Design of a Single Stage Centrifugal Compressor as Part of a Microturbine Running at 60000 rpm, Developing a Maximum of 60 kW Electrical Power Output

In this current work, the design of a single stage centrifugal compressor as part of a complete small gas turbine coupled directly to high speed permanent magnet running at 60000rpm and developing a maximum electrical power of 60kW is presented. The choice of a radial impeller was considered and the design was based on using a non-linear optimisation code to determine the geometric dimensions of the impeller. Also, the optimum axial length and the flow passage of the impeller were found based on prescribed mean stream velocity. The proposed code was verified and showed quite good agreement with the published data in the open literature. The design of a vaneless diffuser and a volute were considered based on satisfying the governing equations of conservation of mass, momentum, and energy conservation simultaneously. Results showed good agreement with the CFD analysis found in the open literature. This work was motivated by the growing interest in micro-gas turbines for electrical power generation, transport and other applications.