Polytropic Compression

-That the compressor performance deteriorates with decrease in

polytropic efficiency can be seen by the following set of equations:
Gas Power = (Gas Mass flow*Polytropic Head) / Polytropic
efficiency --------------(1)
For a given compressor, the polytropic head is nearly constant.
Also, for an installed compressor the maximum power that can be
supplied for compression is also fixed.
Re-arranging equation (1) gives:
Gas Mass flow = (Gas Power*Polytropic efficiency) / Polytropic
Head --------(2)
From equation (2) it is quite clear that as polytropic efficiency
decreases for a given polytropic head and a fixed power input the
gas mass flow will decrease.
Relating polytropic efficiency to polytropic exponent by the
following equation
poly

= (n / n-1) / (k / k-1) -------------(3)

Where:
poly

= Polytropic efficiency

n = polytropic exponent
k = isentropic exponent
From equation (3) for a nearly constant isentropic exponent (which

is more gas property dependent) and an increased polytropic

exponent (which is more machine performance dependent) the
polytropic efficiency decreases
-As a mathematical equation polytropic efficiency can be defined
as follows:
poly

n(K1)
K (n1)

Where:
n = polytropic exponent, dimensionless
k = Cp/Cv =average (suction/discharge) ratio of specific heats,
dimensionless
However, the tricky part is to calculate the polytropic exponent.
For practical purpose as a first approximation an average
polytropic efficiency of 75% (0.75) is considered per stage of
compression & the polytropic exponent calculated based on the
above equation knowing the average specific heat ratios.
Alternatively, if you know the discharge temperature (T2) of the
compression stage based on field-measured values then you can
calculate the exponent value as follows:
Exponent (n or gamma) = ln (P2/P1) / (ln (P2/P1) - ln (T2/T1))
Where:
P1 = stage suction pressure, absolute units
P2 = stage discharge pressure, absolute units
T1 = stage suction temperature, absolute units
T2 = stage discharge temperature, absolute units

Here again the pitfall is that if you don't know the discharge
temperature from actual measurement then to calculate the
discharge temperature you require the exponent value using the
equation:
T2

T1

P2
P1

( )

n1
n

So if you are doing some sizing calculations it is always a practical

approach to consider 75% polytropic efficiency for starting the
calculations.
-Before we move on to the why's of the compression process or
compression efficiency type (adiabatic or polytropic) it is essential
that the difference between the two be understood.
1. Adiabatic Compression: The terminology used by some
compressor specialists is "Near-Adiabatic (Isentropic)
Compression". Practically it is impossible to have a perfect
adiabatic compression, which by the theoretical definition of
"adiabatic" means that during the compression process no
heat enters or leave the system when the system is
represented as a perfectly insulated box from its
surroundings. Positive displacement compressors come
closest to adiabatic compression or near-adiabatic
compression. It is important to note that even for dynamic
compressors (centrifugal / axial) the compression process
and the compression efficiency was defined as adiabatic
more than 30 years ago
2. Polytropic Compression: The practical understanding of
the polytropic process and its usage in defining the
compression process and efficiency is a development of the
last three decades. In a polytropic compression process
infinitesimal changes occur in terms of heat absorbed or heat
removed during the entire compression process. If you plot a

P-V curve for the compression process and represent the

curves for all three compression processes viz. adiabatic,
isothermal and polytropic, you will find the polytropic
compression curve lays in-between the adiabatic and
isothermal compression process. The polytropic process
represents the real world compression process. Compressor
manufacturers realized that the centrifugal compression
process mimics the polytropic process more closely than the
adiabatic process. There is a reason for it. In centrifugal
compressors gas slippage occurring across the impeller(s) in
the compressor casing is much more pronounced than the
gas slippage encountered in a reciprocating (PD) compressor
volume chamber. This gas slippage leads to mixing of
compressed and slip gas, which are having different
temperatures. This pronounced slippage in centrifugal
machines mimics the polytropic compression process which
as earlier mentioned is the infinitesimal change in heat gain
or heat loss during the entire compression process. That is
the reason that the compression process for centrifugal
compressors is defined in terms of polytropic compression
and polytropic efficiency.
To conclude, the performance and efficiency of a centrifugal
compressor can be defined in terms of an adiabatic compression
process but the polytropic compression process provides a more
realistic performance of a centrifugal compressor compared to an
adiabatic compression process
-Simplified equation for power consumed by a centrifugal
compressor considering polytropic compression path is:
P=
Where:

MH poly
6

3.610 poly

P = gas power required, kW

M = mass flow rate of gas, kg/h
H poly
poly

= Polytropic Head, N.m / kg

= Polytropic efficiency expressed as a fraction

- Which is a function of suction or inlet temperature.

