Theoretical and experimental studies of water injection scroll compressor in automotive fuel cell systems

A water injection scroll compressor to supply clean compressed air to an automotive fuel cell system is researched. The water is used as both the lubricant and coolant in the compressor. A thermodynamic model of the water injection scroll compressor considering leakage and heat exchange for use with an automotive fuel cell system was developed using the conservation of energy and mass equations and the equation of state. The results show that the scroll compressor has nearly isothermal compression when injecting water in it. Increasing the compressor rotation speed increases the discharge loss and the volumetric efficiency of the scroll compressor. The difference between the calculated power and the isothermal power increases as the compressor rotation speed rises, which means the efficiency of the compressor decreases. Increasing the flow rate of water injected increases the indicated isothermal efficiency and decreases the discharge temperature. Under the condition studied, the mass flow rate of water has the greatest effect on the discharge temperature.     

Design,experimental investigation and multi-objective optimization of a small-scale radial compressor for heat pump applications

The main driver for small scale turbomachinery in domestic heat pumps is the potential for reaching higher efficiencies than volumetric compressors currently used and the potential for making the compressor oil-free, bearing a considerable advantage in the design of advanced multi-stage heat pump cycles. An appropriate turbocompressor for driving domestic heat pumps with a high temperature lift requires the ability to operate on a wide range of pressure ratios and mass flows, confronting the designer with the necessity of a compromise between range and efficiency. The present publication shows a possible way to deal with that difficulty, by coupling an appropriate modeling tool to a multi-objective optimizer. The optimizer manages to fit the compressor design into the possible specifications field while keeping the high efficiency on a wide operational range. The 1D-tool used for the compressor stage modeling has been validated by experimentally testing an initial impeller design. The excellent experimental results, the agreement with the model and the linking of the model to a multi-objective optimizer will allow to design radial compressor stages managing to fit the wide operational range of domestic heat pumps while keeping the high efficiency level.     

Performance improvement of centrifugal compressors for fuel cell vehicles using the aerodynamic optimization and data mining methods

Centrifugal compressors are one of the most important auxiliary components in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell vehicles, which tend to operate at a narrow area with low specific speed. Here, the optimal design goals of centrifugal compressors are investigated on the basis of a lumped model for fuel cell systems. A three-dimensional multi-objective and multi-point aerodynamic optimization and data mining method for centrifugal compressors named ODM is presented via integrating a multi-island genetic algorithm, Reynolds-Average Navier-Stokes solver technique and self-organization map based data mining technique. Data mining indicates that compressor geometry would move to a small inlet diameter ratio and a narrow region of the outlet width ratio. Based on the optimization results, a centrifugal compressor for 100 kW fuel cell stack is manufactured. The experimental results show that the improvement of isentropic efficiency near low mass flow has been achieved, which indicates that the proposed ODM is effective in the performance improvement of centrifugal compressors for fuel cell vehicles.     

A mathematical model of variable displacement wobble plate compressor for automotive air conditioning system

Based on the force balance equations, mass and energy conservation equations, a mathematical model of control valve used in the variable displacement wobble plate compressor (VDC) is developed firstly. The dynamic model of the moving components is developed then by analyzing the forces and force moments acting on the piston, piston rod, wobble plate, rotating journal and shaft sleeve. The compression process model is obtained by fitting the data from our experiments. And finally the steady-state mathematical model of VDC is developed by combining the three models above. In order to verify the mathematical model of compressor, a test bench for the control valve and the test system for the VDC have been established, and the simulated results agree well with the experimental data. The simulation results show that there are four operation modes for the VDC, i.e. constant rotary speed and constant piston stroke length (PSL), variable rotary speed and constant PSL, constant rotary speed and variable PSL, variable rotary speed and variable PSL, which have included almost all operation modes of the refrigeration compressor in common use.     

