Consequences of compressor surge

As I understand it, although the anti-surge valve is manual, it operates in a semi-automatic mode as well; it will open fully on its own when the compressor starts to surge. As for the risks: if surging occurs… There has been no chain reaction of vehicle jumps yet; in severe cases, static and dynamic friction may occur between the stator and rotor, which could damage the blades, impeller, as well as the seals

It may also cause damage to the diaphragm seal

In compressor surging, it is usually the bearing shells that are primarily damaged; the radial and thrust bearings may be shattered as a result. In severe cases, it can damage the impeller and rotor. Of course, no one would allow the compressor to surge to such a high level of vibration.

Surge in centrifuges can easily lead to resonance! It will damage the compressor! The biggest enemy of centrifuges is surge! It is completely harmful to compressors and offers no benefits at all! It’s quite terrifying if resonance occurs!

A governor failure can cause the compressor control interlock to activate and shut it down. Under normal conditions, the anti-surge valve opens quickly to relieve pressure urgently, reducing the outlet pressure so that the flow rate between the compressor stages does not fall within the surge curve. If the anti-surge valve does not open in time under such circumstances, the following hazards may occur: 1. First, as the compressor slows down, the flow rate drops sharply; since it is not possible to compensate for this loss of flow through backflow, surge becomes inevitable. 2. If the outlet vent valve can be opened in time to reduce the back pressure, the damage caused by surge can be minimized. In general, this may result in significant wear on the thrust bearings due to vibration; fortunately, it may not prevent the compressor from being restarted. 3. If the outlet pressure cannot be reduced in time, the compressor rotor will come to a sudden stop due to the reverse pressure difference. At this point, both the vibration and displacement of the compressor experience sharp changes, which causes the greatest damage to the compressor; in severe cases, it can lead to worn bearings or even damage to the impeller. The anti-surge system of the compressor is crucial, and its reliability must be ensured at all times

If this refers only to the consequences that occur when surge occurs and the surge valve cannot be opened, then those consequences can be very serious. Damage to the seals, thrust bearings, and radial bearings is likely the most common outcome; as for more severe effects, it’s hard to say because generally no one would be that reckless.

Compressor surge is equivalent to cavitation in centrifugal pumps, with extremely serious consequences

Reply to 2# lizhenpeng: Once the anti-surge valve is set to manual mode, its opening degree is controlled according to the manually set value (similar to operating a handwheel; in this case, the anti-surge valve remains in a forced closed state). The vibration amplitude of the compressor increases, but it does not reach the value that triggers shutdown interlocks, and neither the outlet pressure nor flow rate reaches such values; it is merely the fluctuations in speed that cause surge.

If the anti-surge valve does not open in time, it may cause damage to the internal components of the unit and blade breakage. Once there is a reversal or something similar, if the dry gas seal is of single-direction type, it may cause damage to the dry gas seal and other components.