Centrifugal compressors type range

Radial-Inflow Turbine The radial-inflow turbine, or inward-flow radial turbine, has been in use for many years. Basically a centrifugal compressor with reversed-flow and opposite rotation, the inward-flow radial turbine is used for smaller loads and over a smaller operational range than the axial turbine. Radial-inflow turbines are only now beginning to be used because little was know about them heretofore. Axial turbines have enjoyed tremendous interest due to their low frontal area, making them suited to the aircraft industiy. However, the axial machine is much longer than the radial machine, making it unsuited for certain vehicular and helicopter applications. Radial turbines are used in turbochargers and in some types of expanders. 

The main air compressor (MAC) on a cryogenic ASU provides air to the coldbox at pressures which range from 80 to 100 psia (552 to 690 kPa) depending upon the type of ASU and economic parameters associated with the plant design. For most ASUs, centrifugal compressors are used. 

The best compressor type for most current applications is the single-stage radial-flow centrifugal compressor. It is a simple and dependable machine that has proven itself for heavy duty use over a broad range of industrial applications. 

The compressor or blower installation in a typical refinery or chemical process unit is not out-of-doors completely. Some form of shelter often is provided, ranging from only a roof to a completely closed building. When process equipment such as a centrifugal gas compressor, which is not hazardous in normal operation, is present in the shelter, the hazard classification depends on the extent to that which the shelter restricts ventilation. The extent of the shelter provided determines the area classification and the type of motor enclosure that should be applied. 

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