Course: Fluid Machines (UME 723)

Tutorial No. 09
Topic: Centrifugal air compressors
Q1. A centrifugal compressor compresses 5.4 m 3/s of air from 1 bar and 25°C to 1.5 bar. The
index of compression is 1.5. The flow velocity of 70 m/s is constant throughout. The inlet and
outlet diameters of impeller are 0.30 m and 0.60 m, respectively. The impeller rotates at 9000
rpm. Determine:
(a) the blade angles at inlet and outlet of the impeller,
(b) the absolute angle at the tip of the impeller, and
(c) the breadth of blade at inlet and outlet.

Assume that no diffuser is employed and the whole pressure increase occurs in the impeller and
the blades have negligible thickness.
[Ans. 26.34o, 28.38o, 24.56o, 81.8 mm, 31.2 mm]
Q2. A centrifugal compressor runs at 15,000 rpm, and produces a stagnation pressure ratio of 4
between impeller inlet and outlet. Stagnation conditions of air at inlet are 100 kPa and 300 K, the
absolute velocity at the compressor inlet is without any whirl component. At the exit of the
impeller the flow velocity of the impeller is 135 m/s and the blades are radial. Isentropic
efficiency of the compressor is 0.78.
(a) Draw the velocity triangles and find the blade angle at the inlet.
(b) Also compute the slip and the slip coefficient.
The rotor diameter at the exit is 0.58 m and that at the inlet is 0.25 m.
[Ans. 34.51o, 43.5 m/s, 0.9]