Experiment No.

03
Objective:
To Analyse the variation in isothermal efficiency with compressor pressure ratio

Apparatus:
Two stage air compressor test set, air cooled

Figure:

Figure 1 -Two stage air compressor test set, air cooled

Theory:
Isothermal storage
In

an isothermal compression process, the gas in the system is kept at a constant temperature
throughout. This necessarily requires removal of heat from the gas, which otherwise would
experience a temperature rise due to the energy that has been added to the gas by the
compressor. This heat removal can be achieved by heat exchangers (intercooling) between
subsequent stages in the compressor. To avoid wasted energy, the intercoolers must be
optimised for high heat transfer and low pressure drop. Naturally this is only an approximation
to an isothermal compression, since the heating and compression occurs in discrete phases.
Some smaller compressors can approximate isothermal compression even without intercooling,
due to the relatively high ratio of surface area to volume of the compression chamber and the
resulting improvement in heat dissipation from the compressor body itself.
To obtain a perfect isothermal storage process, the process must be reversible. This requires that
the heat transfer between the surroundings and the gas occur over an infinitesimally small
temperature difference. In that case, there is no exergy loss in the heat transfer process, and so
the compression work can be completely recovered as expansion work: 100% storage efficiency.
However, in practice, there is always a temperature difference in any heat transfer process, and
so all practical energy storage obtains efficiencies lower than 100%.
To estimate the compression/expansion work in an isothermal process, it may be assumed that
the compressed air obeys the ideal gas law,
𝑃𝑉 = 𝑛𝑅𝑇 = 𝑐

Isothermal Power
This is the minimum horsepower for the compression process calculated as follows
𝑃
Isothermal Power = Iso P = 𝑃1 𝑉1 ln 𝑃3
1

Procedure:

1. Put the plug in socket and switch ON the Electrical power , Start the Motor from advance
inverter
2. Start the compressor by pushing up ELCB & CB
3. Make sure, receiver discharge valve is closed
4. When 2nd stage pressure reached at 1 kg/cm2 then open the discharge valve to main the 2nd
stage pressure (Flow rate in become equal to flow rate out) to note down the readings
5. Record the motor speed (N1), Compressor speed (N2), Power Input (W), Water manometer
pressure drop (∆𝑃), 1st stage (P2) and 2nd stage (P3) guage pressures, All the temperature
(𝑇1 , 𝑇2 , 𝑇3 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑇4 ) and Ampere(I)
6. Repeat the “step 5” for 2nd stage pressures increments at 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 kg/cm2
7. Shut down the compressor by pushing down ELCB & CB
8. Discharge all compressed air from receiver discharge valve
9. Switch OFF the Electrical power and Remove the plug out of the socket
10. Let the compressor cool down for some time before covering up the compressor

Useful relations:
Isothermal power (Iso P)
𝑃
Iso P= 𝑃1 𝑉1 ln 𝑃3
1

Where
𝑃1 is 1st stage inlet pressure
𝑉1= flow rate = Qv
P3= Pressure after stage 2

Break power (BP)

2𝜋𝑁𝑇
Break Power = 60

Isothermal efficiency
𝐼𝑠𝑜. 𝑃
Isothermal efficiency =
𝐵𝑃 𝐼𝑛𝑝𝑢𝑡(𝑤)
Observation and calculations:
Stage 1st: Bore 80 mm, Stroke 65 mm Stage2nd: Bore 65 mm, Stroke 65 mm
Air box orifice, 15 mm Air box diameter : 300 mm
Atmospheric Pressure, 𝑃𝑢 __________

Item 1 2 3
Motor Speed, N1(rpm)

Compressor Speed, N2(rpm)

Brake Power input (Watts)

Ambient Temperature, T1 (C0)

Temperature after Stage1, T2 (C0)

Temperature after Stage2, T3 (C0)

Temperature after Stage3, T4 (C0)

Pressure after Stage 1st, P2 (kg/cm2)

Pressure after Stage 2nd,P3 (kg/cm2)

Pressure in receiver, P4(kg/cm2) _ _ _

Air box manometer, Δp (mm)

Flow rate, 𝑉1 = 𝑄𝑣 (m3/s)

Iso P (W)

Break input Power (W)

Isothermal Efficiency
𝑃3
Overall Pressure ratio,
𝑃1
Table 1- Experimental data to find the isothermal efficiency
Specimen Calculations:
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Graph:

Comments:
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Quiz:

1. Why do we need intercooling between the stages

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2. Describe the isothermal process

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3. How can we increase the isothermal efficiency

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4. How can we achieve the minimum compression work

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5. It can’t be possible to achieve the complete isothermal compression, why?