Lower the suction or inlet temperature lower will be the polytropic
head.
H poly

-Reducing the suction temperature will reduce the power

consumption. For the gas with same molecular weight and based
on a defined mass flow rate @ inlet pressure / temperature a
decrease in the suction temperature will reduce the power
consumption because the polytropic head will reduce. The equation
for polytropic head is as follows:
H poly

8314
MW

( )

T1

Z avg

*(

n
n1

)*

p2 n1
n
P1

( )

-1)

Where:
H poly
MW
T1
Z avg
P1

= Polytropic head, N.m/kg

= Molecular weight of the gas, kg / kg-mol
= Absolute temperature at inlet conditions, K
= Average compressibility factor
= Inlet pressure, kPa (abs)

P2

= Discharge pressure, kPa (abs)

n = polytropic exponent
Note that in this equation T1 has a role to play. If T1 decreases
H poly will decrease with other conditions remaining unchanged.
If H poly decreases, the gas power required will also decrease.
-Here is the equation for Polytropic head
H poly

8314
MW

( )

T1

Z avg

*(

n
n1

)*

p2 n1
n
P1

( )

-1)

Where:
H poly
MW
T1

= Polytropic head N-m/kg

= Molecular weight of the gas, kg/kg-mol
= Absolute temperature at inlet conditions, K

= Average compressibility factor, dimensionless= (Z1+Z2/2),

Where 1 & 2 are inlet and discharge conditions respectively.
Z avg

P1

= Inlet pressure in absolute units, kPa (a) or bar (a)

P2

= Discharge pressure in absolute units, kPa (a) or bar (a)

n = polytropic exponent
Now I think it would be obvious to you that what you have
mentioned about polytropic head going down with increase in
suction or inlet temperature is not correct. Obviously if the

polytropic head is going to increase, so will the shaft power

requirement
-Whichever standard or textbook I look at, the flow for a
centrifugal compressor as defined in the problem statement is
either at standard volumetric flow conditions (denoted as
SCFM/SCFH/SCMH) or in terms of mass flow which means that
both these values remain unchanged at the inlet and outlet of the
compressor. What changes is the inlet volume flow rate (denoted as
ACFM/ACFH/ACMH) defined as the volume flow rate at the inlet
flange of the compressor which is a function of the inlet pressure
and temperature (pressure and temperature of the gas being
compressed at the inlet flange of the compressor) and the
molecular weight of the gas being compressed.
Now coming to the density of the gas being compressed. Gas
density is a function of pressure, temperature and molecular weight
of the gas. A change in either of these changes the gas density,
which in turn changes the inlet volume, flow (the
ACFM/ACFH/ACMH) but neither the mass flow nor the standard
volume flow.
For a fixed-speed centrifugal compressor there can be essentially
no change in either the power drawn (gas horse power or gas kW),
polytropic head (ft-lbf/lbm or N-m/kg) and the mass flow rate
irrespective of the change in the inlet volume flow conditions. The
effect of changing the inlet volume flow rate would manifest itself
in the form of change in the differential pressure (Discharge
Pressure - Suction Pressure) for the compressor. In other words
either the suction pressure conditions or the discharge pressure
conditions will change due to change in the pressure /
temperature / molecular weight (gas density change) at the inlet of
the centrifugal compressor. This can be proven easily
mathematically:

Gas Horse Power or Gas kW = Polytropic Head*Mass flow rate

Neither of these changes for a fixed-speed machine
Polytropic head is related to differential pressure as follows:
Differential Pressure = Polytropic head*Gas Density
Polytropic head remains unchanged for a fixed-speed machine, so
a change in density will cause a change in the differential pressure.
For a variable-speed centrifugal compressor you can change the
power drawn by changing the frequency of the motor and the
affinity laws (speed vs. inlet volume flow rate, speed vs. polytropic
head, speed vs gas horse power) as applicable to centrifugal pumps
can be applied but with limitations compared to centrifugal pumps.
Affinity laws can be applied between 80% and 105% of the speed
range only, beyond which actual performance would be much
different from the predicted performance. Also heavier gases
(higher molecular weights) will give greater deviation from
predicted performance.
-The discharge pressure is normally an input and not a calculated
result. However, you can calculate it as a function of the inlet and
outlet pressure as follows:
T2

