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S
URGE IN
C
ENTRIFUGAL
C
OMPRESSORS
(B
LOWERS AND
E
XHAUSTERS
)
A centrifugal blower is normally connected to a piping system and delivers air through that system for ultimate use on some required operation.
If the demand of this operation (and consequently of the piping system) gradually or suddenly decreases, the pressure from the blower and in
the piping system will increase until it reaches the highest pressure peak of which the blower is capable.
If the load or volume requirement (demand) decreases still further, the blower delivery pressure tends to decrease from its peak, resulting in the
pressure in the piping system becoming greater than the pressure from the blower. Air then tends to reverse its direction and flow back into the
blower until both pressures become equalized and the blower can again resume its normal function of pumping air into the system.
Until demand requirements increase, this backward and then forward flow of air
– this pulsation or surge – will continue.
It can cause undue
strains on the blower and possibly failure of bearings and/or rotating assembly due to repetitive thrust strain and overheating. It is
costly and dangerous to permit volume (load) requirements to drop so low as to cause surge.
Perhaps the foregoing will be more easily understood by reference to the sketch below, which is a typical pressure volume curve of a
centrifugal blower. Point “A” indicates the normal operating point of a blower. Point “E” is the high point on the curve. Stable conditions will
always be experienced when the volume demand is to the right of this point. Under actual operation, surge is not a factor until the volume
demand of the system drops to a point to the left of point “E”, and until pressure consequently drops below that at point “E”.
The frequency and intensity of pulsation or surge depend upon the slope of the characteristic curve of the blower involved, the rate at which the
air is being removed, the pressure in the blower, and the volume of the piping system to which the blower is delivering air. Backward curved
impellers have a lower volume than units with radial vane impellers. Occasionally a blower will deliver air to a system so balanced that
resonance occurs; in this case, even a slight surge will build up forces to significant amounts.
These same principles apply whether a centrifugal unit is operating as a blower or an exhauster.
The approximate surge point is commonly shown on blower and exhauster performance curves as the first data volume point.
REV 06/23/23
20