Centrifugal Compressor capacity
Centrifugal Compressor capacity
(OP)
Recently i have been working on compressor performance calculation, and this is first time i am working on compressor.
I know that increase in suction pressure increases compressor capacity,acfm. As suction pressure increases, we are on left side of the performance curve so actual volume going to compressor is low.(am i right!)So, actual cfm going to compressor is low and compressor will have more capacity available.
now, i am confused for how decreasing polytropic head will increase compressor capacity ? Because when head goes down, we are operating on right side of the curve and compressor doesn't have capacity available to compress more gas? Am i going on right direction?
please explain with engineering equation.
thanks
naturalgas01
I know that increase in suction pressure increases compressor capacity,acfm. As suction pressure increases, we are on left side of the performance curve so actual volume going to compressor is low.(am i right!)So, actual cfm going to compressor is low and compressor will have more capacity available.
now, i am confused for how decreasing polytropic head will increase compressor capacity ? Because when head goes down, we are operating on right side of the curve and compressor doesn't have capacity available to compress more gas? Am i going on right direction?
please explain with engineering equation.
thanks
naturalgas01





RE: Centrifugal Compressor capacity
You can arrive at points on the compressor performance curve in two ways. Decreasing head and increasing flow, or increasing flow and decreasing head.
On the left side, at low flows, head is the predominate component of power. On the right side of the curve, flow is the predominate component of power. In either case, available power is the limiting factor.
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"Pumping accounts for 20% of the world's energy used by electric motors and 25-50% of the total electrical energy usage in certain industrial facilities."-DOE statistic (Note: Make that 99% for pipeline companies) http://virtualpipeline.spaces.live.com/