Compressor Protection Upon Trip Chapter 9 ESO Sulton Teating Technical Trating Couses 4 Produced with the assistance of Compressor Controls CorporationTypes of Protection id = Protection when running « Anti-surge control « High / low trips ~ Pressure ~ Flow - Temperature - Vibration = Protection during shutdown ESO Simulabon Training TectniclTrating Couses 2 Centrifugal gas compressors require a variety of protection systems, in order to prevent damage and unsafe situations occurring during their operation. These systems are concerned with the protection of the compressor during the run-down after trip, protection from abnormal situations during normal running and protection from surge using an anti- surge control system. This section of the course will concentrate on the protection required to safeguard the integrity of the machine upon trip or shutdown. When a centrifugal compressor trips or shuts-down the primary objective from a process operations point of view, is to reduce the head (pressure ratio) across the machine and to maintain or increase the flowrate through it to keep the machine away from the surge region. Whether or not the compressor will be damaged by its surging during run-down, will depend on the characteristics and the design of the machine. In some cases the compressor manufacturers are quite happy for a compressor to surge during run-down; these tend to be relatively low power machines and as the power of the compressor increases the danger of surge are more obvious. Unplanntd Shartdown with lomp renor at fill sped rol ON anh - Surat onde) Lao Ly went weMethods of Protection = Recycle valve = Discharge flare valve = Hot-gas by-pass valve = Delay to turbine or motor trip = Plant design «Check valves «Cooler location «Gas volumes ESO Simulation Tainng Technical Training Courses For a large high power centrifugal compressor the affects of surge during trip can be severe and often must be prevented. To achieve a reduction in pressure ratio whilst maintaining or increasing flowrate through the compressor there are a variety of solutions that are commonly employed.