T1

Pd
Ps

( )

n1
n

...........................(1)

Where:
= Absolute discharge temperature, K
T 1 = Absolute suction temperature, K
Pd = Absolute discharge pressure, kPa
Ps = Absolute suction pressure, kPa
n = polytropic exponent
T2

n, can be calculated as follows:

n1
n

K 1
(k poly )

.........................(2)

Where:
k = Cp / Cv at the inlet conditions
poly

= Polytropic efficiency, %

In your case the suction and discharge temperatures are known, the
suction pressure Ps is known and you can calculate the polytropic
exponent as per equation 2. Now using equation 1 you can
calculate the discharge pressure Pd. As I mentioned earlier for
compressor calculations the discharge pressure is an input.
The formula for a stage discharge temperature for a centrifugal
compressor is:
T2

T1

P2
P1

( )

n1
n

Where:
T2 = stage discharge temperature, K
T1 = stage suction temperature, K
P2 = stage discharge pressure, kPa
P1 = stage suction pressure, kPa
n = polytropic exponent
(n - 1) / n = ( - 1) / *
Where:

poly

 = specific heat ratio = Cp / Cv (1.4 for air and 1.407 for

hydrogen)
= Polytropic efficiency (normally for large volumetric
capacity centrifugal compressors it ranges from 75 to 80% (0.75 to
0.80))
poly

From above it is clear that the discharge temperature is dependent

on the pressure ratio (P2 / P1), the specific heat ratio and the
polytropic efficiency.
If you compare the specific heat ratio of air and hydrogen they are
quite similar. Considering that that the polytropic efficiency is not
affected much, than the theoretical discharge temperature for a
fixed pressure ratio for both hydrogen and air will be quite similar.
When I check your case considering a pressure ratio of 3.33 and a
suction temperature of 40C, I get almost the same discharge
temperature of 216C for both hydrogen and air.
To conclude, the discharge temperature is not changing much
between hydrogen and air but the power required for the same
pressure ratio for hydrogen would be much higher compared to air.
This is evident from the fact that the compressor inlet volume
flows for hydrogen for a unit mass flow rate (1 kg/h) at 15C and
atmospheric pressure (101.325 kPa) is 5.75 m3/h whereas for air
for a unit mass flow rate it would be 0.40 m3/h. This is a 14-fold
increase in inlet volume flow rate for hydrogen compared to air.
The reason is obvious - the large difference in the molar mass of
hydrogen and air (2.015 versus 28.97). Notice that the volume flow
rate increase for hydrogen is in the same ratio as the ratio of the
molar masses of air to hydrogen.
-After a 2-month hiatus I am back on my blog and with something
really special.

Since the past 1 year or so the subject of compressors has intrigued

me and led me to a quest in understanding more of this fascinating
subject which all chemical engineers have to deal at one time or
the other in their professional careers. A lot of reading on the
subject went into this and subsequently led to the development of a
spreadsheet on "Centrifugal Compressors Head & Power
Calculations" which is on sale at the "Cheresources" online store.
This spreadsheet has seen a good response from professional
engineers who probably don't have access to simulation software
such as HYSYS or from engineers who have ventured to
understand the basic thermodynamic equations governing
compression of gases rather than depending on simulation software
where the backend calculations are not provided. Mind you, I have
not provided a treatise on thermodynamics of gas compression but
a simple calculation tool, which is fairly in agreement with the
simulation software existing today.
There are some novel features in the spreadsheet, which are not
there in some software (e.g. HYSYS), such as calculation of
number of stages and two different methods of calculating the
rotational speed of the compressor
In the spreadsheet the polytropic efficiency as a function of inlet
volume flow has been picked up from a table as published in the
book "Pipeline Rules of Thumb Handbook" by E.W. McAllister.
However, how the Polytropic efficiency is related to the inlet
volume flow was something that was still not very clear to me.
Further study of the subject revealed that there are charts available
in some chemical engineering texts, which relate polytropic
efficiency to the inlet volume flow. Following are the known
sources for such charts:
1. Figure 3.6, Page 83 in Coulson And Richardson Volume 6