A steady‐state model for the design and optimization of a centralized cooling system

A simplified steady‐state model has been developed to describe thermodynamically the operation of a centralized cooling system. This model resolves the mass and energy equations simultaneously and uses inputs that are readily available to the design engineer. The model utilizes an empirical relationship for the compressor power as a function of cooling load and key temperatures. The outputs include the chiller coefficient of performance (COP) and the compressor actual power. The model simulation results are validated with a manufacturer performance data and compared with the experimental data collected at Hewlett‐Packard Laboratories site for two chillers: a variable speed and a constant speed chiller. The results of the model are found to closely match the current experimental data with less than 5% average deviation for chiller load over 10% and with a maximum deviation of 18% at 95% chiller load. For the constant speed chiller, the chiller efficiency increases with increasing load and peaks at full load. For the variable speed chiller, the chiller efficiency peaks at part loading between 40 and 80% of the chiller full load depending on the condenser water temperature. This indicates that for variable speed chillers, the chiller design has been optimized for loading less than 100% depending on the ambient conditions, customer specifications and size of the chiller. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

雅克拉集气处理站稳定气压缩机空冷器变频改造

雅克拉集气处理站是中国石化雅克拉-大涝坝气田地面建设项目的重要组成部分,是集天然气处理、凝析油稳定和轻烃回收为一体的综合性凝析气处理站,于2005年11月建成投产,设计天然气处理量为260×104m3/d,凝析油处理量为17×104t/a。雅克拉集气处理站使用3台美国库伯公司生产的CFA34型稳定气压缩机组,设计机组额定一级排量490m3/h,二级排量750m3/h,三级排量2000m3/h;设计一级工作压力0.7MPa,二级工作压力2.3MPa,三级工作压力6.7MPa。压缩机采用三级压缩,冷却方式为空冷,各级压缩天然气共同进入空冷器进行冷却。针对稳定气压缩机空冷器电机调速恒定造成的不利影响,实施压缩机空冷器变频改造,有效解决了3台压缩机空冷器存在的安全隐患、电能浪费和产品收率下降等各类问题,实现了机组的平稳高效运行,提升了气体处理装置运行时效,节约了电能,降低了人员劳动强度。建议这一技术在同类油田企业推广应用。     

螺杆式空压机变频节能技术的应用

文章论述高压变频调速装置的原理,通过压缩机变频恒压控制节能分析和计算,阐述变频调速技术在空压机供气领域的应用。节省电能的同时改善空压机性能,提高供气品质。     

Power and efficiency optimization for combined Brayton and inverse Brayton cycles

A thermodynamic model for open combined Brayton and inverse Brayton cycles is established considering the pressure drops of the working fluid along the flow processes and the size constraints of the real power plant using finite time thermodynamics in this paper. There are 11 flow resistances encountered by the gas stream for the combined Brayton and inverse Brayton cycles. Four of these, the friction through the blades and vanes of the compressors and the turbines, are related to the isentropic efficiencies. The remaining flow resistances are always present because of the changes in flow cross-section at the compressor inlet of the top cycle, combustion inlet and outlet, turbine outlet of the top cycle, turbine outlet of the bottom cycle, heat exchanger inlet, and compressor inlet of the bottom cycle. These resistances control the air flow rate and the net power output. The relative pressure drops associated with the flow through various cross-sectional areas are derived as functions of the compressor inlet relative pressure drop of the top cycle. The analytical formulae about the relations between power output, thermal conversion efficiency, and the compressor pressure ratio of the top cycle are derived with the 11 pressure drop losses in the intake, compression, combustion, expansion, and flow process in the piping, the heat transfer loss to the ambient, the irreversible compression and expansion losses in the compressors and the turbines, and the irreversible combustion loss in the combustion chamber. The performance of the model cycle is optimized by adjusting the compressor inlet pressure of the bottom cycle, the air mass flow rate and the distribution of pressure losses along the flow path. It is shown that the power output has a maximum with respect to the compressor inlet pressure of the bottom cycle, the air mass flow rate or any of the overall pressure drops, and the maximized power output has an additional maximum with respect to the compressor pressure ratio of the top cycle. When the optimization is performed with the constraints of a fixed fuel flow rate and the power plant size, the power output and efficiency can be maximized again by properly allocating the fixed overall flow area among the compressor inlet of the top cycle and the turbine outlet of the bottom cycle.     

