Introduction and Classification of Fluid Machines: Hemant KR Choudhary

Introduction and classification
of Fluid Machines
Hemant kr choudhary
• A fluid machine is a device which convert the energy stored by a fluid into
mechanical energy or vice versa.
• The energy stored by a fluid mass appears in the form of potential, kinetic and
intermolecular energy.
• The mechanical energy, on the other hand, is usually transmitted by rotating
shaft.
• Machines using liquid (mainly water, for almost all practical purpose) are termed
as hydraulic machines.
• These hydraulic machines have a wide range of applications ranging from
hydroelectric power generation to the pumping of underground water for
domestic, agricultural, and industrial purpose.
Classification Based on Direction of
Energy Conversion.
• Power-Producing Machines: The device in which the kinetic, potential
or intermolecular energy held by the fluid is converted in the form of
mechanical energy of a rotating member is known as a turbine .
• Power-absorbing Machines: The machines, on the other hand, where

the mechanical energy from moving parts is transferred to a fluid to
increase its stored energy by increasing either its pressure or velocity
are known as pumps, compressors, fans or blowers depending on the
relative values of pressure rise and volume flow rate.
Classification Based on Principle of
Operation
• Positive Displacement Machines
• Turbomachines
• Radial-Flow (Centrifugal)
• Axial-Flow
• Mixed-Flow
Positive Displacement Machines
• The machines whose functioning depend essentially on the change of
volume of a certain amount of fluid within the machine
• The word positive displacement comes from the fact that there is a
physical displacement of the boundary of a certain fluid mass as a
closed system. This principle is utilized in practice by the reciprocating
motion of a piston within a cylinder while entrapping a certain
amount of fluid in it. Therefore, the word reciprocating is commonly
used with the name of the machines of this kind. The machine
producing mechanical energy is known as reciprocating engine while
the machine developing energy of the fluid from the mechanical
energy is known as reciprocating pump or reciprocating compressor.
Turbomachines/Rotodynamic Machines
• Pumps and turbines in which energy is supplied or extracted by a rotating shaft are properly
called turbomachines
• They are distinguished from positive displacement machines in requiring relative motion between
the fluid and the moving part of the machine. The rotating element of the machine usually
consisting of a number of vanes or blades, is known as rotor or impeller while the fixed part is
known as stator. Impeller is the heart of rotodynamic machines, within which a change of angular
momentum of fluid occurs imparting torque to the rotating member.
• For turbines, the work is done by the fluid on the rotor, while, in case of pump, compressor, fan or
blower, the work is done by the rotor on the fluid element.
• Depending upon the main direction of fluid path in the rotor, the machine is termed as radial flow
or axial flow machine .
• In radial flow machine, the main direction of flow in the rotor is radial while in axial flow machine,
it is axial. For radial flow turbines, the flow is towards the centre of the rotor, while, for pumps
and compressors, the flow is away from the centre. Therefore, radial flow turbines are sometimes
referred to as radially inward flow machines and radial flow pumps as radially outward flow
machines. Examples of such machines are the Francis turbines and the centrifugal pumps or
compressors. The examples of axial flow machines are Kaplan turbines and axial flow
compressors.
• If the flow is partly radial and partly axial, the term mixed-flow machine is used.
Classification Based on Fluid Used
• The fluid machines use either liquid or gas as the working fluid depending
upon the purpose. The machine transferring mechanical energy of rotor to
the energy of fluid is termed as a pump when it uses liquid, and is termed
as a compressor or a fan or a blower, when it uses gas. The compressor is a
machine where the main objective is to increase the static pressure of a
gas. Therefore, the mechanical energy held by the fluid is mainly in the
form of pressure energy. Fans or blowers, on the other hand, mainly cause
a high flow of gas, and hence utilize the mechanical energy of the rotor to
increase mostly the kinetic energy of the fluid. In these machines, the
change in static pressure is quite small.
• For all practical purposes, liquid used by the turbines producing power is
water, and therefore, they are termed as water turbines or hydraulic
turbines . Turbines handling gases in practical fields are usually referred to
as steam turbine, gas turbine, and air turbine depending upon whether
they use steam, gas (the mixture of air and products of burnt fuel in air) or
air.

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Introduction and classification

• Power-absorbing Machines: The machines, on the other hand, where

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