Basics of rotating machines

• When a fluid passes through a turbomachine two things happen

 Energy transfer
- rotor to the fluid or vice versa
- occurs only in rotating parts
 Energy transformation
- change of one form of energy into another form
(e.g. change of kinetic energy to pressure energy in a compressor
- can occur in both rotating and stationary elements

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 Basics equation of energy
transfer in turbomachines

• The effectiveness of transfer of energy in a turbomachine is

governed mainly by the fluid dynamics of the system

• A-A is axis of rotation and

rotates at a steady angular
velocity ω rad/s

• Fluid enters at point 1 with a velocity c1

• Fluid leaves at point 2 with a velocity c2

• The radial distance of points 1 and

2 from the axis A − A is r1 and r2
respectively. 2
• The velocities c1 and c2 can be represented by three velocity
components

• ca1, ca1 : axial velocity in a direction parallel to the axis A − A

• cr1, cr1 : radial velocity in the direction normal to A − A
• ct1, ct1 : tangential velocity in the direction normal to radius and
tangent to the rotor at point 1 and 2

• All velocity vectors assumed

to be constant over the entry
and exit

• The angular speed of the

rotor is ω radians per
second.

2 N

60
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• The velocity triangles at the entry as well as at the exit of a general
rotating machine are shown in the below figure. All velocity vectors
shown are in the same plane

• The peripheral linear velocities of the blades at the entry and exit
corresponding to diameters d1 and d2 are
 Nd1  Nd 2
u1  r1  u2  r2 
60 60

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• The absolute velocity vectors, c , are those which will be observed
by a person standing outside the rotor

• The relative velocity vectors, w are the ones which will be observed
by an observer positioned on the rotor.

• The torque exerted by the rotor or by the fluid is obtained by

employing Newton’s second law of motion for the change of angular
moment of momentum.
• Torque = Rate of change in moment of momentum

• Axial and radial velocity components do not contribute to the

rotation
- change in axial component produce axial force
- change in radial component cause a change in momentum in
radial direction. ( for an axisymmetric flow it will be zero)

• Only tangential velocity component produce rotational effect

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• Assuming unit mass of fluid, entering and leaving in unit time, we
can write

 The angular moment of momentum at inlet = ct1 r1

 The angular moment of momentum at exit = ct2 r2

• According Newton’s second law, torque produced is

T = ct1 r1 − ct2r2

• The rate of energy transfer for unit mass flow per unit time

E = T ω = ω(ct1 r1 − ct2r2 ) = ct1r1ω − ct2r2ω

• But, ωr1 = u1 and ωr2 = u2.

E = ct1u1 − ct2u2 Euler’s energy equation 6

• For ct1u1 > ct2u2, in which the energy transfer is positive
- the energy is transferred from fluid to rotor and therefore it is
called turbine rotor.

• For ct1u1 < ct2u2, in which the energy transfer is negative

- means that the energy is transferred from rotor to the fluid and
therefore it is called compressor rotor

• Euler’s energy equation is applicable regardless changes in density or

components of velocity in other directions.

• The shape of the path taken by the fluid in moving from inlet to outlet is
of no consequence

• Euler’s energy equation is applicable to any turbine or compressor,

assuming following conditions are satisfied
- Flow must be steady, mass flow rate is constant across any section
- The heat and work interactions between the rotor and its
surroundings take place at a constant rate
- Velocity is uniform over any area. This means that the velocity
vector at any point is representative of the total flow over a finite
area 7
 Components of energy transfer
• From the velocity diagram at the exit from a rotor

cr22  c22  ct22

cr22  w22   u2  ct 2 
2

• Equating and expanding

c22  ct22  w22  u22  ct22  2ct 2u2

ct 2u2 
2

1 2
c2  u22  w22 
A rotor, the moving part of a fluid
machine, usually consists of a number of
blades situated on a circular disc. The
• Similarly we can obtain outlet portions of a rotor blade are only
shown as a representative of the whole
rotor.
ct1u1  
1 2
2
c1  u12  w12 
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 • Euler’s energy equation E = ct1u1 − ct2u2

 
E   c1  c2    u12  u22    w22  w12  
1 2 2
2 
 I II III 

• The first term c1  c2 represents the energy transfer due to change of

2 2

absolute kinetic energy of the fluid between the entrance and the exit
sections. This effect is also known as impulse effect.

• For example, in a compressor, rotor will usually increase the absolute

velocity of the fluid but it does not necessarily increase the fluid
pressure. An additional device (e.g. diffuser) reduces the velocity and
increase the static pressure

• To understand second term, consider a fluid flowing

through a container having uniform angular velocity

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• Force acting on the differential fluid element with mass dm
and area dA is dPdA

• Centrifugal force acting on the differential element is dmω2r

• Under equilibrium condition dPdA = dmω2r

dP
dPdA = ρ dA dr ω2r  dr 2 r


• For a reversible flow, between two points 1 and 2, the work done
per unit mass of the fluid (flow work)
2
dP
2
 2 r22   2 r12 u22  u12
    rdr  
2

1
 1
2 2

• The second term represents a change in fluid energy due to the

movement of the rotating fluid from one radius of rotation to
another, which is due to the centrifugal effect.

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• The third term represents energy transfer due to a change in fluid
velocity relative to the rotor.

• For example, a diverging passage in the direction of flow through the

rotor decreases the relative velocity  w2  w1  and increases the static
pressure, according to the Bernoulli equation, assuming change in
potential energy is small, as occurs in case of pumps and
compressors
• Second term suggest that substantial effect may be produced by allowing
the fluid to enter and leave the rotor at different radii.

• In some rotating machines it may happen that only one of the three individual
types of energy transfer is present

Bernoulli equation states that the sum of the kinetic, potential, and flow
energies of a fluid particle is constant along a streamline during steady
flow when the compressibility and frictional effects are negligible.

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