Mathematical modeling of the working cycle of oil injected rotary twin screw compressor

Oil injected twin-screw air and gas compressors are widely used for medium pressure applications in many industries. Low cost air compressors can be adopted for compression of helium and special gases, leading to significant cost saving. Mathematical analysis of oil injected twin-screw compressor is carried out on the basis of the laws of perfect gas and standard thermodynamic relations. Heat transfer coefficient required for computer simulation is experimentally obtained and used in performance prediction, when the working medium being air or helium. A mathematical model has been developed for calculating the compressor performance and for validating the results with experimental data. The flow coefficients required for numerical simulation to calculate leakage flow rates are obtained from efficiency verses clearance curves. Effect of some of the compressor operating and design parameters on power and volumetric efficiencies have been analyzed and presented.     

Testing and modelling of a variable speed scroll compressor

Variable speed compressors offer continuous control, low noise level, reduced vibration, low-start current, rapid temperature control, by operating the compressor at higher speeds initially, and better COPs than the conventional on/off control. However, there exist some drawbacks concerning the inverter efficiency, the effect of the inverter on the induction motor and the effect of variable speed on the compressor isentropic and volumetric efficiencies. This study gives some experimental results as to inverter and compressor performances: it can be observed that the inverter efficiency varies between 95% and 98% for compressor electrical power varying between 1.5 and 6.5 kW ; and that compressor efficiencies are not enormously influenced by compressor supply frequency, but depend mainly on compressor pressure ratio, except the tests developed at 35 Hz and one test at 40 Hz, for which the difference is attributed to the compressor internal leakages due to a lack of lubrication at low speeds. At 75 Hz there was also observed a slight degradation that can be attributed to the electromechanical losses that increase with compressor speed. A maximal isentropic efficiency of 0.65 for a pressure ratio of the order of 2.2 is obtained. The volumetric efficiency decreases linearly from 0.98 for a pressure ratio of 1.5 to 0.83 for a pressure ratio of 5.6. In spite of the test conditions (condensing and evaporating pressures up to 40 and 20 bar, respectively), the compressor performance stays unchanged. The experimental results obtained at 50 Hz are used to identify six parameters of a semi-empirical model which is then used to simulate the different tests developed at different compressor speeds. The simulated results are in very good agreement with those measured with averages errors of ?0.5 K; +3 g s^?1 and ?24 W for the exhaust temperature, the refrigerant flow rate and the compressor electrical power, respectively. The results show that motor losses induced by the inverter are negligible.     

多级轴流压气机一维性能预测程序开发及应用

为了实现对轴流压气机气动性能的准确预测,基于平均流线法建立了多级轴流压气机一维气动性能预测方法,编制了相应的Matlab程序,该方法允许针对不同类型压气机选择适用的经验模型。通过计算得到了某四级亚音速轴流压气机和某八级高速轴流压气机的气动性能,对比分析发现,一维性能预测结果与实验/三维CFD模拟结果吻合较好,效率与压比计算偏差均保持在较小范围内,预测结果精度较高。为进一步提高压气机气动性能预测的准确性,发展了一种经验模型自动校准方法,采用该方法对选取的四级亚音速轴流压气机和八级高速轴流压气机模型进行校准,校准后对各转速下气动性能的预测精度均有所提高。研究工作表明,所建立的多级轴流压气机一维气动性能预测方法以及模型自动校准方法具有一定的准确性和可靠性。     

