Compressors

MPE 450, 2021-2022

4th year Mechanical Power Engineering Dept.

Course Coordinator:
Assistant Prof. Mohamed Sayed Soliman

Classroom code: w5xlvhy

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 Assessment Schedule and Grades Distribution:

Assessment Method Degree Percentage Week

Mid term 10 10 8Th
Formative (quizzes – presentation 20 20 every
– assignments, …….) week
Final Exam 70 70 16Th

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 Introduction
A compressor is a device used to increase the pressure of a compressible fluid.

 The inlet pressure level can be any value from a deep vacuum to high positive
pressure.
 The discharge pressure can range from sub-atmospheric levels to high values
in the tens of thousands of pounds per square inch.
 The inlet and outlet pressures are related, corresponding with the type of
compressor and its configuration.
 The fluid can be any compressible fluid, either gas or vapor, and can have a
wide molecular weight range.

Applications of compressed gas vary from consumer products, such as home

refrigerators, to large complex petrochemical plant installations. 3
 Compression Methods
Compressors have numerous forms; their exact configurations being based on the
application.

For comparison, the different types of compressors can be subdivided into two
broad groups based on the compression mode, either intermittent or continuous.

The intermittent mode of compression is cyclic in nature: A specific quantity of

gas is ingested by the compressor, acted upon, and discharged before the cycle is
repeated.
In the continuous compression mode, the gas is moved into the compressor, acted
upon, moved through the compressor, and discharged without interruption of the
flow at any point in the process.
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Compressors using the intermittent compression mode are referred to as positive
displacement compressors, of which there are two distinct types: reciprocating
and rotary. Continuous-mode compressors are also characterized by two
fundamental types: dynamic and ejector.

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The typical application range of each compressor 8
 A- Intermittent Mode Compressors –
Positive Displacement Compressors
A-1 Reciprocating Piston Compressors

 The reciprocating compressor is probably the best known and the most widely
used of all compressors.
 It consists of a mechanical arrangement in which reciprocating motion is
transmitted to a piston that is free to move in a cylinder. The displacing action
of the piston, together with the inlet valve, causes a quantity of gas to enter the
cylinder where it is in turn compressed and discharged. Action of the discharge
valve prevents the backflow of gas from the discharge line into the compressor
during the next intake cycle.
 When the compression takes place on one side of the piston only, the
compressor is said to be single-acting.
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Figure A three-cylinder, single stage and single-acting reciprocating
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compressor.
Gas Flow in a Piston-Type Reciprocating Compressor 11
 The compressor is double-acting when compression takes place on each side
of the piston.
 Configurations consist of a single cylinder or multiple cylinders on a frame.
When a single cylinder is used or when multiple cylinders on a common frame
are connected in parallel, the arrangement is referred to as a single-stage
compressor.
 When multiple cylinders on a common frame are connected in series, usually
through a cooler, the arrangement is referred to as a multi-stage compressor.
 The reciprocating compressor is generally in the lower flow end of the
compressor spectrum. Inlet flows range from less than 100 to approximately
10,000 cfm per cylinder.
 It is particularly well suited for high pressure service. One of the highest-
pressure applications is at a discharge pressure of 40,000 psi.
 The reciprocating compressor is one of the most efficient of all the compressor
types. 12
A-2 Reciprocating Diaphragm Compressors

 In the reciprocating compressor family, there is a piece of equipment that is

not as well known as the piston type reciprocating compressor.
 This compressor is the diaphragm compressor used primarily in lower flow
applications but is capable of high-pressure services. It consists of a crankcase
assembly very much like the piston compressor, which in fact it is identical to,
including a piston.
 The piston moves oil rather than gas, using the oil to move a diaphragm pack
that in turn moves the gas.
 Because relatively little power is used, most units are belt-driven by a motor.

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Diaphragm Compressor
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A-2 Rotary Compressors
Rotary compressors move gases by rotating a set of screws, lobes, or vanes.

As these screws, lobes, or vanes rotate, gas is drawn into the compressor by
negative pressure on one side and forced out of the compressor (discharged)
through positive pressure on the other.

Rotary compressors do not require a constant suction pressure to produce

discharge pressure.

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Sliding vane compressor

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Lobe Compressor

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Screw Compressor

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Scroll Compressor

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B - Continuous Mode Compressors
B -1 Ejector

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 B- Continuous Mode Compressors

B-2 DYNAMIC COMPRESSORS

Dynamic compressors are nonpositive displacement compressors that use
centrifugal or axial force to accelerate and convert the velocity of the gas to
pressure (as opposed to positive displacement compressors, which use a piston,
lobe, or screw to compress gas).

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B-2-1 CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSORS
 Centrifugal compressors are a dynamic type compressor in which the gas
flows from the inlet located near the suction eye to the outer tip of the
impeller blade.

 In a centrifugal compressor, the gas enters at the low-pressure end and is

forced through the impellers by the rotation of the shaft.

 As the gas moves from the center of the impeller toward the outer tip, the
velocity is greatly increased.

 When the gas leaves the impeller and enters the volute casing, the velocity is
converted to pressure due to the slowing down of the molecules.
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The main components of a centrifugal compressor include bearings, a housing
(casing), an impeller, an inlet and outlet, a shaft, shaft couplings, and shaft seals.

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Centrifugal compressors are used throughout industry because:
1- they have few moving parts,
2- are very energy efficient, and
3- provide higher flows than similarly sized reciprocating compressors.

The primary drawback is that centrifugal compressors cannot achieve the high
compression ratio of reciprocating compressors without multiple stages.

Centrifugal compressors are more suited for continuous-duty applications

such as:
1- ventilation fans,
2- air movers,
3- cooling units, and
4- other uses that require high volume but relatively low pressures.
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Multistage Centrifugal Compressor
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Multistage Centrifugal Compressor
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In a centrifugal compressor, there is a direct relationship between impeller speed,
velocity, pressure, and flow.

As the impeller speed increases, velocity increases.

As velocity increases, pressure increases. As pressure increases, flow increases.

Centrifugal compressors may be single-stage or multistage, and the stages may be

contained in one casing or several different casings.

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B-2-2 AXIAL COMPRESSORS

Axial compressors are dynamic-type compressors in which the flow of gas is

axial (in a straight line along the shaft). A typical axial compressor has a rotor
that looks like a fan with contoured blades followed by a stationary set of
blades, called a stator.

Rotor blades attached to the shaft spin and send the gas over stator blades,
which are attached to the internal walls of the compressor casing. These blades
decrease in size as the casing size decreases. Rotation of the shaft and its
attached rotor blades causes flow to be directed axially along the shaft, building
higher pressure toward the discharge of the unit.

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Axial compressors are very efficient compressors; however, they are not as
frequently used in industry as reciprocating and centrifugal compressors because
of the:
1- high initial and
2- maintenance costs.

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