Centrifugal Compressors

Improving Design for Better Performance and Cost

Course Overview

Detailed understanding of the aerodynamic behavior and structural integrity of centrifugal compressors is essential to meet competitive market needs. The student will learn the basic phenomena occurring in inlets, impellers, diffusers, volutes, and return channels. The entire development and design process from 1D to 3D viscous methods is taught with live examples while stressing preliminary cycle work, velocity triangle optimization, blade loading considerations, viscous flow-field analysis, and structural analysis. Special emphasis is placed on surge, design methodology, laboratory development, and model development. Students work a sample evaluation problem and tour advanced development laboratories. All lectures are given by internationally renowned authorities.

Program Overview

Introduction to centrifugal compressors impeller flow analysis

Introduction to impeller flows
Secondary flows
Impeller modeling and design possibilities
Impeller exit velocity profiles
Loss analysis

Diffuser design

The role of the diffuser in compressor performance
Vaneless diffusers
Cascade (airfoil) diffusers
Channel (wedge) diffusers
Design applications and modelling

Stress and vibration analysis

Causes of failure
Blade and hub steady stresses
Creep
Fatigue failure
Life estimation

Additional stage components

The compressor inlet
Volute
Collector
Return channel

Stability and range

Review of steady stall
Rotating stall in centrifugal compressors
Surge
Range extension and variable geometry

Systematic design and optimization

Design overview
Design optimization strategies
Design tools: meanline, blade generation, and CFD

Experimental development

The reasons for testing
Designing a test program
Compressor test facilities
Power and efficiency measurement
Instrumentation

Design examples

A selection of centrifugal compressor design examples will be used to illustrate the various steps in the design process, including meanline design and analysis, impeller blade design, rapid loading and streamline curvature analysis, and CFD analysis.

What You Will Learn

This course provides a comprehensive survey of the design and analysis of centrifugal compressors. The objective of the course is to provide participants with:

An overview and familiarization of the design and operation of the complete machine, and individual components of the machine
A guide to the technology database that underpins and guides all design and analysis procedures
A familiarization of the best design practices at all levels, from basic machine selection to the detailed aerodynamic, hydrodynamic, and mechanical design of all components
A guide to the different types of computer-based analysis tools available, and the applicability of each
An exposure to state-of-the-art design practices
An understanding of how to achieve the best compromises between efficiency, range, cost, life, and durability. This course has been taught for more than 20 years, and many hundreds of engineers in the compressor industries have benefited from it. During that time it has been continuously revised to reflect the latest understanding and best practices. A recent innovation is to include examples of actual design practice. Attendees will observe, discuss, and participate in real-time design examples guided by the instructors, taking specifications and developing compressor designs to the point where prototype machines could be manufactured and tested.

Instructors

Dr. David Japikse received his masters and doctoral degrees at Purdue University. He founded Concepts ETI in 1980 and guided the company as President until 2000 when he led the acquisition of NREC’s consulting and engineering software business. He currently serves as Concepts NREC’s Chairman of the Board. He has been responsible for many activities in centrifugal pump design, consulting, and research, and has developed a number of innovative design techniques. Dr. Japikse has also published extensively and teaches regularly. He has received many awards including the James Harry Potter Gold Medal from ASME for “…innovative, pioneering contributions in the field of thermodynamics as applied to turbomachinery design.” He is a Fellow in the ASME and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

Mr. Robert Pelton is a Senior Engineer at Concepts NREC and has extensive aerodynamic design experience in a broad range of centrifugal flow pump and compressor applications, including blowers and turbopumps. He also has experience in meanline, quasi-3D, and CFD analysis.

Louis Larosiliere is a specialist in aerodynamic design and development of advanced multistage axial compressors. Previously spent 12 years as a Senior Technologist conducting R&D in airbreathing propulsion systems, 3D inverse design of high Mach number turbomachinery blading, high-stage loading compressor design concepts using modern flow control techniques, hybrid gas turbine fuel cell systems, and unsteady aerodynamics of fluid machinery. He has led the design execution of NASA's advanced (efficient, highly-loaded core compressor) multistage compressor technology demonstrator for the Ultra Efficient Engine Technology (UEET) program.

Course registration