R32吸气状态对变频压缩机效率的影响

制冷剂R32作为R22热门过渡替代制冷剂,运行排气温度高严重影响压缩机长时间运行的可靠性,湿压缩方法可以降低压缩机的排气温度,但也降低了压缩机的效率。通过实验对比研究在定压比变频和定频变压比工况下,不同吸气状态对滚动转子式压缩机效率的影响,得出等熵压缩效率和容积效率与吸气状态的变化关系。实验结果表明:吸气过热时,均能保持较高的等熵压缩效率和容积效率,过热度对其影响不大,吸气带液时压缩机效率的变化趋势与吸气过热时不同,应区分开;相对x=1,x=0.9时等熵压缩效率和容积效率分别降低约7%和5%,总体降幅较小。定频下,压比越大,压缩机效率降低幅度越大,定压下,频率越高,降低幅度越小;等熵压缩效率和综合效率系数的变化趋势相同。     

Experimental investigation on the characteristics of variable displacement swash plate compressor

This paper is on a new device developed to measure the piston stroke length (PSL) of the variable displacement swash plate compressor (VDSC), with which the test bench for the VDSC and test system for automotive air conditioner with VDSC is constructed. The volumetric efficiency, PSL and displacement control, and transient behavior along with air conditioning load or compressor rotary speed are investigated experimentally. The experiment results show that the volumetric efficiency of the VDSC is directly proportional to the PSL due to the constant absolute clearance at different piston stroke lengths. When the air conditioning load keep constant, the PSL and displacement of the VDSC are regulated to meet the air conditioning load at different compressor rotary speeds or vehicle speeds. When the air conditioning load changes gradually, the PSL has a number of small step changes so that the refrigerating capacity of the VDSC can well fit the air conditioning load. When the compressor rotary speed changes abruptly, the piston stroke length, refrigerant mass flow rate, and other parameters change with a very short time delay to ensure a nearly constant refrigerating capacity of compressor.     

一种基于全三维数值计算的多级轴流压气机喘振边界预测方法

提出一种基于全三维数值计算的多级轴流压气机喘振边界预测方法。该方法采用了NUMECA和ANSYS/CFX两种不同的商业软件,在充分考虑压气机几何结构特征的基础上,根据压气机各级叶片排结构特点,建立了通用的压气机叶片排网格拓扑结构,并从各个方向对压气机叶片排网格节点进行控制来保证压气机叶片排各向网格节点一致。对不同负荷类型、不同结构型式的压气机特性进行了算例分析,并就流量、压比和效率等压气机特性参数进行对比研究。结果表明:该喘振边界预测方法对不同压气机具有较高的适用性,计算结果与试验结果也比较吻合。     

Design and partial load exergy analysis of hybrid SOFC–GT power plant

This paper presents a full and partial load exergy analysis of a hybrid SOFC–GT power plant. The plant basically consists of: an air compressor, a fuel compressor, several heat exchangers, a radial gas turbine, mixers, a catalytic burner, an internal reforming tubular solid oxide fuel cell stack, bypass valves, an electrical generator and an inverter. The model is accurately described. Special attention is paid at the calculation of SOFC overpotentials. Maps are introduced, and properly scaled, in order to evaluate the partial load performance of turbomachineries. The plant is simulated at full-load and part-load operation, showing energy and exergy flows trough all its components and thermodynamic properties at each key-point. At full-load operation a maximum value of 65.4% of electrical efficiency is achieved. Three different part-load strategies are introduced. The off-design operation is achieved handling the following parameters: air mass flow rate, fuel mass flow rate, combustor bypass, gas turbine bypass, avoiding the use of a variable speed control system. Results showed that the most efficient part-load strategy corresponded to a constant value of the fuel to air ratio. On the other hand, a lower value of net electrical power (34% of nominal load) could be achieved reducing fuel flow rate, at constant air flow rate. This strategy produces an electrical efficiency drop that becomes 45%.     

