Centrifugal Compressor Polytropic Performance Evaluation Using Cubic Polynomial Approximation for the Temperature-Entropy Polytropic Path

Abstract

A highly accurate centrifugal compressor polytropic performance approximation method has been developed that is easy to employ. The method is based upon a constant efficiency, temperature-entropy path for real gases. The elegance of this method is its exceedingly simple way of calculating polytropic efficiency with sufficiently high precision as required for compressor performance testing. A constant efficiency polytropic path can be modeled as either a single or several sequential cubic polynomial segments affording solutions that allow for determining thermodynamic state variables along a continuous path. New analytic terms have been developed for slope and curvature of temperature versus entropy along the constant efficiency polytropic path. A broad range of example case results verify the accuracy and ease of use of the method.