2. Figure 7.27 (a), Page 158 in Chemical Process Equipment Selection & Deign by Stanley M. Walas
3. Figure 2 in the article titled "What Process Engineers Need to
Know About Compressors" by William Dimoplon, "Hydrocarbon
Processing", May 1978
As I had mentioned earlier in one of my blogs I like to use math
more than reading charts and I decided to find out if there was a
way that the inlet volume flow (m3/h or cfm)(x-axis) versus
polytropic efficiency (y-axis) chart could be regressed into an
equation form for ease of use.
Further searching led me to a published source from a company
standard wherein the relationship between inlet volume flow and
polytropic efficiency was expressed as an empirical equation.
However, the units used in this equation were metric units and
there was no direct means available to find the corresponding
equation in English units. In order to find the corresponding
equation in English units I regressed the data from the metric unit
equation in an excel spreadsheet with the corresponding
conversion of flow rate from m3/h to cfm. Next I introduced a
trend line on the excel spreadsheet and using the equation option
generated the corresponding English unit equation.
The purpose of this entry was to share these equations with all of
you. Below are the equations:
Metric Units:
poly

= 0.0992 +0.2463*log10

Where:

Q1

-0.02167*(log10

Q1

 poly

= Polytropic efficiency

Q1

= Inlet volume flow, m3/h

English Units:
poly

= 0.027*logeQ1+0.4984

Where:
poly
Q1

= Polytropic efficiency
= Inlet volume flow,

ft

/min

Note: Above equations provide fairly good results for inlet volume
flow rates ranging from 1000 cfm to 100,000 cfm (1700 m3 /h to
170,000 m3 /h)
I am sure that there will be some questions and further debate on
this matter and I am looking forward to it from our knowledgeable
forum members.
-The polytropic constant or polytropic exponent is related to the
adiabatic exponent through the polytropic efficiency. In equation
form this can be represented as follows:
n/(n-1) = (k/(k-1))*

poly

Where,
n = Polytropic exponent
k = Adiabatic exponent
poly = Polytropic efficiency
The polytropic efficiency may be considered approximately as 77-

78% for a wide range of inlet volume flows to the compressor.

Alternatively polytropic efficiency may be approximated from the
following empirical correlation:
poly

= 0.0992 +0.2463*

log 10 Q 1

-0.02167*(

log 10 Q 1 2

Where,
poly

= Polytropic efficiency

Q1 = inlet volume flow, m3/h (at inlet conditions of pressure and

temperature)
The above should be able to provide you the polytropic exponent
n.
-The compressor stage discharge temperature can be calculated as
follows:
n1
T2 = T1* ( r p )( n )

or
k1
T2 = T1* ( r p )( k )

Where,
T2 = stage discharge temperature, K
T1 = stage suction temperature, K
rp

= Pressure ratio (Discharge Pressure / Suction Pressure)

n = polytropic exponent
k = isentropic exponent =

Cp
Cv

Relation between n & k is given as below:

n-1 / n = ( k-1 / k)*(1 /

poly

Where,
poly

= Polytropic efficiency

As you will notice that the key to calculating the accurate stage
discharge temperature is the accurate evaluation of the k-value. If
you use k-values based on the suction conditions this will provide
a more conservative (read higher temperature). k-values normally
decrease during compression.
- What you are calling as polytropic index is more commonly
known as polytropic exponent "n". Following is the relationship
between polytropic efficiency Ep and polytropic exponent n:
Ep = (n/n-1) / (/-1)
Or
Ep = n*(-1) / *(n-1)
Where:
Ep = polytropic efficiency
n = polytropic exponent
= isentropic exponent or specific heat ratio

