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WHAT IS SURGE?
Surge is defined as the operating point at which the compressor peak head capability and minimum
flow limit are reached. The compressor loses the ability to maintain the peak head when surge occurs
and the entire system becomes unstable. Under normal conditions, the compressor operates to the
right of the surge line. However, as fluctuations in flow rate occur, or under startup / emergency
shutdown, the operating point will move towards the surge line because flow is reduced. If conditions
are such that the operating point approaches the surge line, the impeller and diffuser begin to operate
in stall and flow recirculation occurs. The flow separation will eventually cause a decrease in the
discharge pressure and flow from suction to discharge will resume. This is defined as the surge cycle
of the compressor- see Figure 1.
The surge cycle will repeat itself unless control systems are installed or operational changes are made
to bring the compressor out of the surge cycle. The surge cycle may result in a small or large flow
reversal period depending on the discharge gas volume and the pressure ratio. Chronic surge is
characterized by intermittent periods of small flow reversal that may not cause severe damage to the
machine. Acute surge is more pronounced, usually due to a rapid transition across the surge line. Any
surge event can cause severe damage to the thrust bearings, seals, and the impeller. The extent of the
damage due to surge occurrence is somewhat a function of the compressor design. [1]
Figure 1
SURGE CONTROL
A surge control system should be capable of monitoring the operation of the compressor continuously.
The function of the surge control system is to detect the approach to surge and provide more flow to
the compressor through opening the recycle valve to avoid the potentially damaging flow reversal
period and surge cycling. The surge control system should be designed for the three surge
environments (which may have competing demands) and the compressor operating parameters as well
as manufacturer specifications.
The principle of a centrifugal compressor surge control system is based on ensuring that the flow
through the compressor is not reduced below a minimum flow limit at a specific head. The majority of
surge control techniques restrict the operation of the compressor to flow rates above a defined surge
control line based on the surge margin for a particular compressor. Restriction of the operating
window of the compressor in order to avoid surge because of mistakes in the surge control system
design should be avoided. A properly designed surge control system can allow the operational range
of the compressor to be extended based on the response of the surge control system.
VIEWS OF SURGE
The surge region of the centrifugal compressor may be viewed in terms of flow, head or speed. These
three descriptions affect how the surge region responds to changes in gas composition. The surge line
will change based on gas composition if the surge line is represented by variables that are calculated
based on gas properties (enthalpy, density, or entropy). The different views of surge are more
advantageous to particular operating environments.
The surge limit model is best represented on a head versus flow map because this representation
normalizes the surge line. The compressor head for the performance map is calculated using the
measured temperature, pressure ratio and flow across the compressor, as well as the gas properties.
The reduced head versus reduced flow equation should be used to simplify the equations because
the temperature, specific gravity and compressibility cancel out in both the head and flow
equations. The reduced head is only a function of pressure ratio and flow, calculated as:
The design of the surge control system is more difficult than other station control systems because
of the high speed of disturbances and dynamic nature of surge. In addition, a variety of control
system responses are required, depending on the operating environment and the selected surge
control system components. These are the comparison of three surge control system environment:
Table 1