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Mechanical Engineering Batch : GATE Crash Course 2023

Subject: Applied Thermodynamics
Topic: Centrifugal Air Compressor
1. Centrifugal compressors are used where
(a) high pressure and low volume are required
(b) low pressure and high-volume flow are required
(c) high pressure and high-volume flow are required
(d) low pressure and low-volume flow are required
2. A centrifugal air compressor having a pressure ratio of
5, compresses air at a rate of 10 kg/s. If the intial
pressure and temperature are 1 bar and 20°C
respectively, then what is the power required to drive
the compressor? Take γ = 1.4 and cp = 1 kJ/kg.K.
(a) 1550 kW
(b) 1224 kW
(c) 1710 kW
(d) 934 kW
DPP: 20
5. A centrifugal compressor running at 16,000 rpm. Guide
vanes at inlet give the air a pre whirl of 20° to the axial
direction at all radii and the mean diameter of the eye
is 200 mm, the absolute air velocity at inlet is 120 m/s.
At exit, the blades are radially inclined and the impeller
tip diameter is 550 mm. If the power input per unit mass
is 172.74 kJ/kg then the slip factor of the compressor
is_____.
6. Surge is a condition which occurs
(a) in forward movement of aircraft
(b) beyond the stable limit of operation
(c) in forward motion of aircraft with speed above
sonic velocity
(d) due to the blast of air produced in a compressor

7. A centrifugal compressor runs at a speed of 15000 rpm

3. Air at a temperature of 20°C flows into the centrifugal and delivers 30 kg of air per second. The work done on
compressor running at 19000 rpm. The following data the compressor is 28.8 kJ/kg of air. The torque on the
are given: compressor is _____kN-m.
Slip factor = 0.85
8. In a centrifugal compressor running at 15000 RPM,
Work input factor = 1.0 diameter and whirl velocity at outlet are 500 mm and
Outer diameter of blade tip = 500 mm 380 m/s. The degree of reaction of the turbine is.
(a) 51.6% (b) 45.3%
Assuming radial inlet, what is the work done per kg of
(c) 55.8% (d) 61.5%
air?
(a) 234.0 kJ/kg 9. A centrifugal compressor handles 540 kg/min of air at
(b) 122.0 kJ/kg a speed of 20,000 rpm. The air enters the impeller eye
(c) 109.5 kJ/kg with no prewhirl. The ratio of whirl speed to tip speed
(d) 210.3 kJ/kg is 0.9. The diameter of tip is 426 mm. then the power
required is _____kW.
4. In a radial blade centrifugal compressor, the velocity of
blade tip is 400 m/s and slip factor is 0.80. Assuming
the absolute velocity at inlet to be axial, what is the
work done per kg of flow?
(a) 36 kJ (b) 72 kJ
(c) 128 kJ (d) 360 kJ
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Answer Key

1. (B) 6. (B)
2. (C) 7. 5.5 (5.2 to 5.8)
3. (D) 8. (A)
4. (C) 9. 1611.94 (1600 to 1620)
5. 0.846 (0.80 to 0.90)
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Hints and Solutions

1. Solution: (B)
6. Solution: (B)
Centrifugal compressors are used where low pressure
and high-volume flow are required Surge is a condition which occurs beyond the stable
limit of operation. It is an unstable condition resulting
in flow reversals and pressure fluctuations in the
2. Solution: (C) system.
rp = 5, m = 10 kg/s , P1 = 1 bar, T1 = 273 + 20 = 293 K,
7. Solution: 5.5 (5.2 to 5.8)
γ = 1.4, cp = 1 kJ/kg.K
−1
w = 28.8 kJ/kg
= ( rp ) 
T2 W = mw
T1 = 30 × 28.8
0.4 = 864 kW
or T2 = 293 ( 5)1.4 = 464 K or 191C 2N
Power required to drive the compressor = = 157.08 rad/s
60
P = mc p (T2 -T1 ) W = T × ω ⇒ T = 5.5 kN-m
P = 1710 kW
8. Solution: (A)
3. Solution: (D) Vw 2
Degree of reaction = 1 −
πD2 N π×500×19000 2u 2
u2 = =
60×1000 60×1000 D2 N   0.5  1500
u2 = =
u 2 =497.42 m/s 60 60
For radial inlet, vw1 = 0 u2 = 392.7 m/s
⸫Work done = u 2 v w 2 = u 22 s w = 497.42 2  0.85  1 38
 =1− = 0.516
= 210.31 kJ/kg 2  39.27

4. Solution: (C) 9. Solution: 1611.94 (1600 to 1620)

v w = u2Vw2 J/kg
S = w 2 , vw2 = 0.80 × 400 = 320 m/s
u2 D2 N   0.426  20,000
u2 = = = 446.1 m/s
400  320 60 60
Work done = u 2 v w 2 = = 128 kJ/kg
103 446.1 ( 0.9  446.1)
w act = = 179.1 kJ/kg
5. Solution: 0.846 (0.80 to 0.90) 1000
D1 N Power = mw act
u1 = = 167.55m / s
60 540
D2 N =  179.1 = 1611.94 kW
u2 = = 460.77 m / s 60
60
v w1 = va1 Sin 200 = 120  Sin 200 = 41.04 m / s
For radial discharge, vw2 = u2 = 460.77 m/s
Power input per unit mass flow rate
P = u 2 vw 2 − u1v w1
172.74  103 = 460.77vw 2 − 167.55  41.04
vw 2 = 389.82 m / s
v 389.82
Slip factor = w 2 = = 0.846
v w 2 460.77
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