When performing power or head calculations the polytropic

efficiency is used as an input to calculate the polytropic exponent.
A fair approximation of polytropic efficiency can be made from the
inlet volume flow also commonly abbreviated as ACFM or
ACMH.
-Yes, ideally a reciprocating compressor is described as following a
thermodynamic adiabatic and reversible process which makes it
an ISENTROPIC process. This, of course means that the entropy
remains constant through the process and is a handy means to
calculate the brake work required for the compression.
The really ideal compression process would be one where the
compression step could be carried out in an isothermal fashion. But
this is a thermodynamic daydream because this is not a feasible or
practical application in real life. There simply is no manner - nor
mechanical method - that can be devised (to date) that allows for
continuous, differential cooling of the gas as it is being
compressed. If you can invent or come up with a feasible method
to do this, you will become a super billionaire by revolutionizing
the application of thermodynamics. The ONLY method that has
been applied is a vain and cosmetic attempt to use a built-in
cooling jacket on reciprocating cylinders. The compression cooling
obtained in this manner is only a best effort type you get what
is available due to the mechanical size and constraints. I have
operated reciprocating compressors since 50 years ago some
were cooled, others were not. For example I operated reciprocating
compressors handling air, CO2, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Argon,
Acetylene, Nitrous Oxide, Hydrogen, natural gas, etc., etc. and
most of these were jacket-cooled with cooling water. The acetylene
application is an exceptional one because it is a special case where
the cylinder and intercoolers are all immersed in a cooling water
box. Acetylene is VERY special and has its own rules to follow. I

read, in Hydrocarbon Processing, an article in the 1960s that

opposed the use of cooling jackets for various practical reasons. I
tried operating my compressors without cooling water in the
jackets and found to my surprise that the article was correct:
there was NO NEGATIVE EFFECT on the compressors
performance and operation when the jackets were run dry. It was
then that I realized that I had been nave in thinking that such a
small cooling area could have a marked effect on a gaseous
chamber that involved an inherently poor gas film heat transfer
coefficient. You will recall that the worse film coefficients are
those of gases. In fact, a static gas film is used as a natural
insulator. Nature does this in giving us body hair much as
animals, such as Polar bears, can be insulated with only a fur coat.
Our engineering insulation materials all depend on the effect of a
static gas film.
In summary, it is my experience that a cooling jacket on a
reciprocating compressor cylinder cannot be relied upon to lend
any marked, positive effect on the efficiency or operability of the
compressor. It exists only as a token attempt to lend some heat
removal but it is so inefficient as to be practically negligible. The
same effect takes place in a reactor or process vessel when one
considers a cooling jacket and tries to optimize the
cooling/heating effect with external coils, dimples, etc., etc. The
net effect is negligible because you are limited to the vessel size.
You get what you get and no more. A process reactor or vessel is
designed for the reaction and the process capacity not for the heat
transfer. The heat transfer is an after-thought and is a best effort
process.
Further, and direct to your query is the fact that since the actual,
field compression process does not transfer any significant
compression heat, it should then be considered adiabatic. And here,
my design and process experience in the field has also confirmed
the advice of many authors specifically the NGPSA in

recommending the use of an isentropic compression with enthalpy

data when calculating the thermodynamic results of a gas
compression in a reciprocating machine. My experience has been
that when I assume an isentropic process and use accurate enthalpy
data especially on pure gases I get excellent design results on
the work requirement and the discharge temperatures of each stage
in a reciprocating machine. All this confirms for me that the
performance of a reciprocating compressor is very close to the
presumed isentropic process. I have never employed polytropic
calculations with a reciprocating compressor simply because I had
good results with the simpler and more direct isentropic
assumptions. The centrifugal compressor is another animal
altogether different and more complex in its calculations
something a practical engineer would expect taken that this
machine is so mechanically simple. The expected trade off in a
more complex process calculation given a simpler mechanical
design is experienced.
A centrifugal machine is vastly more inefficient and limited in
control than the reciprocating model. This is yet another trade off.
Reciprocating machines are not only more thermodynamic
efficient, but their process calculations are much simpler and the
machine has much more positive capacity control than the
centrifugal. Where the reciprocating machine cannot compete is in
size, capacity, and price.
Note that when you increase the number of stages (and associated
intercoolers) in a given reciprocating compressor, you are
practically applying one version of isothermal compression. You
could, theoretically, achieve isothermal compression if you had
infinite stages and intercoolers. This is the positive effect a user
profits from when multiple stages are employed in a given
compression operation. The multiple stages result in a lower total
horsepower compression requirement. Of course, more stages
mean more capital monies; but an optimization exists.

