###### Abstract  
Aero-engine core compressor preliminary design strategy has been successfully applied to the advanced design of gas turbines compressors. However, few researchers have addressed the application of the aero-engine core compressor preliminary design strategy in the preliminary optimal design of industrial process compressors. Here we embedded the aero-engine core compressor preliminary design strategy into a preliminary optimal design method, in which six types of design parameters widely used to define the aero-engine compressor configuration, i.e., aspect ratio, solidity, reaction, rotation speed, outlet axial Mach number, and inlet radius ratio, were used as the design variables. The 4-stage, 5-stage, 6-stage, and 7-stage compressor configuration with the same overall design requirements for a large-scale air separation main compressor were preliminarily optimized by the developed method, in which the 4-stage design has a stage pressure rise level of current aero-engine core compressors, whereas the 7-stage design has that of current industrial process compressors. The optimized compressor configurations were then refined with the throughflow-based detailed design method and finally verified with computational fluid dynamic simulations. It is found that the developed method can optimize design efficiency and accurately predict aerodynamic performance of compressors in a few minutes. Several design guidelines for the advanced industrial process compressors were also identified. This work is of significance in extending aero-engine core compressor design strategy to the design of advanced industrial process compressors. multi-stage axial-flow industrial compressor; aero-engine; preliminary optimal design; detailed design; performance prediction model; genetic algorithm +
Footnote †: 2021: 5 October 2021  
[PERSON] and [PERSON] [6], who optimized an aerospace compressor configuration by using a one-dimensional meanline design method. In 2020, [PERSON] et al. [7] presented a comprehensive study on the accuracy and sensitivity of a total of 2448 model combinations (36 deviation angle models times 68 flow loss models) of on-design and off-design performance predictions for compressors in aero-engine applications. They concluded that at the design point, most of the widely used empirical deviation and loss models are capable of predicting the overall aerodynamic performance within a 2 percent error band, though prediction error at the off-design points was a little higher. One of the most successful engine core aero-derivative technologies is LM2500, the most widely used gas turbine in marine ships and natural gas pipelines. [PERSON] et al. [8] reviewed the early evolution of aero-derivative technologies used in the LM2500 gas turbine compressors, a descendent of the J93 engine compressor. The work input and reaction per stage and annulus area per row were selected as key design parameters during the preliminary design phase. Subsequently, [PERSON] et al. [1] developed the LM2500+ compressor by zero staging the LM2500 compressor to upgrade the flow and pressure ratio. Another successful engine core aero-derivative technology was reported by [PERSON] et al. [2], in which a series of aero-engine compressor design technologies were used to upgrade a high pressure ratio 22-stage compressor for applications in power-generation heavy-duty gas turbines. At the preliminary design phase, channel shape, channel exit radius, number of stages, specific inlet mass flow, reaction, stage pressure ratio, and solidity were selected as the design parameters. However, most applications of aero-derivative technologies to date have been limited to power generation heavy-duty gas turbines, and marine ship and natural gas pipeline median-duty gas turbines. The application of aero-derivative technologies in the design of large-scale industrial process compressors were quite scarce.