Paper Title
Design & Analysis Of Mechanism For Upstream Control Of Air Volume Using Inlet Guide Valve In Centrifugal Air Compressor

Abstract
Abstract—The cost and performance of Inlet Guide Valve are optimized with designing new efficient mechanism for their actuation. Whirl motion is obtained by using variable inlet guide vanes, located upstream the air compressor in order to realize an angular deviation of the absolute velocity of the fluid at the leading edge of impeller. Inlet Guide Valve is an umbrella term which comprises both inlet Guide Vanes and the mechanism to actuate them. Inlet guide vanes provide an efficient method of turndown for centrifugal compressors. Guide vanes not only provide the inlet pressure drop but also impart a whirl motion to the gas as it enters the compressor impeller. Since this whirl motion is in the rotational direction of the impeller, it reduces the amount of work the impeller is required to do on the gas. It is this whirl motion that results in energy savings at the design conditions. Different iterations of mechanism design for actuation of IGV have been included in this research paper. The designs are then analyzed on factors such as economic viability, simplicity of operation & manufacturing, maintenance requirement etc. to find the best feasible design for air volume control.