Second law analysis on performance of double stage reciprocating air compressor with inter cooler

Abstract

Nowadays compressors are playing a major role in many processing industries, manufacturing industries and power sector. At many cases, the compressors are the ultimate comprehensive one on energy consumption in industries. The major grievance of the compression process is heating effect of air compression process which leads to ineffective compression and constant air supply. Many researchers are showing interest to increase the performance of air compressors. Optimizing the suitable designs, working parameters and fluid properties are the three main ways for improving the performance of air compressors. Energy and second law efficiency analysis are the necessary one to recognize the important of energy consumption and conservation. For analysing the performance of the air compressor it is mandatory to measure the working parameters such as pressure, temperature, mass flow rate of air, speed of the compressor and electrical input power. Since the measurementation and instrumentation is playing a vital influence on the performance of air compressor. Therefore investigating the error on instrumentation and its influence on performance of air compressor is compulsory to regulate the eminence of experimental set-up. And these error factors will designate the effect of the uncertainty cause on the performance of air compressor. Uncertainties are significant in all experimental dealings and must be measured throughout the various points of an experimental analysis. In this research work, a study on energy, second law uncertainty efficiency and analysis were done in a double stage reciprocating air compressor with inter cooler setup which is located in Sathyamangalam, Tamilnadu, India. Based on the local ambient conditions and required output for various applications were taken for this performance analysis of double stage reciprocating air compressor with inter cooler. The discharge pressure from the double stage compression is varied from 3 bar to 7 bar. For the corresponding output pressure, first law and second law efficiency of the system was calculated. For the fixed mass flow rate of air the calculated first law efficiency of the system varies from 38% to 64% and second law efficiency of the system varies from 57% to 67%. For the corresponding pressure ratios the uncertainty on the performance of air compressor based on the first law and second law analysis were mathematically modelled. Based on the model the uncertainty on the performance of compressor were found for the error of 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4%, 0.5%, 1%, 2% in all the instruments and it was discussed in the result.