Aerodynamic design and numerical study of a propane-refrigerant centrifugal compressor for LNG plant

We design a four-stage propane-refrigerant centrifugal compressor for an LNG plant. Using a commercial code, we aerodynamically designed the compressor at each design point of the corresponding stages. We estimated the one-dimensional aerodynamic design output and the three-dimensional shape of the impeller flow passage via three-dimensional flow analysis. In particular, we discuss in detail the flow characteristics of the impeller and the vaneless diffuser passages of the fourth-stage compressor in terms of the velocity fields, the pressure, and the entropy distributions of the flow passages. We include the flow effects of the tip clearance flow, because at this stage the rotating speed and total inlet pressure are higher than those at the other compressor stages are. We carried out performance tests of the designed compressor stages using propane as a refrigerant in the LNG cycle. The practical evaluation could lead to design enhancements in the future.