Under what conditions is it necessary to design anti-surge control for centrifugal compressors
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Some people say that if the compression ratio is not high, there is no need to design anti-surge mechanisms. Is that the case? Is it necessary to design anti-surge protection for centrifugal compressors? Under what conditions can design be omitted? Is it necessary for anti-surge design to include an anti-surge valve circuit?
Let’s see if the air volume will suddenly decrease; for example, it is generally not necessary at the inlet of the air compressor, as air from the atmosphere can be drawn in directly
Surge is generally caused by a sudden decrease in the volume of air entering the system. It depends on your operating conditions; if this occurs, you may consider installing something to protect the equipment
A surge valve is used to protect the compressor, preventing it from suffering damage due to surging. Surging can occur when the flow rate at the compressor inlet decreases suddenly, when there is pressure buildup at the outlet, or when liquid enters the compressor inlet. All centrifugal compressors I’ve seen are equipped with surge valves; similar steam turbines for catalytic reforming also have surge control circuits, while main fans only have surge relief vents.
Thank you all for your answers. What I would like to ask is whether there are any design specifications and standards in this area.
Based on the process conditions, the equipment manufacturers will specify their requirements – such as how to prevent surge and under what conditions surge can occur – as they know this best!
It must be set; surge is an inherent phenomenon of centrifugal compressors, as these compressors are highly sensitive to factors such as gas pressure, temperature, and flow rate.