1. General system description -5- General system descrij 1.1 Task Fig. 1 shows the performance graph of a turbo compressor. The enthalpy difference (also called compression work or delivery head) above the suction volume flow. This presentation has the advantage that it is independent of changes in the suction condition or the gas composition. The performance graph is divided by the surge limit into a stable and an unstable area. In the unstable area surging occurs. This is a process in which periodically conveyed fluid flows back from the discharge side to the suction side, resulting in inadmissible load reversals on the blading. In order to avoid this surging, compressors are equipped with blow-off or by-pass valves. By means of controlled opening of these valves, the compressor throughput can be increased to such an extent that the machine is operated in the stable range of the performance map. For this purpose, a blow-off line is provided parallel to the surge limit. It is the task of the anti-surge control system to prevent values falling below this line. For reasons of economy, the blow-off losses must be minimized. This is why a special control system is necessary which opens the blow-off valves only as far as is absolutely necessary for pro- tection of the machine. The control system must satisfy three requirements which partly contradict each other. If the compressor is operating to the right of the blow-off line, there must be no intervention on the part of the control system. With the machine operating on the blow-off line, stable behaviour is required. This can be achieved by low controller gain. In the case of operation to the left of the blow-off line, the control system must react at high speed which requires high gain. Control must be achieved quickly enough to prevent the compressor from reaching the surge limit, even in the case of max. disturb- ances from the process (such as operation of a trip valve in the compressor discharge line). For this purpose, a special control system was developed by MAN GHH. It has been patented both at home and abroad.1. General system description - 1.2 Anti-surge control 1.2.1 The control principle Fig. 2 shows the schematic of an anti-surge control system. The minimal allowable compressor suction flowrate is a function of the enthalpy difference delta h. This is calculated by the formula shown in the control schematic from the compressor pressure and suction pressure as well as from the suction temperature. In function generator FG the set-point for the anti-surge control system (minimum permissible suction flowrate) is formed from the enthalpy difference. The control difference is not, as otherwise usual, formed in the controller, but before it. Thus there is a possibility of in- fluencing the control difference depending on the position of the duty point. A non-linear amplifier VG adjusts the control gain to the respec- tive requirements. It is set in such a way that in normal control operation the normal controller gain is effective on the blow-off line or to the right of it. If the blow-off line is exceeded by more than 2%, the controller switches to 5-fold gain. As a result, it is capable of correcting the deviation very quickly. It is desirable to increase the safety margin from the surge limit if the duty point changes towards the surge limit quickly. Due to the high noise levels associated with the pressure drop signal, a differentiating circuit in the controller cannot be utilized, as it would cause instability of the control circuit. By means of a special DYN function module, the blow-off line is made "dynamic". The safety margin from the surge limit is varied as a function of the rated change and the distance of the duty point from the blow-off line. In this way, protection of the machine set during critical operating phases is considerably improved without the need for a wider safety margin when oper- ating under stationary conditions. The positioning speed of the blow-off valve is limited. In open- ing direction the valve is to move as quickly as possible, in closing direction the speed is limited to 5% of the stroke per second. In order to prevent the output of the controller being inadmissibly in advance of the valve position, the position of the blow-off valve is measured and the controller output is adjusted as required by control intervention to the current valve position. In addition to the dynamic blow-off line DYN already described, the apaiget control system has a new dynamic blow-off line (DYN + This device works in such a way that the absolute aes speed of the duty point to the blow-off line is determined and compared with the current distance of the dutyMAN He 1. General system description -7- point from the blow-off line. As a function of the particular rated change there is a minimum distance from the blow-off line at which by opening the blow-off valve at maximum positioning speed exceeding of the blow-off line can be just prevented. The higher the speed, the earlier the opening of the blow-off valve must start. As soon as the speed of the duty point has become so low that the necessity for quick opening no longer prevails, the system switches over to normal control and the blow-off valve is steadily adjusted by the PI controller. The flow signal (effective pressure) is superimposed by a “roaring noise" due to eddy formation in the coppressor inlet. In order that the new dynamic blow-off line DYN does not & react to every small shifting of the duty point due to the roaring noise, an adaptive filter is fitted. This filter allows duty point shifts in the direction of the blow-off line to pass without delay, then shifts in the opposite direction by means of a low pass filter. The blow-off controller itself has PI characteristics. Its output acts on a proportionally functioning position controller which controls the blow-off valve via an electro-hydraulic control valve or an electro-pneumatic converter. The position reversal is effected via a remote positioner. Fig. 2 shows an electro- hydraulic positioner Turbolog EKU 432. For this device, there is a separate operation manual. Naturally, other positioners can also be used. The anti-surge controller can also actuate several blow-off valyes in parallel if for capacity reasons one valve is not sufficient. 1.2.2 Discharge pressure limit control system In order to protect plant parts downstream, a discharge pressure limit control system is often demanded. A horizontally set blow-off line cannot meet this demand. At constant end pressure, the enthalpy difference delta h is in fact constant, but here no definite allocation between the set value (end pressure/enthalpy difference) and actual value (flowrate) prevails any longer. The Turbolog control system therefore has a discharge pressure limit control system. The measured discharge pressure is compared with the set-point PS and the difference is signalled to the maximum selection MAX. This allows the control difference from the controller pass in each case which opens the blow-off valve furthest. Thus it is ensured that neither the blow-off line nor the discharge pressure limit line can be exceeded. The transition from the one control type to the other takes place flexibly. | The advantage of the discharge pressure limit of the anti-surge control system is that the anti-surge control system as a safety control system is in a position to balance out deviations very quickly.