Performance Single Stage Centrifugal Compressor

The most significant technical change undertaken in the last decade in the Turbo compressors, was to combine the two regulation systems existing in the market. One was flow regulation by means of diffuser blades on the pressure side of the compressor and the other was pressure regulation by means of diffuser blades on the inlet. Studies has shown that the use of this combination increases efficiency when the design point of the compressor has changed as a result of the flow, inlet temperature and pressure. The inlet guide vanes maintain a constant laminar flow by means of the optimal angle, avoiding turbulence at the inlet. In general most of the compressors are designed to reach the working point regardless of the efficiency or loss of efficiency when the working point is not situated at the design point itself. It has been shown that even the high turbulence of the eye of the impeller, when the inlet air has less density at high temperature, has a greate influence on the efficiency of the compressor. This efficiency loss could be between 7 - 12% of design point. Consequently, it is very important to achieve a high efficiency at design point but is is also very important to achieve a high efficiency when the compressor is changing the flow as well as when the inlet atmospheric conditions, such as temperature, pressure or relative humidity, are changing. That is why Continental Industrie has fitted its compressors with this combination of guide vanes to guarantee the maximum efficiency compared to other manufacturers with only variable diffuser vanes, which is much cheaper.