What is the working principle of centrifugal compressor

What is the working principle of centrifugal compressor? In the power system of modern industrial production, centrifugal compressor plays an indispensable role with its gas compression ability. Exploring the working principle of centrifugal compressor can not only help us understand the mystery of equipment operation, but also provide an important basis for equipment optimization and maintenance.
1. The working principle of centrifugal compressor
The working principle of centrifugal compressor is based on centrifugal force and energy conversion law. Its core lies in giving kinetic energy to gas through high-speed rotating impeller, and then converting kinetic energy into pressure energy by means of diffuser, volute and other components to realize gas compression and transportation. Unlike the piston compressor, which compresses gas by volume change, the centrifugal compressor is a speed compressor, which uses the change of gas speed to complete energy conversion.
When the centrifugal compressor is started, the gas enters the compressor through the air inlet pipe under the action of external pressure or the suction of the equipment itself. At this time, the impeller rotates at a high speed driven by the motor or steam turbine, and the speed can usually reach thousands or tens of thousands of revolutions per minute. The high-speed rotating impeller generates strong centrifugal force, which makes the gas entering the center of the impeller throw out at high speed along the blade flow channel to the outer edge of the impeller. In this process, the impeller does work on the gas, and the gas gains a lot of kinetic energy, and the speed is significantly improved.
2. Working process
Gas inhalation: gas enters the center of the impeller through the intake pipe.
Energy conversion: when the impeller rotates at high speed, the gas moves centrifugally with the blades to obtain speed and pressure energy. When gas enters the diffuser, the cross-sectional area of the channel increases, the flow velocity decreases, and kinetic energy is converted into pressure energy. The volute further reduces the gas velocity and collects the gas to the outlet.
Multistage compression: Large centrifugal compressors often have multistage impellers. The gas passes through the impellers, diffusers and volute in turn, and the pressure of each impeller is increased, so as to realize the step-by-step compression, reach the required pressure and output to the subsequent process.
The above is an introduction to the working principle of centrifugal compressor. The working principle of centrifugal compressor is a complex process involving multi-disciplinary knowledge such as gas dynamics and mechanical engineering. From the inhalation and acceleration of gas, to the conversion of kinetic energy and pressure energy, to the coordinated operation of multi-stage compression and auxiliary systems, all links work closely together to realize the stable compression and stable transportation of gas.