Reciprocating Air Compressors

Tutorial sheet
1. A single-stage double acting air compressor has a stroke volume of 0.056 m
3
and a clearance
volume of 0.002 m
3
. !ind the volumetric efficienc" and the mass of air delivered per hour #hen
the speed is 200 rev$min% the suction pressure and temperature 0.& bar and 50 '(% respectivel"%
and the deliver" pressure 6 bar. )etermine also the indicated po#er to drive the compressor.
Assume the la# of compression and re-e*pansion is pV
1.35
+ constant.
,Ans#er- 0..6% 110. kg$h% 6&./ k01
2. The follo#ing observations #ere made during a test on a single-stage double-acting% single-
c"linder air compressor% #ith piston diameter 23 cm and piston stroke 23 cm2 speed 1/0 rev$min2
mean indicator card area and length% 15 cm
2
and cm2 spring no. 110 k3$m
2
$cm2 air delivered
3 kg$min2 air temperature at compressor inlet 15 '( and at outlet 16. '(2 deliver" pressure & bar
gauge2 barometric pressure /5 cm 4g2 5acket #ater flo# 2 kg$min #ith temperature at inlet 13 '(
and at outlet 3/ '(. (alculate ,a1 the indicated po#er of the compressor% ,b1 the volumetric
efficienc" of the compressor based on atmospheric conditions% and ,c1 the isothermal efficienc".
Also dra# up an energ" balance for the test ,k6$s1.
,Ans#er- 11.1/ k0% 0./62 0.5% 11.1/ k6$s% /..& k6$s% 3.35 k6$s% radiation 0.32 k6$s1
3. )erive an e*pression for the theoretical volumetric efficienc"
v
of a single stage reciprocating
air compressor in terms of the fractional clearance volume% k% the pressure ratio% r
p
% and the
indices of compression and re-e*pansion assuming these to be of e7ual value n. 4ence sho# that
the ratio of air mass in the c"linder during compression to the mass delivered is given b"
1k

v
.
A reciprocating air compressor has a c"linder diameter of 0.15 m% stroke 0.2 m% and clearance
volume of 1.810
-3
m
3
. Air is induced at pressure 0.&5 bar% temperature 21 '(% and delivered at
pressure 5.5 bar% compression and re-e*pansion taking place according to the la# pV
1.2
+
constant. )etermine for one c"cle ,a1 the net #ork transfer% ,b1 the heat transfer from the air to
the 5acket cooling #ater during the compression process% ,c1 the #ork done per kg of air
delivered.
,Ans#er- 0.5/ k6$c"cle% 0.30 k6$c"cle% 1/2.2 k6$kg1
.. A tank of 2. m
3
capacit" stores compressed air at a pressure of 55 bar and a temperature of
15 '(. 9t is charged b" a t#o-stage single-acting reciprocating air compressor% having one high
pressure c"linder and one lo# pressure c"linder. The compressor delivers at a stead" pressure
and the air subse7uentl" passes through a reducing valve. 3eglecting the 7uantit" of air initiall"
in the tank% calculate% from the follo#ing data% the compressor po#er and the c"linder diameters-
time taken to charge the tank 10 minutes2 suction conditions 1.013 bar and 15 '(2 compressor
deliver" pressure 2 bar2 inde* of compression and re-e*pansion in both stages n + 1.32
clearance in both stages 6 : of stroke volume2 speed 200 rev$min2 common stroke of 4; and <;
stages .5 cm2 stage pressures in geometric progression2 air temperature at inlet to 4; c"linder
15 '(. 9f an aftercooler is fitted before the reducing valve to e*tract 60 k6$s% calculate the
pressure in the tank at the end of the 10 minute charging period. 3eglect radiation losses from a
tank.
,Ans#er- 1.6 k0% 5. cm% 1 cm% /6.1 bar1
5. A t#o-stage air compressor is designed to suppl" .. m
3
of free air per minute ,referred to 1.012
bar nad 15 '(1 #ith a deliver" pressure 2 bar. The suction conditions in the compressor are 0.&6
bar and 21 '(% the interstage pressure is the geometric mean of the inlet and outlet pressures%
there is perfect intercooling and the inde* of compression and re-e*pansion in both c"linders is
n + 1.3. !ind the po#er re7uired and the effective s#ept volumes of the <; and 4; c"linders. 9f
the #ater suppl" to the intercooler is shut off so that no intercooling takes place% determine the
interstage pressure #hich #ill result and the ne# po#er input re7uired. The suction pressure%
final deliver" pressure and speed are unaltered but the volumetric efficiencies alter as follo#s-
,a1 the <; decreases b" 6 :% ,b1 th 4; increases b" 10 : on their initial values.
,Ans#er- 5&./ k0% &.05 m
3
$min% 1.6 m
3
$min% /.0 bar% 6&..5 k01
6. A 3-stage air compressor is used to compress .. m
3
$min of free air ,measured at pressure 1.013
bar and temperature 21 '(1 from suction conditions of pressure 0.&65 bar and temperature 3 '(
to a final pressure 3 bar. The la# pV
1.35
+ constant applies to both compression and re-
e*pansion in each c"linder and the stage pressures are in geometric progression. The inter-
cooling is perfect and the fractional clearance volumes of the 3 stages are- 4; 0.0&% 9; 0.0&%
<; 0.0&5. =stimate the indicated po#er to drive the compressor% the s#ept volumes of the three
c"linders in m
3
$min and isothermal efficienc" of the compressor.
,Ans#er- 1.5. k0% 11.53 m
3
$min% 2.5 m
3
$min% 0.5. m
3
$min% 2 :1