-----------Compressors -----------Introduction ----1) In the gas turbine engine compression of the air before expansion through the turbine

is effected by one of two basic type of compressor . One giving centrifugal flow and other axial flow . Both types are driven by engine turbine and are usually coupled direct to the turbine shaft 2) The centrifugal flow compressor is a single or two stage unit employing an im peller to accelerate the air and defuser to produce required preesure rise.The axial flow compressor is a multi stage uni t employing alternate rows of rotating blades and stationary vanes to accelerate and diffuse the air until the required pressure rise is obtained . In some cases particularly on small engines an axial compressor is used to boost the inlet pre ssure to the centrifugal. 3)With regard to advantages and disadvantages of the 2 types the centrifugal com pressor is usually more robust than the axial compressor and also is easier to develop and manufacture . The axial compr essor consumes far more air than a centrifugal compressor of the same frontal area and can be designed to attain mu ch higher pressure ratios since the air flow is an important factor in determing the amount of thrust which means tha a xial compressor engine gives more thrust for same frontal area this plus ability to increase pressure ratio by addition of the extra stages has lead to the adaption of axial compressors in most indian designs however centrifugal compressor still favoured for smaller engine varied simple r uggedness outweight any other disadvantages 4)the trend to high pressure ratios which has favoures the adaption of axial cop ressor is because of the improved efficiency that results which inturn leads to improved specific fuel consumption for a given thrust THE CENTRIFUGAL FLOW COMPRESSOR 5)Centrifugal flow compressor a single/ double sided impeller and ocassionally a 2 stage single sided impeller is used as on the rolls royce engine .The impeller is sparted in a casing that is also cont ains a ring of diffuser varies if a double entry impeller is used the airflow to rare side is reverse in direction & plain up cha mberis required PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION 6)The impeller is rorated at high speed by the turbine and air is continously in duced into the centre of the impeller. Centrifugal action causes it flow radidally outwards along the vanes to the impe ller tip . Thus accelerating the air & also causing a rise in pressure to occur . The engine intake duct may contain vanes that provi de an initially swirl to air entering the compressor 7)The air on leaving the impeller passes in a diffuser section where passages fr om divergent nozzles that convert most of the kinetic energy into pressure energy . In practice it is usual to design the compressor

so that about half of the pressure rise occurs ine the impeller and half in the diffuser. 8)To maximise the air flow and pressure rise through the compressor requires the impeller to be rotated at high speed . Therefore impellers are designed to operate at tip speeds of upto 1600ft/sec . By operatin g at such high tip speed the air veloctiy from the impeller is increase so that greater energy is available for conversion to pressure 9)To maintain the efficiency of the compressor it is necessray to prevent excess ive air leak b/w the impeller and casing . This is achieved keeping their clearances as small as possible CONSTRUCTION 10)The construction of the compressor centres around the impeller , diffuser , a nd air intake system , The impeeler rotates involves ball and roller bearins and is either common to turbine shaft /split in the cent re & connected by a coupling which is usually designed for ease of detachment IMPELLERS 11)The impeller consists of a forged disc with integral radially disposed vanes on 1 or both forming convergent passages in conjunction the compressor casing . The vanes may be set back but for ease of ma nufacture straight radial vanes are usually employed. To ease the air from axial flow in the entry duct onto the rotating impeller the vanes in the centre of the impeller are curved in the direction of rotaion. The curved sections may be integral with the radial vanes / formed seperatly for easier and more accurate manufacture.. DIFFUSERS In the diffuser assembly may be an integral part of the compressor casing or sep eratly attached assembly . In each instance it consists of a no: of vanes formed tangentail to the impeller . The vane passages are divergent to kinetic e nergy into pressure energy & the inner edges of the vanes are inline with direction of the resultant airflow from the airflow The clearance b/w the impeller and diffuser is an imp factor h as 2 small a clearance will setup aerodynamic buffeting impilses that could be transferes to the impeller to create an unsteady airflow and vibration. THE AXIAL FLOW COMPRESSOR The axial flow compressor consists of 1 or more rotor assemblies that baldes of airfoil sections. These assemblies are mounted b/w bearings in the casings which incoparates the stator vanes . Compressor is a multi state unit as the amount is increase by each stage is small . The stage consists of a row of rotating blades followed by a row of stator blades where several stages of compression operate i n series on 1 shaft it . It becomes necessary to vary the stator vane angle to e nable the compressor to operate effectively at speeds below the design condition . As the pressure r atio is increased the incorporation the variable stator vane ensures that the airflow directed onto the succeeding stage of rotor blades at an acceptable angle

14)From the front ot the rear of the compressors that is from low to high pressu re ends , there is gradual redction of air annulus area b/w the rotor shaft & t he stator casing . This is necessary to maintain a near constant air axial velocity as the density increases through the length of the compressor . The convergence of the air annulus is achieved tappering of the casing / rotor . A combination of both is also possible with the arrangement being influenced by nanufacturing problems and other mechanical design factors.