Experimental model of a variable capacity compressor

The refrigeration and heat pump systems are lately characterized by a remarkable evolution period. The principal reasons that have determined changes are the substitution of environmentally unfriendly refrigerants and the energy saving necessity. As fundamental component of a vapour compression plant, the compressor is an object of optimizations; the variation of the compressor speed, obtained regulating the supply current frequency of the compressor motor, allows to obtain energy savings. The principal aim of this paper is the determination of an experimental model that represents the variable speed reciprocating compressor working. In particular, equations that allow to get the refrigerant mass flow rate, the compressor input power and the cooling capacity in terms only of the frequency are obtained. The experimental model allows to determine the optimum frequency for each working condition and then the related energy saving. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigation on One-Dimensional Loss Models for Predicting Performance of Multistage Centrifugal Compressors in Supercritical CO_2 Brayton Cycle

The main compressor in a supercritical carbon dioxide(SCO_2) Brayton cycle works near the critical point where the physical properties of CO_2 are far away from the ideal gas. To investigate the effectiveness of the conventional one-dimensional(1D) loss models for predicting the performance of compressors working in such nontraditional conditions, detailed comparisons of 1D predicted performance, experimental data and threedimensional CFD results are made. A 1D analysis method with enthalpy and total pressure based loss system is developed for multistage SCO_2 centrifugal compressors, and it is firstly validated against the experimental results of a single stage SCO_2 centrifugal compressor from the Sandia National Laboratory. A good agreement of pressure ratios with experiments can be achieved by the 1D method. But the efficiency deviations reveal the potential deficiencies of the parasitic loss models. On the basis of the validation, a two-stage SCO_2 centrifugal compressor is employed to do the evaluation. Three-dimensional CFD simulations are performed. Detailed comparisons are made between the CFD and the 1D results at different stations located in the compressor. The features of the deviations are analyzed in detail, as well as the reasons that might cause these deviations.     

带可调进口导叶的多级轴流压气机非设计点性能计算

多级轴流压气机为保证非设计转速下的性能,通常采用进口导叶(IGV)以及静叶可调的扩稳方法。为获得可靠的进口导叶性能以用于压气机初步设计和扩稳方案的初步筛选,基于Banjac和Petrovic等提出的IGV损失和落后角模型与平均中径计算相结合,开发了带有IGV的多级轴流压气机性能分析工具。选用E3压气机作为算例进行计算分析,结果表明,所选用的IGV模型在较大开度内具有较好的精度和有效性。研究结果可以为多级轴流压气机初步设计和扩稳方案确定提供参考。     

Analysis of gas turbine operating parameters with inlet fogging and wet compression processes

Inlet fogging has been widely noticed in recent years as a method of gas turbine air inlet cooling for increasing the power output in gas turbines and combined cycle power plants. The effects of evaporative cooling on gas turbine performance were studied in this paper. Evaporative cooling process occurs in both compressor inlet duct (inlet fogging) and inside the compressor (wet compression). By predicting the reduction in compressor discharge air temperature, the modeling results were compared with the corresponding results reported in literature and an acceptable difference percent point was found in this comparison. Then, the effects of both evaporative cooling in inlet duct, and wet compression in compressor, on the power output, turbine exhaust temperature, and cycle efficiency of 16 models of gas turbines categorized in four A–D classes of power output, were investigated. The results of this analysis for saturated inlet fogging as well as 1% and 2% overspray are reported and the prediction equations for the amount of actual increased net power output of various gas turbine nominal power output are proposed. Furthermore the change in values of physical parameters and moving the compressor operating point towards the surge line in compressor map was investigated in inlet fogging and wet compression processes.     

双离心压气机共用单一进气歧管致 进口流场畸变的仿真分析

针对V型发动机的共用单一管路对置离心压气机进口流场畸变特性进行了研究,通过台架试验测试了初始压气机性能,完成了仿真模型的标定。在此基础上分析了压气机进口流场的变化特征,分析结果表明:共用单一管路对压气机特性影响明显,造成了两侧压气机堵塞流量的降低,在大流量工况区域效率明显下降,右侧压气机恶化程度要明显高于左侧。原因在于受安装位置空间限制,喉口处畸变扩展与进口周向畸变叠加效应使得右侧压气机在周向和叶高方向的畸变程度均高于左侧压气机。进口的畸变效应会一直持续至压气机叶轮内部,使压气机性能变差。