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 Experiment No. 04
Objective:
To Analyse the variation in isentropic efficiency with overall pressure ratio

Apparatus:
Two stage air compressor test set, air cooled

Figure:

Figure 2-Two stage air compressor test set, air cooled

Theory:
Isentropic Compression process
In thermodynamics, an isentropic process is an idealized thermodynamic process that
is adiabatic and in which the work transfers of the system are frictionless; there is no transfer of
heat or of matter and the process is reversible. Such an idealized process is useful in engineering
as a model of and basis of comparison for real processes.
The word 'isentropic' is occasionally, though not customarily, interpreted in another way, reading
it as if its meaning were deducible from its etymology. This is contrary to its original and
customarily used definition. In this occasional reading, it means a process in which the entropy
of the system remains unchanged, for example because work done on the system includes
friction internal to the system, and heat is withdrawn from the system, in just the right amount
to compensate for the internal friction, so as to leave the entropy unchanged.
Isentropic power (Isen P)

This is the theoretical power from the theory of isentropic compression process (reversible
adiabatic process).

Procedure:

1. Put the plug in socket and switch ON the Electrical power , Start the Motor from advance
inverter
2. Start the compressor by pushing up ELCB & CB
3. Make sure, receiver discharge valve is closed
4. When 2nd stage pressure reached at 1 kg/cm2 then open the discharge valve to main the 2nd
stage pressure (Flow rate in become equal to flow rate out) to note down the readings
5. Record the motor speed (N1), Compressor speed (N2), Power Input (W), Water manometer
pressure drop (∆𝑃), 1st stage (P2) and 2nd stage (P3) guage pressures, All the temperature
(𝑇1 , 𝑇2 , 𝑇3 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑇4 ) and Ampere(I)
6. Repeat the “step 5” for 2nd stage pressures increment at 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 kg/cm2
7. Shut down the compressor by pushing down ELCB & CB
8. Discharge all compressed air from receiver discharge valve
9. Switch OFF the Electrical power and Remove the plug out of the socket
10. Let the compressor cool down for some time before covering up the compressor

System efficiency

𝐼𝑠𝑒𝑛 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟
Isentropic efficiency = × 100
𝐵𝑟𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟

Observation and calculations:

Stage 1st: Bore 80 mm, Stroke 65 mm Stage2nd: Bore 65 mm, Stroke 65 mm
Air box orifice, 15 mm Air box diameter 300 mm
Atmospheric Pressure, 𝑃𝑢 __________

Item 1 2 3
Motor Speed, N1(rpm)

Compressor Speed, N2(rpm)

Power input (Watts)

 Ambient Temperature, T1 (C0)

Temperature after Stage1, T2 (C0)

Temperature after Stage2, T3 (C0)

Temperature after Stage3, T4 (C0)

Pressure after Stage 1st, P2 (kg/cm2)

Pressure after Stage 2nd,P3 (kg/cm2)

Pressure in receiver, P4(kg/cm2)

Air box manometer, Δp (mm)

Flow rate, 𝑉1 = 𝑄𝑣 (m3/s)

Iso P (W)

Isentropic Efficiency (%)

𝑃3
Overall Pressure ratio,
𝑃1
Table 2- Experimental data to find the isentropic efficiency

Specimen Calculations:

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Graph:

Comments:
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Quiz:
1. What is isentropic process

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2. What is Adiabatic process

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3. How the Friction affect the Isentropic Process

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4. Write the Applications of the air Compressors

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