Modeling And Prediction Of Sidestream Inlet Pressure For Multistage Centrifugal Compressors

Abstract

It is common for some compressors in certain applications to have one or more incoming sidestreams that introduce flow other than at the main inlet to mix with the core flow. In most cases, the pressure levels at these sidestreams must be accurately predicted to meet contractual performance guarantees. The focus of this paper is the prediction of sidestream flange pressure when the return channel outlet conditions are provided. A model to predict the impact of local curvature in the mixing section is presented and compared with both Computational Fluid Dynamics work and measured test data.