Sensitivity Analysis of a Centrifugal Compressor Using the Linearization Method

In this paper the behavior of a centrifugal compressor in response to little variations of some geometric and thermodynamic factors is presented. First-order sensitivity analysis is applied. At first, design equations were specified and linearization was done according to variable and target parameters. These new equations were solved based on parameters and so these linear equations lead to some charts which indicate the effects of little variation in geometric and thermodynamic factors on some performance parameters. The accuracy of this first-order analysis is verified by CFD analysis for a sample case. The two results for the case of 2 percent increase in impeller inlet radius typically are found to be in good agreement. Their agreement shows that the linearization method can be applicable for sensitivity analysis of some simple cases with little acceptable error. The simplicity of this method makes it prominent among other methods like CFD.