Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

High-efficiency axial compressor: Final report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6779020
An aerodynamic design study was conducted to configure an industrial-size gas turbine compressor of 14.0:1 pressure ratio and 800 lb/sec flow for achieving maximum efficiency. Starting with an initial configuration based on conventional design practice, compressor design parameters were progressively optimized, leading to a 1.8% improvement in the adiabatic efficiency over that of the conventional design. To further improve the efficiency potential of this design, several advanced design concepts were investigated. It was found that incorporation of airfoils with swept leading edges and customization of the airfoil camber and endwall region would result in an additional adiabatic efficiency potential of 1%. The projected polytropic efficiency of the final advanced concept compressor design was estimated at 92.8%, which is 2 to 3% higher than the current high-efficiency aircraft turbine engine compressors. As a part of this design study, the influence of variable geometry on the flow and efficiency (at design speed) was also investigated. It was estimated that the efficiency decrement associated with a 25% reduction in the design flow, achieved by a system of variable inlet guide vanes and the front five stators, was about 4.0%. The corresponding efficiency penalty with variable IGV-only was estimated to be in excess of 10%.
Research Organization:
General Motors Corp., Indianapolis, IN (USA). Allison Gas Turbine Operations; Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (USA)
OSTI ID:
6779020
Report Number(s):
EPRI-AP-4943; ON: TI87920186
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English