15)A SINGLE spool compressor consists of 1 rotor assembly and stators with as ma ny stages as necessary to achieve the desired pressure ratio and all the air flo w from the intake passes through the compressor 16)The multi spool compressor consists of 2 or more rotor assemblies . Each driv en by their turbine at an optimum speed to achieve higher pressure ratios and to give grater operating flexibility 17)Although a twin spool compressor can be used for a pure jet engine . It is m ore suitable for the bypass type of engine where the front or low pressure compr essor is designed to handle a larger air flow than the high pressure compressor . Only a % of the aor from the low pressure compressor passes into high pressure compr essor The reminder of the air , the bypass flow is ducted around the high pressure co mpressor both flows mix in the exhaust system before passsing to propelling nozz le this arrangement matches the velocity of the jet nearer to the optimum requireme nts of the aircraft and results in higher prolulsive efficiency . hence lower fuel consumption . Fot this reason the pure jet engine whree all the air f low passes through the full compression cycle is now obsulete for all , but the highest speed aircraft 18)With high bypass ratio turbo fan this trend is taken a stage further . The i ntake air undergoes only1 stage of compression in the fan before being split b/w teh core or gas generation system . & the bypass duct in the ratio of approx 1-5 . This reds ults in the optimum passenger & /transport aircraft flying below teh apeed of th e sound thefan may be couple to the front of a no of core compression stages / a seperat e shaft driven by its own turbine PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION 19)During operation rorot is turned at ahogh speed by the turbine so taht the ai r is contim=nuosly induced into the compressor which is then accelerated by the rotating blades and swept rare wards into the adjacent row of stator vanes . The pressure rise results from the energy imparted to the air in teh rotor which increases t he air velocity . The air then decclearates in the followinf ga stater

passage & the kinetic energy translated into pressure . Staotr vanes als o sr=ever to the correct deflection given to the swirl by rotor vane s& to the p resent air is at correct angle of rotor blades the last row of asstator vane susually act as air straightners to remove swirl f rom the aitr prior to entry into the combustion system ata areasonably unforrm at velocty changes in the pressure and V that occur in the ai flow through the compressotr . THE CHANGES ARE ACCOMPANISES BY a progressive in air temp ast he P incraeses 29( Across each stage the ratio of total pressures of uoutgo=ing & inlet air is sn]mall b/w 1:1 and 1:2 the reason for P increase is that the rate of duffsion a nd the deflection angle of the blades must be limites to loses due to brake anare to be avoided . although P ratio of each stage is small , every stage increases the exert P of the stage that preceding so whilst this first stage of a compressor may only increase the P by 3 to 4 psi at the rear of 30 to 1 compression system the stage P rise can be up to 80psi the ability tpo design multi stage axial compressor woith controlle d & straight thruofh min loses in high efficiency and hence low fuela comnsumption . so it will advantageos over centrifugal conditons 21)The P ratio is increased the most difficult to ensure that will operate effic iently over the full speed range . this bcozthe requiremet for inlet to exit ar eas . At hiigh V reslutsa in an inlet aresa that becomes too large ralative to the exit area . hence P ratio is reduced . The axial V the inlet air in the front stages thus b ecomes low relative to the blade speed thjis changes the condition where the flow seperates and the compressor flow bre aks down . This collects the incidence the air on to rotor blades to the angles which they can tolerate . An altenative is incoporation of inter stage bleeds where proportoin air after enrering the compressor is removes ata na intermediate stage and dumpe d into the bypass flow while this method occurs the axial V through the preceding stage s energy is wasted and incoporation of varible stators is preffered 22)The fan of high bypass ratio(ex--tyurbo fan) of the axial compressor which ha s beeb[n optimize to meet the requirements whilw similar in principple to the core cmompressot stage the proprtions of desi gn are suvh taht the inner gas path is similat to that of the core compressor that folloows it while tip D is larger . r the mask flow by the fan is 6 times by the rquired one . remaing bypass to the core and is expanded to the its own cooaxial nozzzle or may be mixed with flow f rom the core in common nozzle to optimize the cycle the bypass flow hsas to be rised to the pressure of ~ 1.6 TIMES THE INLET PRESSURE THIS ACHIEVED IN the fan by utilising very high tip speeds & airflow su ch that the bypass swction of the blade operate with a supersonic air V of upto 1.5mach at the tiop the P that resultsa is graded from a high value at the tip where rea ltive V are higherst to thenormal values of 1.3 - 1.4 at the inner radius with the siper cha rge the core whree the aerodynamic sedifgn tot theat of conventional compressot r atage . the stage achiebes cycle re quirement oper unit of frontal area . high effic iendcy and high P tatio a singlke rotatin gblasde roe wuithou inlet guide vanes in an engine D thus keeping wieght complexity at an acceptable level

construction 23) the constructio the compressor centere ariound the rotor and casings the rot or shaft is supported in bALL roller bearings and coupled to the turbine shaft t hat allows for slight varition of alignemet , . The cylcindraival may consirts of cu;lindri cal casings eiht a bolted axial jioint eacha stage or casings in 2 halves bolted centre line joint 1 or other of these construciions methjods reqiured in order that casings can be asseml==bled 24) rotors the compressor designs the roratonal speed is such taht a disc is requir ed to support the centrigufgapl blade road whrer a no: of discs are fitted ionto shaft they may be couple and secured by machanical fixing the discs are assemble and weld togethre close to their periphery thus formin an integral drium 25)typical methods of securing rotro balde fixing may be circumfentail or axial to suits special requirements of the stage . in genral the aim is to design a se curimng that lighest part on the supporting disc ,, whilst most compressor designs sep erate b;lades for manufacturing maintainbility requiements , ti become smore dif fulut to design small engines however this may be overcome producing bladde intgral with the disc so called BL ISK rotor blades 26)The rotor blade are of airfoail sectio are designed to give a P gradient the air maintains are reasonbly uniform V . The higher P give s the centrigual acti on to obtain these conditions it is necessaty to twiest the blade to give correct a ngl eof incidence ait flowing the compressot creates 2 boundary layers o flow to stagnat air on in ner and oure walls inorder to compendsarte , a localized increase blade camber both at blade tip a nd root has been increase the blade extremeties are foemed nby bending over each corner hence called ENDBEND