PRIME MOVERS & FLUID

MACHINES (ME F341)

Instructor: Dr. Jeevan Jaidi
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

 Tutorial Problems
Reciprocating Compressors

Instructor: Dr. Jeevan Jaidi 2 28 March 2020

Problem # 1
A single-stage reciprocating compressor takes in 8 m3/min of air
at 1 bar and 30⁰C and delivers it at 6 bar. The clearance is 5% of
the stroke. The expansion and compression processes are
polytropic with the exponent, 𝑛 = 1.3 . Calculate, (a) the
temperature of delivered air (b) volumetric efficiency (c) power
of the compressor.
Solution:
Suction pressure, 𝑝1 = 1 𝑏𝑎𝑟
Suction temperature, 𝑇1 = 303 𝐾
Discharge pressure, 𝑝2 = 6 𝑏𝑎𝑟
Discharge charge, 𝑉ሶ = 8 𝑚3 /𝑚𝑖𝑛
Polytropic exponent, 𝑛 = 1.3
Clearnace volume, 𝑉𝑐 = 0.05 𝑉𝑠
Instructor: Dr. Jeevan Jaidi 3 28 March 2020

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Problem # 1 (contd...)
(a) Discharge temperature, 𝑇2 =?
𝑛−1
𝑃2 𝑛
𝑇2 = 𝑇1 = 458 𝐾
𝑃1

(b) Volumetric efficiency, 𝜂𝑣 =?

1
𝑉 𝑉 𝑃2 𝑛
𝜂𝑣 = 𝑉 = 1 − 𝑉𝑐 − 1 = 85%
𝑠 𝑠 𝑃1

(c) Compressor or indicated power, P =?

𝑛 𝑇
𝑃= ሶ 1 2
𝑚𝑅𝑇 − 1 = 29.56 𝑘𝑊
𝑛−1 𝑇1

Instructor: Dr. Jeevan Jaidi 4 28 March 2020

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Problem # 2
A single-stage and double-acting compressor delivers 5 m3 of free
air per minute at 1 atm and 20⁰C to 7.5 bar with the following
data;
Speed = 300 rpm; mechanical efficiency = 0.9; pressure loss in
passing through intake valves = 0.04 bar; temperature rise of air
during suction stroke = 12⁰C; clearance volume = 5% of stroke
volume; index of compression and expansion processes, n = 1.3;
length of the stroke = 1.3 times the cylinder diameter.
Calculate, (a) power input to the shaft (b) the volumetric
efficiency (c) the cylinder diameter.
Solution:
𝑝𝑎 = 1 𝑎𝑡𝑚, 𝑇𝑎 = 293 𝐾, 𝑝2 = 7.5 𝑏𝑎𝑟
𝑉𝑎ሶ = 5 𝑚3 /𝑚𝑖𝑛, 𝑛 = 1.3, 𝑉𝑐 = 0.05 𝑉𝑠
Instructor: Dr. Jeevan Jaidi 5 28 March 2020

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Problem # 2 (contd...)
N = 300 rpm, 𝜂𝑚𝑒𝑐ℎ = 0.9, L = 1.3 𝐷

Therefore, suction conditions are

𝑝1 = 𝑝𝑎 − 0.04 𝑏𝑎𝑟 = 0.973 𝑏𝑎𝑟
𝑇1 = 𝑇𝑎 + 12℃ = 305 𝐾
Assuming ideal gas,
𝑝𝑎 𝑉𝑎 𝑇1
𝑉1 = = 5.42 𝑚3 /𝑚𝑖𝑛
𝑇𝑎 𝑝1

(a) Shaft power input = ?

𝑛−1
𝑛 𝑝2 𝑛
Indicated power, 𝑃 = 𝑝1 𝑉1ሶ − 1 = 22.93 𝑘𝑊
𝑛−1 𝑝1
Instructor: Dr. Jeevan Jaidi 6 28 March 2020

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Problem # 2 (contd...)
𝐼𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟
Shaft input power = = 25.48 𝑘𝑊
𝜂𝑚𝑒𝑐ℎ

(b) Volumetric efficiency, 𝜂𝑣 =?

1
𝑉𝑐 𝑃2 𝑛
𝜂𝑣 = 1 − − 1 = 81%
𝑉𝑠 𝑃1

(c) Cylinder dimensions (L, D)?

𝜋
Swept volume, 𝑉𝑠 = 4 𝐷2 𝐿 = 1.02 𝐷3
Number of strokes per minutes = 2N
Swept volume per minutes, 𝑉𝑠ሶ = 𝑉𝑠 2𝑁 = 612 𝐷3
Instructor: Dr. Jeevan Jaidi 7 28 March 2020

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Problem # 2 (contd...)
We have,
𝑉ሶ1 5.42
𝜂𝑣 = = = 0.81
𝑉ሶ𝑠 612 𝐷3
Therefore,
Cylinder diameter, D = 222 mm
Cylinder stroke, L = 289 mm

Instructor: Dr. Jeevan Jaidi 8 28 March 2020

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Problem # 3
A reciprocating compressor has four-stage compression with 2
m3/min of air being delivered at 150 bar when initial pressure and
temperature are 1 bar and 27°C, respectively. Compression occur
polytropically following polytropic index of 1.25 in four-stages
with perfect intercooling between stages. For the optimum
intercooling conditions, determine the intermediate pressures and
the work required for driving the compressor.
Solution:
𝑝1 = 1 𝑏𝑎𝑟, 𝑇1 = 300 𝐾, 𝑝2 = 105 𝑏𝑎𝑟
𝑉ሶ = 2 𝑚3 /𝑚𝑖𝑛, 𝑛 = 1.25, # of stages = 4
1
𝑝2 𝑁𝑜.𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑠
Note: Optimum stage pressure rise = 𝑝1
= 3.5

Instructor: Dr. Jeevan Jaidi 9 28 March 2020

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Problem # 3 (contd...)
Therefore, for perfect intercooling the intermediate pressures of
individual stages are
𝑝𝑖1 = 3.5 𝑏𝑎𝑟, 𝑝𝑖2 = 12.25 𝑏𝑎𝑟, 𝑝𝑖3 = 42.875 𝑏𝑎𝑟
also, 𝑇𝑖 = 𝑇1

At the end of fourth stage,

𝑛−1
𝑃2 𝑛
𝑇2 = 𝑇1 𝑃 = 385 𝐾
𝑖3
𝑝2 𝑉ሶ
Mass flow rate, 𝑚ሶ = 𝑅𝑇2
= 4.525 𝑘𝑔/𝑠
𝑛−1
𝑛 𝑝2 𝑛
Indicated power, 𝑃 = 𝑚𝑅𝑇
ሶ 1 − 1 = 2216 𝑘𝑊
𝑛−1 𝑝𝑖3
Instructor: Dr. Jeevan Jaidi 10 28 March 2020

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus