Is an ultra-high-speed turbo compressor the right compressor for your application?
“The technical application is defined, the pressure rise and the mass flow are determined, but which compressor type is the right one for this application?”
“The technical application is defined, the pressure rise and the mass flow are determined, but which compressor type is the right one for this application?”
These or similar questions arise for many engineers and system application developers. This article provides an overview of available compressor concepts. Additionally it points out the advantages and disadvantages of an ultra-high-speed turbo compressor. Unfortunately the answer to this seemingly simple question is so wide that an individual examination is indispensable. Take the first step and use our free service, which is described at the end of the article.
The table shown below provides some examples of how different the compressor requirements for various applications can be.
Example 1: Compressor for fuel cell vehicles | Example 2: Filling of a compressed air bottle | Example 3: Cooling of an electrical component |
|
---|---|---|---|
Fluid | Air | Air | Air |
Pressure ratio | 1:1.7 low - medium | 1:200 - 300 very high | ~1:1.05 low - medium |
Mass flow | ~15 g/s | ~3 - 7 g/s | ~1 - 500 g/s |
Main challenge in system design | Efficiency, low system weight | High pressure ratio | High volume flow |
Additional requirements | Oil free compression | Continuous check of the fluid composition | Low system costs |
Possible compressor types | Turbo compressor, scroll compressor, side channel compressor | Piston compressor | Blower |
Table 1: Examples for different system requirements
The figure below shows the various compressor concepts which are used to transport or compress gas fluids. The main division takes place at the top level between the intermittently working displacement machines and the continuously working turbo machines. Afterwards the branches are divided on basis of the compressor type. This reduced selection already shows the amount of different compressor concepts. Additionally the difficulty in selecting the right compressor type is illustrated.
Each compressor has its own pros and cons as well as a suitable area of application. Different compressor concepts have been compared in publications for the use in fuel cells or heat pumps for aerospace applications.
The advantages and disadvantages of the ultra-high-speed turbo compressor technology are summarized in the table below.
Innovations from research and development, improved materials and new production technologies now allow the miniaturization of turbo compressors. This in turn opens up new application possibilities of the turbo compressor technology in areas where only small membrane-, piston- or rotary compressors were used in the past. Figure 2 shows the miniaturization possibilities with the example of the Celeroton CT-15-150.
The advantages of turbo compressors, such as small volume and weight as well as high efficiency, can now also be used for these applications. We already reported on this in a separate article.
Free feasibility check
Are you unsure whether the ultra-high-speed turbo compressor technology is suitable for your application? We offer you a free check. Please provide us the following information via e-mail or by phone:
We will then check using your information the following aspects for you:
We look forward to you contacting us (moc.notorelec@ofni or phone +41 44 250 52 20) in order to check your application suitability for our turbo compressor technology.