Compressors

COMPRESSOR
AND TYPES
Engr. Mudassar Ahmed
Department of Chemical Engineering
University of Karachi
COMPRESSOR
▪ Compressors are widely used in industries to transport fluids.
▪ It is a mechanical device that compresses a gas.
▪ There are many types of compressors, thus a proper selection is needed to fulfil the typical
necessity of each industry.
▪ Compressor is a device used to increase the pressure of compressible fluid, either gas or
vapour, by reducing the fluid specific volume during passage of the fluid through compressor.
▪ One of basic aim of compressor usage is to compress the fluid, then deliver it to a higher
pressure than its original pressure.
TYPES OF COMPRESSOR
compressors are generally classified into two separate and distinct categories: dynamic and
positive displacement.
(A) DYNAMIC COMPRESSOR
▪ Dynamic compressor is a continuous-flow compressor which includes centrifugal compressor and
axial flow compressor.
▪ It is widely used in chemical and petroleum refinery industry for specific services. They are also used
in other industries such as the iron and steel industry, pipeline booster, and on offshore platforms for
reinjection compressors.
▪ The dynamic compressor is characterized by rotating impeller to add velocity and pressure to fluid.
▪ Compared to positive displacement type compressor, dynamic compressor are much smaller in size
and produce much less vibration.
(i) Centrifugal Compressor
▪ The centrifugal compressor is a dynamic machine that achieves compression by applying inertial
forces to the gas (acceleration, deceleration, and turning) by means of rotating impellers.
▪ It is made up of one or more stages; each stage consists of an impeller as the rotating element and
the stationary element, i.e. diffuser.
▪ There are two types of diffuser: vaneless diffusers and vaned diffusers.
▪ Vaneless diffuser is widely used in wide operating range applications, while the vaned diffuser is used
in applications where a high pressure ratio or high efficiency is required. Those parts of centrifugal
compressor are simply pictured below.
Fig: Centrifugal Compressor
▪ In centrifugal compressor, the fluid flow enters the impeller in an axial direction and discharged
from an impeller radially at a right angle to the axis of rotation. The gas fluid is forced through the
impeller by rapidly rotating impeller blades. The gas next flows through a circular chamber
(diffuser), following a spiral path where it loses velocity and increases pressure.
▪ The deceleration of flow or “diffuser action” causes pressure build-up in the centrifugal
compressor. Briefly, the impeller adds energy to the gas fluid, and then the diffuser converts it into
pressure energy.
Figure: Single stage compressor Figure: Multi stage compressor
Based on application requirement, centrifugal compressors may have different configurations. They may be classified as
follows:
i. Compressors with Horizontally-split Casings

Horizontally-split casings consisting of half casings joined along the horizontal center- line are employed for operating
pressures below 60 bars
ii. Compressors with Vertically-split Casings

Vertically-split casings are formed by a cylinder closed by two end covers. It is generally multistage, and used for high
pressure services (up to 700 kg/cm2).
(ii) Axial Flow Compressor
▪ Axial flow compressors are used mainly as compressors for gas turbines.
▪ They are used in the steel industry as blast furnace blowers and in the chemical industry for large nitric acid
plants.
▪ Compared to other type of compressor, axial flow compressors are mainly used for applications where the
head required is low and with the high intake volume of flow.
▪ The efficiency in an axial flow compressor is higher than the centrifugal compressor.
▪ The component of axial flow compressor consist of the rotating element that construct from a single drum to
which are attached several rows of decreasing-height blades having airfoil cross sections. Between each
rotating blade row is a stationary blade row. All blade angles and areas are designed precisely for a given
performance and high efficiency.
▪ The fluid flow enters the compressor and exits from the gas turbine in an axial direction (parallel with the axis
of rotation).
▪ It compresses the gas fluid by first accelerating the fluid and then diffusing it to increase its pressure.
▪ The fluid flow is accelerated by a row of rotating airfoils (blades) called the rotor, and then diffused in a row
of stationary blades (the stator). Similar to the centrifugal compressor, the stator then converts the velocity
energy gained in the rotor to pressure energy. One rotor and one stator make up a stage in a compressor.
▪ The axial flow compressor produces low pressure increases, thus the multiple stages are generally used to
permit overall pressure increase up to 30:1 for some industrial applications.
(B) POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT
COMPRESSOR
▪ Positive displacement compressors deliver a fixed volume of air at high pressures.
▪ It commonly can be divided into two types: rotary compressors and reciprocating compressors.
▪ In all positive displacement machines, a certain inlet volume of gas is confined in a given space and
subsequently compressed by reducing this confined space or volume. At this elevated pressure, the
gas is next expelled into the discharge piping or vessel system.
(i) Rotary Compressors
▪ Rotary compressor is a group of positive displacement machines that has a central, spinning rotor
and a number of vanes.
▪ This device derives its pressurizing ability from a spinning component.
▪ In a rotary compressor, the pressure of a gas is increased by trapping it between vanes which
reduce it in volume as the impeller rotates around an axis eccentric to the casing. It is pictured
below.
▪ The volume can be varied only by changing the speed or by bypassing or wasting some of the
capacity of the machine. The discharge pressure will vary with the resistance on the discharge side
of the system.
▪ Rotary compressors are generally classified as screw compressor, vane type compressor, lobe and
scroll compressor. The main difference between each type is their rotating device.
(ii) Reciprocating Compressors
▪ The reciprocating, or piston compressor, is a positive displacement compressor that uses the
movement of a piston within a cylinder to move gas from one pressure level to another high
pressure level.
▪ Reciprocating compressors might be considered as single acting, when the compressing is
accomplished using only one side of the piston, or double acting when it is using both sides of the
piston.
▪ They are used mainly when high-pressure head is required at a low flow.
▪ Generally, the maximum allowable discharge-gas temperature determines the maximum
compression ratio.
▪ Reciprocating compressors are furnished in either single-stage or multistage types. For single stage
design, the entire compression is accomplished with a single cylinder or a group of cylinders in
parallel.
▪ Intercoolers are provided between stages on multistage machines. These heat exchangers remove
the heat of compression from the gas and reduce its temperature to approximately the temperature
existing at the compressor intake. Such cooling reduces the volume of gas going to the
high-pressure cylinders, reduces the power required for compression, and keeps the temperature
within safe operating limits.
▪ Typical compression ratios are about 3 per stage to limit discharge temperatures to perhaps 300 oF
to 350°F. Some reciprocating compressors have as many as six stages, to provide a total
compression ratio over 300.
The intake gas enters the suction manifold into the cylinder because the vacuum condition is created
inside the cylinder as the piston moves downward. After the piston reaches its bottom position it begins to
move upward. The intake valve closes, trapping the gas fluid inside the cylinder. As the piston continues
to move upward it compresses the gas fluid, increasing its pressure.

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COMPRESSOR

▪ It is a mechanical device that compresses a gas.

i. Compressors with Horizontally-split Casings

ii. Compressors with Vertically-split Casings

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