DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS

OF COMPRESSIBLE FLOW
MACHINES
 INTRODUCTION
 CHANGE OF PRESSURE , TEMPERATURE AND
DENSITY
 DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS FOR COMPRESSIBLE FLOW
MACHINES DIFFERS FROM INCOMPRESSIBLE FLOW
MACHINES ON THE FOLLWING POINTS:
 VOLUME FLOW RATE Q IS REPLACED BY MASS FLOW RATE
(m). THIS REMAINS CONSTANT IN STEADY FLOW.
 THE HEAD TERM (gH) IS REPLACED BY THE PRESSURE
CHANGE TERM (∆p0) OR THE PRESSURE RATIO pr = p01/p02.
THE CHANGE OF ENTHALPY CAN ALSO REPLACE (gH). BUT
IT IS MUCH EASIER TO INDICATE THE PRESSURE
DIFFERENCE DEVELOPED ACROSS A BLOWER OR A
PRESSURE DEVELOPED BY A COMPRESSOR OR COMPRESSOR
STAGE.
 INTRODUCTION
 THE RATIO OF SPECIFIC HEATS (γ) ALSO BECOMES
ONE OF THE INDEPENDENT PARAMETERS.
 ELASTICITY OF GAS IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT
PARAMETER. THIS IS TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT BY THE
TEMERATURE (T01) OR THE VELOCITY OF THE
SOUND AT ENTRY. VS01 = √(γRT01)
 Since the values of the gas density and the temperature vary in
compressible flow machines, their values at the entry are taken.
Blade Pitch/Blade Chord Blade Height/Blade Chord
 p01/p02,P,η = f [ N,D,s/l,h/l,m,ρ01,μ,γ,VS01]
Rotor Speed Rotor Diameter
Power
Pressure Ratio
Efficiency
 DERIVATION OF π-TERMS
 p01/p02, η, s/l, h/l, AND γ ARE DIMENSIONLESS
 HENCE THERE ARE SEVEN VARIABLES AND THREE
FUNDAMENTAL DIMENSIONS ARE REPRESENTED BY
THESE VARIABLES. HENCE NUMBER OF PI TERMS IS
FOUR
 DERIVATION OF PI TERMS
 PRESSURE RATIO π1 =p01/p02
 FOR ISENTROPIC PROCESS T02S/T01 = [P02/P01] (γ-1)/γ=(Pro)(γ-1)/γ
 THEREFORE T02S/T01 = f(Pro)
 TEMPERATURE RISE IN COMPRESSOR = T02S - T01
= T01 {T02S/ T01 -1} = T01 { [P02/P01] (γ-1)/γ -1}
 OR ΔT0s/T01 = f(Pro)
 FOR PERFECT GAS Cp ΔT0s=Δh0s ; Cp = γ/(γ-1)*R & Vs01 = √(γRT01)
 Cp ΔT0s /(CpT01) = Δh0s /[γ/(γ-1)*R*T01) =(γ-1)* Δh0s / Vs012
 Δh0s / Vs012 =f(Pro) OR Δh0s / (N2 D2)=f(Pro)
 DERIVATION OF π-TERMS
 DIMENSIONLESS SPEED PARAMETER
 π2 =ND/Vs01

 SINCE ND IS PROPORTIONAL TO THE

PERIPHERAL SPEED (u) OF THE ROTOR
BLADES π2 α u/Vs01
 SINCE MACH NUMBER IS BASED ON THE
VELOCITY OF THE SOUND AT ENTRY,
HENCE ROTOR BLADE MACH NUMBER Mb01 =
u/Vs01, Vs01 = √(γRT01), π2 =D/√(γR) * N/√T01
 SINCE FACTOR [D/√(γR)] IS CONSTANT ,
HENCE π2 α N/√T01
 DERIVATION OF π-TERMS
 DIMENSIONLESS MASS-FLOW PARAMETER
 LET π3 = m/(ρ01ND3)
 FOR PERFECT GAS ρ01= P01/(RT01), THEREFORE
π3 = m(RT01)/[P01D2 (ND)] = m√(RT01)* √(RT01)/[P01D2
(ND)]
 SINCE Vs01 = √(γRT01) ; √(RT01) = Vs01/√γ
 π3 = m [√(RT01)/(P01D2)]*[Vs01/(ND)]*[1/ √γ ]
 SINCE ND/ Vs01 = π2 AND γ ARE DIMENSIONLESS,
THEREFORE ANOTHER PI-TERM CAN BE
DEDUCED AS π4 = [√R/D2 ] * [m √T01/P01]
 DROPPING [√R/D2 ] FOR THE SAME MACHINE &
GAS, π4 α m√T01/P01
 DERIVATION OF π-TERMS
 π4 = [√R/D2 ] * [m √T01/P01] & ρ01=
P01/(RT01)
 m α ρ01* Vx * D2 , P01 = ρ01 RT01
 THEREFORE π4 = [√R/D2 ] * [ρ01* Vx * D2
√T01/(ρ01 RT01)]
 π4 α Vx/√(γRT01) = Vx/Vs01 , AXIAL FLOW
MACH NUMBER Mx0 = Vx/Vs01
 FLOW COEFF φ = Mx0 /Mb0= Vx/u
 DERIVATION OF π-TERMS
 POWER COEFFICIENT
 π5 = P/(ρ01N3D5), P = m Cp ∆T0 = m ∆w
 SINCE π3 = m/(ρ01ND3)
 P = π3 ρ01ND3(Cp ∆T0 ) OR P = π3 ρ01ND3(∆w)
 π5 = π3 ρ01ND3(Cp ∆T0 )/(ρ01N3D5)
 π5 = π3 (Cp ∆T0 )/(N2D2) OR π5 = π3 (∆w)/(N2D2)
 π6 = π5/π3 = (Cp ∆T0 )/(N2D2) = (∆w)/(N2D2)
 SINCE HEAD COEFFICIENT = gH/(ND)2
 ∆p/ρ = gH and ND α u, hence gH/(ND)2 α gH/u2 =
∆p/(ρu2)
 DERIVATION OF π-TERMS
 LOADING COEFFICIENT ψ = gH/u2 , hence this is
proportional to loading coefficient ψ = ∆w/u2
 REYNOLD’S NUMBER Re = ρ01ND2/μ =
ρ01(ND)D/μ α ρ01u*L/μ
 THE VALUES OF THE REYNOLD’S NUMBER IN
HYDRO TURBINES ARE MUCH HIGHER THAN
THE CRITICAL VALUES. THEREFORE, THEIR
PERFORMANCE IS ALMOST INDEPENDENT
OF THIS PARAMETER FOR LARGE
COMPRESSIBLE FLOW TURBINES.
 SPECIFIC SPEED
 π1 = gH/(ND)2 >>>>>>Head Coefficient
 π2 = Q/(ND3) >>>>>>Flow Coefficient
 Since specific speed applies to geometrically similar
machines of all sizes, hence linear dimension D has to
be eliminated.
 π5 = π21/2/π13/4 = NQ1/2/(gH)3/4
 Nsp = NQ1/2/(H)3/4 (FOR PUMPS)
 SPECIFIC SPEED
 π6 = π31/2/π15/4
 π3= P/(ρN3D5) >>>>>>POWER COEFFICIENT
 π6 =1/(ρ1/2g5/4)*[√P/H5/4]*N or NsT = √P/H5/4 * N
(FOR TURBINE)