Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
I
n refineries, petrochemical and gas processing plants, such
as olefins, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and gas-to-liquids
plants, compressors are some of the most critical and costly 1SPDFTTMJNJU
"EEJOHDPOUSPM
pieces of equipment. For example, capital costs of a single NBSHJOT
refrigerant compressor in an LNG facility can be on the order .BYJNVNTQFFE
of $50 million, and the cost of energy required to run the com- 4VSHFMJNJU
pressor can easily exceed the initial capital cost over the lifetime 1PXFSMJNJU
of the compressor. In addition to capital and operating costs, 3D
compressor surge, which is a fast, high-energy flow instability,
can damage internal components and can lead to downtime 4UPOFXBMMPS
and expensive repair bills. DIPLFMJNJU
Compressors represent a sizeable investment and ongoing
expense. However, recent advances in digital technologies at 4UBCMF[POF
"DUVBMBWBJMBCMF .JOJNVNTQFFE PGPQFSBUJPO
the controller and control valve levels have led to significant PQFSBUJOH[POF
improvements in compressor operation. These advances have
been used to automate startup and improve running efficien- 2T
WPM
cies, while reducing the risk of surge.
Fig. 1 Compressor map with defined operating boundaries.
Surge prevention control systems. Surge is char-
acterized by fast flow reversals through a compressor and is
caused by a large-scale breakdown of flow patterns within the ever, operating a compressor in this fashion means that the
compressor. Surge happens at low flowrates, often when the full capabilities of the compressor go unrealized and that a
downstream demand decreases. When flow decreases beyond larger compressor than necessary needs to be purchased to
a certain minimum point, flow patterns in the compressor meet throughput requirements. Compressor operations can
become unstable and fluid can move back through the com- be improved substantially, and surge protection assured, with
pressor from the high-pressure side to the low-pressure side. a properly designed and well-implemented compressor control
Flow reversals are only temporary, and forward flow is quickly system. Such systems allow the compressor to operate more
re-established once the compressor discharge pressure drops. efficiently and can expand the operating conditions over which
The pattern starts over again, setting up a large-scale flow the compressor can run.
oscillation in the system. The set of operating conditions under
which surge begins, at a given rotational speed, is referred to as Integrated turbine and compressor control. The
the surge point. Because surge is a fast, high-energy phenom- goal of any compressor controller is to operate turbomachinery
enon, it can introduce excessive dynamic loads on internal within a safe operating envelope. A typical compressor map,
components, such as thrust bearings, seals and blades, as well showing operating limitations, is illustrated in Fig. 1.
as introduce unwanted piping vibrations. Over time, surge can Aside from surge limits, compressor controllers must be
introduce fatigue failures that can damage the entire compres- designed to handle a number of physical limitations including
sor. choke, power, process and rotational speed limits. The task of
To prevent surge, a compressor can be operated in a region operating a compressor within this region becomes particularly
far removed from its surge line, although this approach is complex on multistaged compressors or when multiple com-
not always completely successful at eliminating surge. How- pressors are operated in parallel, series or a combination.
HYDROCARBON PROCESSING August 2006
SpecialReport Fluid Flow and Rotating Equipment
$$$
*5$4 4*$ 1*$ 5*$ 5*$ 6*$ 6*$ 6*$
3FG5WM
pushing them toward surge. To protect the high-pressure stages
from surge, antisurge valves around each stage must be opened
in a coordinated manner to stabilize the interacting antisurge
control loops.
With an ITCS combining capacity and antisurge control
along with intricate loop decoupling, the role of the antisurge
control valve becomes critical. Fast-acting, accurate control
is required to ensure that the capacity and antisurge control 5JNF
TFD
functions can be properly integrated. Integrating all of these
control functions requires the antisurge control valve to oper- Fig. 4 Typical large-step response of an antisurge valve with
ate outside of the areas where traditionally intended. robust dynamic performance.
«ÞÀ}
ÌÊ^ÊÓääÈÊLÞÊÕvÊ*ÕLÃ
}Ê
«>Þ°ÊÊÀ}
ÌÃÊÀiÃiÀÛi`°ÊÊÊÊÊÊ*ÀÌi`ÊÊ1°-°°
.OT TO BE DISTRIBUTED IN ELECTRONIC OR PRINTED FORM OR POSTED ON A 7EBSITE WITHOUT EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF COPYRIGHT HOLDER