PROCESS SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 20(6) 10891093 (2012)

Prediction of Cracking Gas Compressor Performance and Its

Application in Process Optimization*

LI Shaojun ()** and LI Feng ()

Key Laboratory of Advanced Control and Optimization for Chemical Processes (East China University of Science
and Technology), Ministry of Education, Shanghai 200237, China

Abstract Cracking gas compressor is usually a centrifugal compressor. The information on the performance of a
centrifugal compressor under all conditions is not available, which restricts the operation optimization for com-
pressor. To solve this problem, two back propagation (BP) neural networks were introduced to model the perform-
ance of a compressor by using the data provided by manufacturer. The input data of the model under other conditions
should be corrected according to the similarity theory. The method was used to optimize the system of a cracking
gas compressor by embedding the compressor performance model into the ASPEN PLUS model of compressor. The
result shows that it is an effective method to optimize the compressor system.
Keywords compressor, characteristic curve, neural-network, modeling

1 INTRODUCTION compression ratio, and isentropic efficiency. Yu et al.

Cracking gas compressor is usually a centrifugal
compressor. It is the key equipment in ethylene plants,
the role of which is to raise the static enthalpy and
pressure of cracking gas [1]. Usually, the performance
information of compressor is provided by manufac-
turer based on experimental data. However, compressors
are often operated under off-design conditions. Op-
erators are faced with enormous problems without the
performance information of compressor. Therefore, in
order to describe the performance of compressor under
various conditions, appropriate analysis and prediction
of characteristic curves for a compressor is necessary.
Intensive experimental studies under various operating
and environmental conditions are performed to better
understand the pumping characteristics of a compressor
and determine its performance curves. Consequently,
designers have to deal with a large amount of experi-
mental data, which is time consuming and expensive.
Moreover, the data from the compressor rig tests are
usually scattered and not uniformly distributed over
the operation range, so the performance map of a com-
pressor is usually illustrated as discrete points. In or-
der to predict the compressor characteristic curve,
semi-empirical and empirical models were used in the
literature. Some of them used approximation methods
based on experimental data. Sieros et al. [2] applied
analytical functions to nonlinear models for perform-
ance maps of different design types. An overview of
curve fitting methods for characteristics of centrifugal
compressors and turbines was presented by Moraal
and Kolmanovsky [3]. Ghorbanian and Gholamrezaei
[4] used artificial neural network to predict the per-
formance map of compressor. Kong et al. [5, 6] used
genetic algorithm to determine the unknown coefficients
of third-order equations relating the mass flow rate,
[7] used neural-network to analyze and predict the
compression ratio of a compressor. Tirnovan et al. [8]
combined the theoretical relations with measured data
by using least square methods. Most of above researches
focused on the modeling of performance map, espe-
cially in the design and experimental phases. However,
in an ethylene plants, experimental analysis could not
be carried out in the production process, there is no
other method of comparison in the literature, and one
only has an analysis figure provided by manufacture.
In this study, the characteristic curves are predicted
from the input and output variables of a compressor
with a model based on the artificial neural network.
The results are embedded in Aspen Plus software to
optimize the system of cracking gas compressor and the
performance curves under off-design conditions are
predicted.
2 COMPRESSOR PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
Characteristics of a compressor are normally de-
scribed as the relationships of compression ratio ,
efficiency , volume flow rate v (or mass flow rate m)
and rotational speed of shaft n [9], expressed by curves,
which is named compressor characteristic perform-
ance map. A state is specified when two of the four
parameters are given. If only some running-state data
are given, most of the information needs to be pre-
dicted. In the conventional approach, the compression
ratio and efficiency are expressed as functions of
volume flow rate v at constant rotational speed n,
= f ( v, n ) (1)
= g ( v, n ) (2)
Following issues may arise when these data are

Received 2012-04-17, accepted 2012-07-25.

* Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (20976048, 21176072), and the Fundamental Research Funds
for the Central Universities.
** To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: Lishaojun@ecust.edu.cn
1090 Chin. J. Chem. Eng., Vol. 20, No. 6, December 2012
used for a simulation of centrifugal compressor. The
first issue is interpolations and extrapolations of data
near certain stable state when the speed is given. The
second problem is lacking of the characteristics for
startup and shutdown of compressor. The general rela-
tion among the compression ratio, speed, flow rate
and efficiency should be found for these two issues.
The key is how to utilize the experimental data provided
by manufacturer. The general method employed is the
two-dimensional linear interpolation [10]. Although it
is simple and easy to compute, its precision is low.
Because of the highly non-linear performance and
small working range of a compressor, the interpolation
method is of limited use.
Moreover, for the use of a compressor, when the
performance map under the design condition provided
by manufacturer is inapplicable because its operation
condition is changed, the parameters should be cor-
rected by using the similarity theory of centrifugal
compressors [11].
Compressor characteristics under all conditions
can be expressed by the relationships of corrected
pressure, corrected ratio , efficiency , corrected
volume flow rate v and corrected speed n. Ma et al.
[12] corrected the mass flow ration and rotational
speed by inlet temperature and pressure as follows,
with the density change between the inlet and outlet of
the stage neglected.
G Tin
Gc =
Pin
Nc =
N
Tin
where Tin and Pin are the inlet temperature and pres-
sure of compressor. In this paper, we use the corrected
method in another form that the engineers are familiar
with.
(1) Correction for volume flow rate
Tin
v = v
Tin
Pin Tin
m = m
Pin Tin
(2) Correction for speed
Tin
n = n
Tin
where , , v and n are the parameters under the con-
dition of compressor at inlet temperature of Tin, the
inlet pressure Pin is under the standard state, , , v
and n are corrected parameters that meet the require-
ment of standard state (T is absolute temperature). Two
models are used in this paper:
= f (v, n) (8)
= g (v, n)
3 PREDICTION BASED ON NEURAL NET-
WORKS AND DISCUSSIONS
An artificial neural network (ANN) [13] is a
computational structure inspired by biological neural
system. A multi-layer ANN consists of a system of
simple interconnected neurons, or nodes. The neurons
are connected to each other by adjustable weights,
which may be propagated to several other neurons. By
selecting a suitable set of interconnected neurons,
weight and transfer function, artificial neural network
can approximate any smooth and measurable function
between the input and output vectors. The neural net-
works are widely applied in many areas such as predic-
tion, system modeling and control.
Neural network training is traditionally carried
out using the BP gradient descent algorithm. This tech-
nique is effective for training feed-forward neural
networks that use summation unit functions and con-
tinuously differentiable transfer functions. The values
of weights and bias are set during network training
process. Initially, the weights and bias are set ran-
domly. The training of network adjusts the values of
weights and bias so that the mean square error (MSE)
between target values and the predicted values is
minimized. The mean square error is calculated by
1 N
MSE =
N k =1
[ y (k ) y (k )]2 (10)
(3)
where y(k) is the actual value, and y (k ) is the net-
work output value.
(4) Because of the relations of input and output pa-
rameters of compressor are highly non-linear, the
log-sigmoid function is used by the two three-layer BP
neural networks to generate their outputs.
Training accuracy of neural network depends on
the sample selection. The selection and disposal of
samples is necessary before training. Here the samples
are selected from the performance curve of the com-
pressor provided by manufacturer, as shown in Fig. 1.
(5) The prediction of compressor characteristic curve
is performed with the two tri-layer BP networks. The
experimental data of compressor are samples of training
for neural-networks. In order to ensure the accuracy of
(6) the model, following procedures are implemented
(here the modeling of the 4th compression ratio and
poly-tropic of a compressor is taken as an example).
(1) Collect the experimental data. 273 and 266
sets of data are selected in the two models.
(7)
(2) Improve the learning efficiency. The input
data of training samples are normalized in the range
[1, 1] and their output data are normalized in the
range [0.1, 0.9], by
2 x xmin
0.8( y ymin )
x= 1, y = + 0.1 (11)
xmax xmin ymax ymin
(3) Train the two BP neural networks. The mod-
els of the compressor ratio and poly-tropic efficiency
are built, each of which has two inputs, one output and
(9) three hidden layers. The training MSE values between
 Chin. J. Chem. Eng., Vol. 20, No. 6, December 2012
Figure 1 Characteristic map of compressor
predicted values and actual values for the compression
ratio and poly-tropic efficiency of the 4th stage com-
pressor are 2.5104 and 1.5105, respectively. By
using these two models, parameters at constant nor-
malized corrected speed ratios n = 0.7, 0.75, 0.8, 0.85,
0.9, 0.95, 1.0, 1.05 are represented in Figs. 2 and 3.
Figure 2 Compression ratio of the fourth-stage of com-
pressor
Figure 3 Poly-tropic efficiency of the fourth-stage of com-
pressor
(4) Predict the compressor performance under
other operating conditions. For other compressor speed
ratios, the compression ratio and efficiency maps can be
calculated by BP model. For example, the performance
1091
curves at constant normalized corrected speed ratio
n = 1.012, not provided by manufacturer, is shown in
Figs. 2 and 3. Such results can be used to optimize the
operation of equipment.
4 APPLICATION IN ASPEN PLUS MODEL
A cracking gas compression system of an olefins
plant is used to illustrate the application of the perform-
ance curve prediction. This system is composed of a
four-stage centrifugal compressor, 8 heat exchangers, 7
flash separators and a caustic scrubbing tower, as shown
in Fig. 4. The cracking gas compressor consists of 4
stages (1ST, 2ND, 3RD, and 4TH), with caustic scrub-
bing between the 3RD and 4TH. The cracking gas
comes from quench tower as feedstock enters the sepa-
rator. FW1, FW2, FW3 and FW4 are water streams,
which are added to stage inlets of compressor to reduce
the outlet temperature. The PR-BM (Peng Robinson
Boston-Mathias) cubic equation of state is selected as the
global thermodynamic property method. STEAMNBS
is selected for water and steam where appropriate.
In the production process of ethylene, the fourth-
stage outlet temperature of the compressor is higher
than 100 C, at which one of the main components in
cracking gas, 1, 3-butadiene, may polymerize [14]. It
will coke at compressor blades, impacting the normal
working condition and resulting in the loss of dienes
[15]. The poly-tropic efficiency of the fourth-stage is
only about 65%, lower than that of the other stages
(75%-80%). There are several methods to reduce the
outlet temperature, e.g., increasing the stage of com-
pressor and reducing the compression ratio of the 4th
stage, or adjusting the operating conditions to make
the system more balance.
By the analysis of thermodynamics, the outlet
temperature of a compressor can be calculated as follows
m 1 k 1
Tout = Tin m = Tin k
(12)
1092 Chin. J. Chem. Eng., Vol. 20, No. 6, December 2012

