METHOD AND SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF MEANS FOR COMPRESSING A FLUID MEDIUM AND CORRESPONDING NETWORKS

摘要

Systems and methods are disclosed for the automatic control of one or more pumping and compressing machines and of the related fluid network. The method involves controlling the output of the compressing means, in order to maintain a substantially constant pressure immediately before the user of the fluid medium. The system includes compressing means for compressing a fluid including at least one dynamic compressing means; means for changing the output of at least one dynamic compressing means; a plurality of users of the fluid; a network fluidly connecting the compressing means to the users; throttling means disposed in the network and connected immediately before each of the users; a separate pressure control means for controlling each of the throttling means; first group of sensing means disposed in the network immediately before each throttling means for generating signals corresponding to the pressure immediately before each of the throttling means; second group of sensing means disposed in the network after each respective throttling means for generating signals corresponding to the pressure immediately after each of the respective throttling means and directing their output signals to corresponding pressure control means; comparing means for, selecting the lowest pressure before the throttling means indicated by the first group of sensing means; and switching means for directing the signal of the pressure control means corresponding to that one of the throttling means which has the lowest pressure before it to the means for changing the output of the dynamic compressing means thereby to maintain a required constant pressure after the one throttling means, and for directing the output signals of all the rest of the pressure control means to control the respective throttling means in order to maintain the required constant pressure after each of them. One purpose of such systems and methods is to maintain only the required pressure just after a source or just before a user so as to reduce the compressing or pumping energy required. Another purpose is to divide the load within a group of one or more compressing or pumping machines so as to compress the fluid with reduced use of energy and improved pressure control. Yet another purpose is to improve protection of the turbo compressors when used in parallel from dangerous levels of operation.