Compressor Surging Under Control

Prabhat Yadav

Turbocompressors, either centrifugal or axial, are the heart of many industrial processes. Often,
these compressors are critical to the operation of the plant, yet they are seldom installed with a
spare unit. Surging represents a major threat to compressors and these processes. Surge
prevention is an important process control problem in these environments as surging can result
in costly downtime and mechanical damage to the compressors. An effective anti-surge control
system is critical for every turbocompressor.

Understanding Surge

Many believe that surging is analogous to cavitation in a centrifugal pump, but this is not the
case. Surging is defined as a self oscillation of the discharge pressure and flow rate, including a
flow reversal. Every centrifugal or axial compressor has a characteristic combination of
maximum head and minimum flow. Beyond this point, surging will occur. During surging, a flow
reversal is often accompanied by a pressure drop.

Surging is best illustrated by observing the movement of the compressor operating point along
its characteric curve as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Examining the Characteristic Curve

Development of the Surge Cycle

Consider a compressor system as shown in Figure 2. The discharge pressure is marked Pd and
the downstream vessel pressure is Pv.

Figure 2: Example Compressor System

Now, referencing Figure 3, assume that the system is operating at steady state at Point D. If the
demand for gas is reduced, the operating point will move toward Point A, the surge point. If the
load is reduced enough, the compressor operating point will cross Point A. Beyond Point A, the
compressor loses the ability to increase the discharge pressure such that Pd will become less
than Pv. This is the flow reversal observed during surging. The operating point will then jump to
Point B.

Figure 3: Graph of Operating Points

Point B is not a stable operating point. When the flow reversal occurs, the discharge pressure
drops. This forces the operating point to move from Point B to Point C. At Point C, the flow rate
is insufficient to build the necessary pressure to return to Point A. Thus, the operating point
moves to Point D where the flow rate is in excess the load demanded and the pressure builds
until Point A is finally reached. This completes a single surge cycle. The next cycle begins again
with another flow reversal and the process repeats until an external force breaks the surge
cycle.

Consequences of Surging

Consequences of surging can include:

1. Rapid flow and pressure oscillations cause process instabilities

2. Rising temperatures inside the compressor
3. Tripping of the compressor
4. Mechanical damage

Mechanical damage can include:

• Radial bearing load during the initial phase of surging. A side load is placed on the rotor
which acts perpendicular to the axis.
• Thrust bearing load due to loading and unloading.
• Seal rubbing
• Stationary and rotating part contact if thrust bearing is overloaded.

Anti-Surge Control

The only way to prevent surging is to recycle or blow down a portion of the flow to keep the
compressor away from it's surge limit. Unfortunately, compressing extra flow results in a severe
economic penalty. Thus, the control system must be able to accurately determine the
compressor's operating point as to provide adequate, but not excessive, recycle flow.

A Surge Limit Line (SLL) is the line connecting the various surge points of a compressor at
varying RPMs. The set point of the anti-surge controller is represented on the compressor map
shown in Figure 4 by a line which runs parallel to the surge limit line. This line is called the
Surge Controller Line (SCL). The controller is then able to calculate the deviation from the
operating point to the SCL.

Figure 4: Compressor Operating Map

The compressor surge limit is not fixed with respect to any one measured variable such as
compression ratio or pressure drop across the flow meter. Instead, it is a complex function that
is dependent on the gas composition, RPM, suction temperature, and pressure. A closed loop PI
controller would be unable to prevent surge during large or fast disturbances. Therefore, such a
controller would be unable to stop surge. Rather, the controller would simply cycle the recycle
valve open and closed in response to successive surge cycles. For a PI controller to act quickly,
the "b" value would need to be high. This would result in a decreased operating region for the
compressor when the recycle valve is closed.

Thus, an open loop control is used in conjunction with the closed loop in an anti-surge controller.
The overall configuration is shown in Figure 5. A Recycle Trip Line (RTL) is used between the
SLL and the SCL. Small or slow distrubances are managed by the closed loop controller which
keeps the compressor operating point to the right of the RTL. For large or fast disturbances, the
compressor operating point will reach the RTL. At this point, the open loop control will be
initiated. This will add a step change which is a function of the compressor operating point at the
moment it reaches the RTL. In this manner, the fast opening valve will be sufficient to stop
surging.

Adaptive gain is also used in the anti-surge controller. When the operating point moves quickly
toward the SCL, the adaptive gain move the SCL toward the operating point.
Figure 5: Compressor Anti-Surge Control Scheme

Anti-Surge Valve Requirements

1. The valve must be large enough to prevent surging under all possible operating conditions.
However, a valve which is too oversized will result in poor control.

2. Stroke speed - A fast stroke speed is very important.

Recommended Full Stroke Times

Size Close to Open Time Open to Close Time
1" to 4" 1 second < 3 seconds
6" to 12" 2 seconds < 5 seconds
16" and up 3 seconds < 10 seconds

3. Ensure adequate air supply to properly operate the valve.

4. Tubing run should be minimized to reduce lag time.

5. One or more volume boosters are required to ensure fast response and equal opening and
closing time.
6. Fail position should be open