Figure 4 Crack gas compressor system of the olefins plant

Table 1 Comparison of the two conditions

Relative 1st stage 2nd stage
R2 flow Power
speed
rate/kgh1 /kW Outlet Efficiency Outlet Outlet Efficiency Outlet
n/n0
pressure/Pa /% temperature/C pressure/Pa /% temperature/C
case 1 0.955 0 5361 494466 79.72 78.1 1313172 78.98 85.1
case 2 0.959 350 5533 500545.5 79.60 78.7 1341543 78.74 86.0

3rd stage 4th stage

Relative R2 flow Power
speed n/n0 rate/kgh1 /kW Outlet Efficiency Outlet Outlet Efficiency Outlet
pressure/Pa /% temperature/C pressure/Pa /% temperature/C
case 1 0.955 0 5361 3372096 75.72 93.5 7518315 64.82 102.1
case 2 0.959 350 5533 3489633 75.28 94.9 7522368 67.43 97.4

where m is the poly-tropic index and k is the adiabatic
index. According to Eq. (12), the outlet temperature is
influenced by compressor efficiency, inlet temperature,
compression ratio, and adiabatic index. Adiabatic in-
dex is a constant when the gas components through
the compressor are not changed. The inlet temperature
of compressor has a direct affect on the outlet tem-
perature. Decreasing the inlet temperature can signifi-
cantly reduce the outlet temperature. When the inlet
temperature is adjusted by cool water, the inlet tem-
perature is usually set at 25 C. According to Eq. (12),
decreasing the compressor compression ratio and in-
creasing the efficiency can also reduce the outlet tem-
perature. Because the cracking gas should reach the
required pressure, reducing the fourth-stage compres-
sion ratio means increasing the compression ratios of
other three stages, by increasing the rotation speed.
According to the flow-sheet, there is a feedback
stream used to prevent the compressor surge. Increas-
ing its flow rate will decrease the compression ratio
and increase the poly-tropic efficiency. It usefully de-
creases the fourth-stage outlet temperature.
In order to solve the problem, a process simulation
software, Aspen plus [16], is used to model the process,
with which each process in petroleum chemical indus-
try can be described accurately.
As mentioned above, the compression ratio and
efficiency are the two main factors to model a com-
pressor. The preset methods in Aspen Plus are inter-
polation and extrapolation or polynomials method, the
precision of which is lower. In this study, we use a
tri-layer neural network to model the performance map
for the four-stage compressor. In order to optimize this
compressor, the compression ratio and poly-tropic
efficiency of these four sections are modeled sepa-
rately. Eight BP neural network models are built and
embedded into the Aspen Plus model. The change in
outlet temperature is examined by adjusting the opera-
tion conditions.
We can obtain all the compressor parameters un-
der any condition conveniently by the method based
on analysis and prediction of its characteristic perform-
ance map. Table 1 lists the comparison of two cases.
Case 1 is optimized through multiple trials of Aspen
Plus with the outlet temperature as the constraint con-
dition and the energy consumption as the objective.
Case 2 is the optimization results of the fourth stage
compressor. In Case 1, the outlet temperature of the
fourth stage deceases from 102.1 C to 97.4 C and
the relative rotation speed increases from 0.955 to
0.959. By increasing the flow rate of the feedback
stream, the poly-tropic efficiency of the fourth stage is
increased from 64.82% to 67.43%. Although the en-
ergy consumption increases, the increment percentage
 Chin. J. Chem. Eng., Vol. 20, No. 6, December 2012
is very small in an ethylene industry. This adjustment
is feasible to prevent coking from the change of the
normal working condition of compressor.
5 CONCLUSIONS
In this paper, an analysis and prediction approach
for characteristic curves of centrifugal compressor is
presented. BP neural networks are used to reproduce
the relationship between input and output variables of
compressors. Experimental data provided by manufac-
turer are used for neural network training and the mod-
els of compression ratio and poly-tropic efficiency are
set up. Predictions from the model of characteristic
maps are used for the simulation and optimization of a
cracking gas compressor system, and satisfactory re-
sults are obtained.
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