Compressor inlet guide apparatus

The compressor of a gas turbine unit is designed to compress air and supply it to the combustion chamber. The compressor rotation speed is constant.

The air supply process often requires changing the flow rate while maintaining a relatively constant pressure. This is necessary to maximize efficiency within predetermined operating conditions.

Changing the output power of a gas turbine usually requires changes in air flow and pressure. Changing these values reduces the inlet flow velocity, which must remain constant. This creates a high flow angle on the inlet edges of the compressor blades , which increases the load and reduces their service life.

The rotating vanes of the inlet guide vanes allow you to change the angle of flow entering the compressor, which allows you to maintain a constant air velocity and reduce compressor load.

The rotary vanes of the inlet guide apparatus have a special design with a rather complex mechanism for adjusting their angle. The mechanism must be highly resistant to contamination in order to maintain the accuracy of the angle adjustment. If contaminants get into the mechanism and the angle is constantly adjusted, premature wear and failure of the moving parts occurs. Accordingly, it is desirable to protect the inlet guide apparatus of the compressor from environmental influences, and the adjustment mechanism should have a minimum mass and no mechanical gaps between the individual parts.