Assessment of the impact of shaped nozzles installed inside the pipeline on the energy efficiency of compressed gas systems

Pressure pulsations and vibrations generated in gas discharge pipelines are one of the main causes of failure in a compressed gas system. Installation of shaped nozzles in the compressor discharge manifold is one of the new ideas to minimize this phenomenon. It has been proven that shaped nozzles technology is able to minimize the unfavorable phenomena of pressure pulsation and thus the pipeline vibration. The production of such components using 3D printing techniques is a very good solution, as they have complicated shapes and are individually produced for a specific installation. The world is currently struggling with an excess of waste and a shortage of energy. Therefore, modern technology should be part of the sustainable development strategy, according to which the amount of energy consumed during the processes should be reduced. This article presents the influence of shaped nozzles on the specific compression power mounted in the discharge manifolds of two different compressors: reciprocating and screw. This influence can also be estimated by a conceptual model presented in the article. Based on the values of specific compression power, obtained during carried out research, it can be concluded that 3D printed nozzles may have a minor impact on the energy efficiency of compression depending on their shape complexity.