Development, Testing, and Performance Prediction of Radial Compressor Stages for Multistage Industrial Compressors

Abstract

A review of some theoretical and experimental techniques currently in use for the aerodynamic development of standard stages for industrial centrifugal compressors is presented. Design methods for standardized families of radial compressor stages are summarized. The closed-loop test stands used for performance measurements are described and methods of test data analysis for identifying component performance and improving component matching are discussed. Test data obtained from standardized families of stages are analyzed using elementary dimensional analysis. This allows a simple structure for the interpolation of the large amounts of test data to be formulated. Correction formulae for secondary effects (such as changes in gas properties, Reynolds number, and small deviations from geometric similarity) are also derived from measurements. The data are incorporated into a stage-stacking calculation method for performance prediction of multistage compressors.