-The differential head (delta P) (discharge pressure - suction

pressure) in feet does not change with the change in gas
characteristics is what Lieberman-has stated - and I stand in
agreement with it. It is a function of both vapor density and
polytropic head. Liebermans statement essentially means that if
the vapor density decreases, the polytropic head increases & viceversa; i.e., if the vapor density increases the polytropic head
decreases - thus keeping the delta P as constant.
Differential head = vapor density * polytropic head
This is exactly what I have said in my post: that the molecular
weight (vapor density) strongly affects the polytropic head.
I hope you are not confusing polytropic head with the differential
head - as obviously both are not the same
-Many filed/operations engineers (even experienced ones) confuse
between differential head and polytropic head when dealing with
centrifugal compressors by considering them to be the same.
Polytropic head is nothing but the change in enthalpy of the gas
from state 1 (suction) to state 2 (discharge) whereas the differential
head is the change in pressure of the gas from state 1 (suction) to
state 2 (discharge). Gas characteristics do not affect the differential
head if the machine configuration remains the same but the change
in MW of the gas does have an impact on the polytropic head.
As regards to your question:
Delta P (N/m2 or Pascal) = vapor density (kg/m3)*polytropic head
(N-m/kg)
-Polytropic compression process is generally considered for

centrifugal (dynamic) compressors. For Positive Displacement

(PD) compressors (Reciprocating/Rotary) the compression process
is generally considered as adiabatic for most engineering
calculations
-Polytropic Process
A Polytropic Process is one in which changes in gas characteristics
during compression are considered. This is considering that an
Adiabatic Process is one during which there is no heat added to or
removed from the system (Q = 0), and Isentropic Process is one
wherein the entropy remains constant (Delta S = 0), and an
Isothermal Process is one in which there is no change in
temperature (Delta T = 0). A Polytropic Compression Process is
typical of a dynamic-type compressor such as a centrifugal
compressor. A reciprocating compressor typically follows an
Adiabatic Compression Process very closely.
A Polytropic Process is defined in Thermodynamics as an
internally reversible process, which conforms to the relation
P

= Constant.

If you plot the compression curves for Isothermal, Adiabatic, and

Polytropic compressions on a Pressure versus Volume graph, you
will find that the Polytropic curve falls between the other two, but
closer to the Adiabatic curve.
Polytropic Head
The Polytropic Head is an expression used for dynamic
compressors to denote the foot-pounds of work required per pound
of gas.
-I like your query. It challenges my explanation and allows me to
digress further on the subject of gas compression on a practical

level, and not on a theoretical basis. I didn't explain the frailties of

Isothermal Compression in my prior post because it didn't enter
into the basic question. I hate it when professors in
thermodynamics start throwing thermo processes at you, expecting
a student to be able to know inherently what is fiction and what is
realistic and not pointing out the fact that some thermodynamic
processes presented in the classroom are simply not feasible from a
practical point of view. Isothermal Compression is one of those,
thank you.
I defy any human being reading this to devise a machine that can
compress a real gas without raising its temperature as measured
in the discharge port of such a machine. If you can imagine, you
would need an infinite number of finite, differential stages each
with an intercooler compressing the gas. The greater the number
of stages, the less the noticeable discharge temperature. However,
this is totally impractical and impossible to build due to
mechanical and economic limitations. It would prove nothing from
a practical aspect and only serve to reinforce what we already
know theoretically.
ALL gas compressors whether centrifugal, reciprocating, screw,
vane, lobe, or whatever other type can be built will deliver a
compressed gas with an increased discharge temperature. You are
absolutely practical and engineering-like in asserting this fact.
Keep up your practical thermo outlook and insist on a thorough
and detailed explanation of what is occurring thermodynamically
and why. This type of probing thought can only make you a better
engineer.
-When you reduce the suction temperature of the gas to any
compressor, the following takes place:

The density of the gas increases i.e. mass/unit volume.

The compressor continues to displace the rated volumetric capacity

i.e. compressors recognize volume and not mass

Since the density has increased, the rated volumetric capacity is

now related to a higher mass throughput.

Compressors are like any fluid transport equipment that does work
on fluids by transporting mass/unit time.

If more mass is being transported per unit of time, MORE

horsepower (kW) are required to carry out the increased load - not
less.
Therefore, by reducing the temperature of the suction gas, you will
require more power fed to the compressor