Sheet 2

Compressors
1. The following data refer to the eye of a single-sided impeller.
Inner radius 6.5 cm
Outer radius 15.0 cm
Mass flow 8 kg/s
Ambient conditions 1.00 bar, 288 K
Speed 270 rev/s

Assuming no pre-whirl and no loses in the intake duct; calculate the blade inlet angle at root and tip
of the eye, and the Mach number at the tip of the eye. [48.20°, 25.43°, 0.843]

2. An aircraft engine is fitted with a single-sided centrifugal compressor. The aircraft flies with a
speed of 230 m/s at an altitude where the pressure is 0.23 bar and the temperature is 217 K. The
intake duct of the impeller eye contains fixed vanes which give the air pre-whirl of 250 at all radii.
The inner and outer diameters of the eye are 18 and 33 cm respectively, the diameter of the impeller
periphery is 54 cm and the rotational speed 270 rev/s. Estimate the stagnation pressure at the
compressor outlet when the mass flow is 3.60 kg/s.
Neglect losses in the inlet duct and fixed vanes, and assume that the isentropic efficiency of the
compressor is 0.80. Take the slip factor as 0.9 and the power input factor as 1.04. [1.75 bar]

3. The following results were obtained from a test on a small single-sided centrifugal compressor:

Compressor delivery stagnation pressure 2.97 bar

Compressor delivery stagnation temperature 429 K
Static pressure at impeller tip 1.92 bar
Mass flow 0.60 kg/s
Rotational speed 766 rev/s
Ambient conditions 0.99 bar and 288 K
Calculate the overall isentropic efficiency of the compressor.
The diameter of the impeller is 16.5 cm, the axial depth of the vaneless diffuser is 1.0 cm and the
number of impeller vanes (n) is 17. Making use of the Stanitz equation for slip factor, namely  =
1-(0.63/n), calculate the stagnation pressure at the impeller tip and hence find the fraction of the
overall loss which occurs in the impeller. [0.75; 3.35 bar, 0.60]

4. The following design data apply to a double-sided centrifugal compressor:

Outer diameter of impeller 50 cm
Speed 270 rev/s
Mass flow 16.0 kg/s
Inlet temperature 288 K
Inlet pressure 1.01 bar
Isentropic efficiency of impeller only 0.90
Radial gap of vaneless space 4.0 cm
Axial depth of vaneless space 5.0 cm
Slip factor 0.9
Power input factor 1.04
a) Calculate the stagnation pressure and temperature at the outlet of the impeller, assuming no
pre-whirl.
b) Show that the radial outlet velocity at the impeller tip is about 96 m/s and hence find the Mach
number and air leaving angle at the impeller tip. (In calculating the circumferential area at the
tip, the thickness of the impeller disc may be neglected)
c) Assuming isentropic diffusion in the vaneless space, find the correct angle of the leading edges
of the diffuser vanes, and also find the Mach number at this radius. [(a) 4.40 bar, 455 K (b) 1.01,
14.08° (c) 12.40° , 0.842]
5. A single-sided centrifugal compressor is to deliver 14 kg/s of air when operating at a pressure ratio
of 4:1 and a speed of 200 rev/s. The inlet stagnation conditions may be taken as 288 K and 1.0 bar.
Assuming a slip factor of 0.9, a power input factor of 1.04 and an overall isentropic efficiency of
0·80, estimate the overall diameter of the impeller.
If the Mach number is not to exceed unity at the impeller tip, and 50 per cent of the losses are
assumed to occur in the impeller, find the minimum possible axial depth of the diffuser. [68.9 cm,
5.26 cm]

6. An axial flow compressor stage has blade root, mean and tip velocities of 150, 200 and 250 m/s.
The stage is to be designed for a stagnation temperature rise of 20 K and an axial velocity of 150
m/s, both constant from root to tip. The work done factor is 0.93. Assuming 50 percent reaction at
mean radius calculate the stage air angles at root, mean and tip and the degree of reaction at root
and tip for a free vortex design. [1 =17.07° (=2), 1=45.73° (= 2) at mean radius; 1 =13.77°,
1=54.88°, 2=40.23°, 2=39.43° at tip; 1=22.25°, 1 =30.60°, 2= -20.25°, 2=53.85° at root; =
11.2 per cent at root and 67.4 per cent at tip]

7. Recalculate the stage air angles for the same data as in the previous question for a stage with 50
percent reaction at all radii, and compare the results with those for the free vortex design.
[1=28.60° (=2), 1=48.27° (= 2) at tip; 1=1.15° (=2), 1 =44.42° (= 2) at root]

8. The first stage of an axial compressor is designed on free vortex principles, with no inlet guide
vanes. The rotational speed is 6000 rev/min and the stagnation temperature rise is 20 K. The
hub-tip ratio is 0.60, the work done factor is 0.93 and the isentropic efficiency of the stage is 0.89.
Assuming an inlet velocity of 140 m/s and ambient conditions of 1.01 bar and 288 K, calculate:

a) The tip radius and corresponding rotor air angles 1 and 2 if the Mach number relative to the
tip is limited to 0.95.
b) The mass flow entering the stage.
c) The stage stagnation pressure ratio and power required.
d) The rotor air angles at the root section. [(a) 0.456 m, 63.95° and 56.40°, (b) 65.5 kg/s, (c) 1.233,
1317 kW, (d) 50.83° and 18.32°]

9. An axial flow compressor has an overall pressure ratio of 4.0 and mass flow of 3 kg/s. If the
polytropic efficiency is 88 per cent and the stagnation temperature rise per stage must not exceed
25 K, calculate the number of stages required and the pressure ratio of the first and last stages.
Assume equal temperature rise in all stages. If the absolute velocity approaching the last rotor is
165 m/s at an angle of 20° from the axial direction, the work done factor is 0.83, the velocity
diagram is symmetrical, and the mean diameter of the last stage rotor is 18 cm, calculate the
rotational speed and the length of the last stage rotor blade at inlet to the stage. Ambient conditions
are 1.01 bar and 288 K. [7, 1.273, 1.178; 414 rev/s, 1.325 cm]

10. A helicopter gas turbine requires an overall compressor pressure ratio of 10:1. This is to be
obtained using a two-spool layout consisting of a four-stage axial compressor followed by a
single-stage centrifugal compressor. The polytropic efficiency of the axial compressor is 92 per
cent and that of the centrifugal is 83 per cent.
The axial compressor has a stage temperature rise of 30 K, using a 50 percent reaction design with
a stator outlet angle of 20°. If the mean diameter of each stage is 25.0 cm and each stage is identical,
calculate the required rotational speed. Assume a work done factor of 0.86 and a constant axial
velocity of 150 m/s.
Assuming an axial velocity at the eye of the impeller, an impeller tip diameter of 33.0 cm, a slip
factor of 0.90 and a power input factor of 1.04, calculate the rotational speed required for the
centrifugal compressor.
Ambient conditions are 1.01 bar and 288 K. [Axial compressor 318 rev/s, centrifugal compressor
454 rev/s]