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The Art of the Helicopter John Watkinson - Karatunov.net

The Art of the Helicopter John Watkinson - Karatunov.net

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Engines and transmissions 227<br />

Fig. 6.19 (a)<strong>The</strong> single-entry centrifugal compressor. (b)<strong>The</strong> double-entry centrifugal compressor. Centrifugal<br />

compressors are less efficient than axial compressors and today are only used in APUs.<br />

Fig. 6.20 An axial compressor is built with <strong>the</strong> stator in two halves so it can be fitted around <strong>the</strong> rotor.<br />

make, and is less prone to icing, but is less efficient than <strong>the</strong> axial compressor which<br />

requires more components and may require anti-icing measures. <strong>The</strong> small area <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

inlet eye <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> impeller restricts <strong>the</strong> mass flow unless <strong>the</strong> overall diameter is made very<br />

large. Whilst overall engine diameter is less <strong>of</strong> a problem in helicopters, <strong>the</strong> weight <strong>of</strong><br />

a large centrifugal compressor is unwelcome. Centrifugal compressors are obsolete in<br />

main engines, but may be found in APUs.<br />

In <strong>the</strong> case <strong>of</strong> an axial compressor, shown in Figure 6.20, <strong>the</strong> rotor consists <strong>of</strong> several<br />

sets <strong>of</strong> blades or vanes attached at <strong>the</strong>ir inner ends to discs set on a common shaft. Fixed<br />

vanes are set between <strong>the</strong> rotating vanes. <strong>The</strong> fixed vanes are attached at <strong>the</strong>ir outer<br />

ends to a stator assembly that is made in two halves so that it can be assembled around<br />

<strong>the</strong> rotor. <strong>The</strong> fixed vanes act as diffusers for each stage <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> rotor to prevent excessive<br />

velocity being reached. <strong>The</strong> fixed vanes also perform a swirl recovery function. It will<br />

readily be seen that <strong>the</strong> axial design allows a large cross-sectional area to be used at <strong>the</strong><br />

inlet. <strong>The</strong> mass flow must be <strong>the</strong> same in each stage, so as <strong>the</strong> pressure builds up at each<br />

stage, <strong>the</strong> cross-section <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> compressor can be reduced. This is done, for example,<br />

by increasing <strong>the</strong> diameter <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> mounting discs and by using shorter blades. In order<br />

to maintain efficiency over a range <strong>of</strong> mass flows, <strong>the</strong> pitch <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> first stage <strong>of</strong> stator<br />

vanes may be adjusted by an actuator.

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