Assessment of the State and Development Trends of Centrifugal Compressors for Marine Power Plants

Abstract

Centrifugal compressors (CCs) are key components of marine power plants (MPPs), supporting engine boosting, boil-off gas (BOG) handling on liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, and auxiliary services such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC). However, recent publications are often fragmented by domain (aerodynamics, mechanical design, standards, and digitalization), complicating cross-domain engineering decisions for marine duty cycles. This structured review follows an explicit protocol to synthesize peer-reviewed studies (2015–2025) retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science and organizes the evidence by application class: turbocharger-integrated stages for marine diesel and gas-turbine engines, LNG/BOG compression trains, and auxiliary onboard services. The synthesis consolidates (i) aerodynamic KPIs (pressure ratio, efficiency, surge and stall margins, and operating range), (ii) mechanical and lifecycle enablers (seals, bearings, and rotordynamics), and (iii) quantified impacts of digital methods (control, diagnostics, and digital twins). Reported trends include single-stage pressure ratios of ~5.4–5.7, multistage overall pressure ratios exceeding 10, and surge-margin improvements of ~40–44% associated with advanced diffusers as well as casing and endwall treatments. Industrial case studies (non-marine) report downtime reductions of ~25–35% and maintenance-cost reductions of ~25%, while evaluated diagnostic datasets show high accuracy. Key gaps remain in marine-specific validation datasets and harmonized testing and data standards.