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PB4102

Antisurge
Series 4 Controller
The Series 4 Turbocompressor Antisurge Controller is the ideal
device for providing protection against surge in centrifugal or
axial compressors. Its unique combination of accurate surge
prediction and tailored control responses protect your
PID compressor with an appropriate margin of safety while
minimizing wasteful recycling or blow-off. The Antisurge
Controller features:
A/D ■ Patented Surge Protection
■ High-Speed, Application-Specific Hardware
■ Integrated Loop Decoupling
The Antisurge Controller is optionally available with high-speed
valve position control.
As an Application Function Module in the Series 4 family of
turbomachinery control products, the Antisurge Controller offers
the added benefit of easy integration with other Application
Function Modules, including the Series 4 Turbomachinery
Performance Controller.
RAM
Patented Surge Protection
A compressor’s surge limit cannot be determined by measuring a
single variable, such as compression ratio or the pressure drop
across a flow meter. Instead, it is a complex function that also
depends on gas composition, suction temperature and pressure,
rotational speed, and guide vane angle. The Antisurge Controller
calculates the compressor’s proximity-to-surge using a
multivariable function that is unaffected by changes in all such
variables. Because the optimum control function for your
compressor will depend on which conditions are fixed and the
compressor’s configuration, the Antisurge Controller allows you
to choose the correct function from a wide variety of options.
The Antisurge Controller also precisely tailors its response to the
size of each process disturbance with a variety of open- and
closed-loop control algorithms. These algorithms prevent surge
without upsetting your process or requiring an overly-large,
energy-wasting safety margin. Proportional-plus-integral action
provides control for slow disturbances, with a provision for
preventing reset windup when the control valve is fully closed.
For fast disturbances, derivative action accelerates the control
response, which increases the margin of safety.

PB4102 (1.2) December 1996


A In situations where the controller’s closed-loop response could
The many features of the
Antisurge Controller include:
■ Proximity-to-surge
calculations that automatically
adapt to changing inlet
conditions.
■ A patented combination of
open- and closed-loop control
responses to provide maximum
surge protection.
■ Automatic sequencing of
compressor start-up and
shutdown.
■ Input fault detection and fall-
back strategies to keep your
compressor on-line in the event
of transmitter failures.
■ Bumpless transfers between
automatic and manual control
modes.
■ Complete integration of control
when used with other Series 4
controllers.
PB4102 (1.2) December 1996
be insufficient to prevent surge, our adaptive open-loop Recycle
®
Trip algorithm opens the antisurge valve even further, using
step sizes based on the instantaneous rate of approach to surge.
This provides just enough added flow through the compressor to
prevent surge without introducing unnecessary process
disruptions.
Finally, if unanticipated circumstances do produce a surge, our
®
Safety On algorithm immediately redefines the surge limit to
stop the surge after a single cycle, then remains in effect to
prevent additional surges.
High-Speed, Application-Specific Hardware
Surge protection is further complicated by the speed at which
surge can develop. It can take only a fraction of a second for a
compressor to move from a relatively safe operating point to one
where surge is inevitable.
The Antisurge Controller employs hardware that has been
specifically designed for the control of turbomachinery. It
continually calculates and adjusts your compressor’s proximity-
to-surge, providing performance that is far superior to general-
purpose controllers.
Integrated Loop Decoupling
Conventional controllers often interact to create pressure and
flow oscillations that degrade system performance and reduce
antisurge protection. In contrast, the Series 4 Turbomachinery
Control System, with its built-in high-speed communication
capability, allows you to implement integrated loop-decoupling
algorithms which can prevent these adverse interactions. This
decoupling allows individual control loops to be tuned for faster
response to achieve more precise control without sacrificing
process stability. By combining the Antisurge Controller with its
companion Performance Controller, process protection, process
efficiency, and control precision can be improved.
Total Train Control ® Systems
The Series 4 Antisurge Controller is designed around the
concept of a Total Train Control (TTC) system. A TTC system
provides an integrated approach to control for an entire
turbomachinery train or network of trains; it also provides fully-
integrated system start-up and shutdown, decoupling of control
loops, and load-sharing algorithms for multimachine networks.
The advantages of such a system are repeatable start-ups,
tighter control, prevention of trips due to adverse control loop
interactions, and improved energy savings.
4725 121st STREET, DES MOINES, IOWA 50323-2316, U.S.A.
Tel: (1) 515-270-0857 • Fax: (1) 515-270-1331 • Web: www.cccglobal.com