Turbine surge

A turbine is a driving device; you’re referring to a centrifuge, right? Its operation is somewhat similar to that of a centrifugal pump used for evacuation – the principle is similar as well: it can pump fluid at times and not be able to do so at other times. You can imagine what the specific phenomena are like.

When surge occurs, the compressor cannot operate properly and the outlet pressure drops below the pressure in the outlet piping system, causing gas to flow back from the piping system into the compressor until the pressure in the piping system is lower than the compressor’s outlet pressure. At this point, the backflow stops and the compressor resumes normal operation. However, once the pressure in the outlet pipeline system returns to its original value, the gas flow rate through the compressor decreases again, causing surging to occur once more, and this cycle repeats itself, resulting in periodic oscillations in the pipeline system. Throughout the process, the compressor generates intense vibrations along with loud noise, causing severe damage to its internal components such as the labyrinth seal, bearings, and impeller. In severe cases, the compressor can be damaged. At the same time, the pipes connected to the outlet of the compressor unit also experience periodic vibrations; the pressure gauges, temperature gauges, and flow meters installed on these pipes show large fluctuations. Meanwhile, the compressor alternates between no-load and overloaded conditions in a short period of time, which is very harmful to the drive systems such as the coupling mechanisms.

To explain this issue in a way that those who have never used a centrifuge can understand, we can use a centrifugal pump as an example. If the inlet pipe of the centrifugal pump gets blocked, or if the volatility of the fluid increases meaning its density decreases, pumping will stop due to vacuum conditions. The same principle applies when a centrifuge experiences surge – for instance, if the valve plate at the inlet of the centrifuge suddenly falls off, or if the purity of the hydrogen gas used in the recycle hydrogen compressor suddenly increases, surge will occur. For more information on surge phenomena, refer to what was said above.

The term surge generally refers to centrifugal compressors, and since most centrifugal compressors are driven by steam turbines, it is sometimes referred to as turbine surge. As you said, turbines do not have this problem.

It’s a typo; of course, it refers to the surge in a turbine-driven compressor

Operationally, this is manifested by significant fluctuations in the inlet flow rate, as well as substantial variations in the rotational speed. Additionally, abnormal noises can be heard from the unit, it vibrates, and there are slight changes in its displacement.

Low inlet flow and high outlet pressure can cause surge. The airflow from the outlet pipeline network flows into the inlet