Development of flow and efficiency characteristics of an axial compressor with an analytical method including cooling air extraction and variable inlet guide vane angle

The development of a reliable mathematical model of an axial compressor requires applying flow and efficiency characteristics. This approach provides performance parameters of a machine depending on varying conditions. In this paper, a method for developing characteristics of an axial compressor is presented, based on general compressor maps available in the literature or measurement data from industrial facilities. The novelty that constitutes the core of this article is introducing an improved method describing the performance lines of an axial compressor with the modified ellipse equation. The proposed model is extended with bleed air extraction for the purposes of cooling the blades in the expander part of the gas turbine. The variable inlet guide vanes angle is also considered using the vane angle correction factor. All developed dependencies are fully analytical. The presented approach does not require knowledge of machine geometry. The set of input parameters is based on reference data. The presented approach makes it possible to determine the allowed operating area and study the machine’s performance in variable conditions. The introduced mathematical correlations provide a fully analytical study of optimum operating points concerning the chosen criterion. The final section presents a mathematical model of an axial compressor built using the developed method. A detailed study of the exemplary flow and efficiency characteristics of an axial compressor operating with a gas turbine is also provided.