 123
20 125
21 126
22 127
23 128
24 129
25 130
26 131
27 132
28 133
29 133

DISCUSSION

7.1 Graph

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 Temperature, T2 vs time
140

120

100

80
Temperature, ᵒC
60

40

20

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Time, t (min)

Figure 7.1: Temperature, T2 data over time, t

Hc against time,t
700
600
500
400
Hc (W) 300
200
100
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Time, t (min)

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 Figure 7.2: Energy added to air by compressor, Hc over time, t

Qc against time, t
600

500

400

300
Qc (W)
200

100

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Time, t (min)

Figure 7.3: Heat emitted from compressor, Qc over time, t

After the experiment is carried out, three graphs were plotted to analyze our result.
Based on Figure 7.1, the outlet temperature of the compressor increased exponentially with
time. This is due to the work is supplied to the compressor from an external source through

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motor to compress the air. Work input to the compressor by motor to compress air will
generate heat that will heat up the compressor over time.

From Figure 7.2 above, energy added to air by compressor, Hc, increases with time.
The energy that is being input to the system as it heats up, is added to air by compressor and
causes the temperature to increase. As compressor heats up, the energy that is being input to
the system will be transformed into 10 % compressed energy, 5% is transformed into the
exergy component and is therefore irreversible or non-returnable while 85% of the input
energy is lost as heat. Energy represents the useful work potential of the system at the
specified state. In industry, compressed air is used in spraying, transporting and blowing.

Based on calculation at one minute interval for 29 minutes, the amount of energy lost as
heat is less than the work input to the compressor. On the other hand, the amount of energy
lost as heat is greater than heat added to the air. These indicate the production of compressed
energy is less than the energy lost as heat in the compression process.

There is some errors which may occur during the experiment is carried out. One of the
errors is parallax error. Parallax error may occur when taking the reading of barometer, flow
meter and motor spring balance. Therefore, make sure the eye position is correct to obtain an
accurate reading. Other than that, the actual condition of the operating system and
environmental fluctuations may affect the result of the experiment by causing random error

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CONCLUSION

The objectives of this experiment were to evaluate how quickly a single stage
compressor heats up and to analyse the steady-state heat loss of a single stage compressor.
Throughout the experiment, it can be observed that the objectives was achieved where it
being found that the outlet temperature, T2 was increasing rapidly in the first 15 minute and
slowly increases that was 1oC in 1 minute until minute 29. Based on the experiment, it can be
concluded that a single stage compressor heats up quickly then slowly increase when it reach
it steady state of heat loss. If the outlet pressure, p 2 is reduced to 0.5 bar as the consequences
the temperature also will decreases as the temperature is directly proportional to pressure.

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REFERENCES

1) Yunus A. Cengel and Micheal A. Boles, 2006, Thermodynamics, an Engineering

Approach, 7th ed., McGraw-Hill, New York.

2) J.M. Smith, 1996, Introduction to Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, 7th ed.,

McGraw-Hill, Singapore.

3) Richard M. Felder, and Ronald W. Rousseau, 2005, Elementary Principles of Chemical

Process, 3rd ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York.

4) Wylen G.V., R. Sonntag, and Borgnakke C., Fundamentals of Thermodynamics, 6th ed.,
John Wiley, New York.

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APPENDIX

1) Unit conversion of temperature

a) Relationship used to convert temperature from ⁰C to K: T (K) = T (⁰C) + 273.15

To (°C) = 29 ⁰C + 273.15 = 302.15 K

2) Unit Conversion of pressure from kPa to bar for atmospheric pressure (from barometer), P o
(bar)

¯¿
102.7 x 103 N / m2 ×1.01325
Po (bar) = 1.01325 x 105 N /m2
¿

= 1.027 bar

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3) Calculation of specific volume through flow meter, v o

Specific volume through flow meter , v o

RT o
= (m3/kg)
Po

0.287 kJ kg−1 K−1 x 302.15 K x 8.314 m 3 . Pa x 1 kPa x 1000 J

=
102.7 kPa x 8.314 J x 1000 Pa x 1 kJ

= 0.844 m3 /kg

4) Calculation of volumetric flow rate, Ṽ

Volumetric flow rate, Ṽ

m
= v 3 -1
s )
¿
60 x 103
= 280 L min-1 / 60 × 103
= 4.67 × 10-3 m 3 -1
s

5) Calculation of mass flow rate, ṁ

Mass flow rate, ṁ
Ṽ
= (kg s-1)
vo
= 4.67 × 10-3 m 3 -1
s / 0.844 m3 kg-1

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= 5.53 x 10-3 kg s-1

6) Calculation of energy added to air by compressor, Ḣc

Example of calculation of energy added to air by compressor, Ḣc
= ṁ (T2-T1), (W)
= 5.53 × 10-3 kg s-1 × 1005 J kg-1 K-1 × ((66-27) ⁰C + 273.15) K
= 216.75 W

The calculation is repeated by using the same formula for one minute interval for 29 minutes.

7) Calculation of power out of motor, Ẇm

=Power out of motor, Ẇm
N x F x L x 2 π x 9.81
= (W)
60
=1448 rev min-1 × 2.5 kg × 0.2 m × 2π × 9.81 / 60
= 743.77 W

8) Calculation of heat emitted from compressor, Ǭc

Example of calculation of heat emitted from compressor, Ǭc
= Ẇm - Ḣc
=743.77 W – 216.75 W
= 527.02

The calculation is repeated by using the same formula for one minute interval for 29 minutes.

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