Products & Solutions
kmo-Pump Protection – for reliable protection
kmo-Pump Prevention – for stable operation
"A smoothly running turbocompressor is loud and boring," says Karl Morgenbesser, a highly experienced commissioning engineer, troubleshooter, founder, and managing director of kmo turbo GmbH. Every plant operator, in turn, has a keen interest in their machines being and remaining as "boring" as possible.
Things get anything but boring when a turbocompressor unintentionally "surges": cyclic backflow of the compressed medium can lead to high vibrations, pressure surges, rapid temperature increases, and massive damage in the compressor. The failure of the delivery can have fatal consequences for the downstream process.
kmo turbo, a specialist in compressor controls with decades of experience, based in the Zeppelin city of Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance, is dedicated to ensuring the uncompromisingly reliable operation of turbocompressors.
Relevant knowledge – explained concisely.
Our FAQs provide initial guidance. If you want to delve deeper, contact us – the real solutions emerge through dialogue.
A turbo compressor "surges" when the compressor's operating point is pushed out of its stable operating range (performance map) due to a reduced flow rate or increased discharge pressure. Surging is characterized by cyclical forward and reverse flow of the compressed medium and is accompanied by high vibrations, pressure pulsations, and a rapid temperature increase within the compressor. If surging persists, it can lead to massive damage to the compressor in a short time.
Axial compressors and radial compressors with open impellers are particularly susceptible. The loss of compression can also have fatal consequences for the downstream process.
Kompressoren können mit zwei unabhängigen Systemenausgestattet werden:
einer Pumpverhütungsregelung für einen stabilen Betrieb und einer mehrstufigen Pumpschutzsteuerung, die bei Bedarf zuverlässig eingreift, für den sicheren Schutz.
So schützen Sie Ihren Kompressor und Ihren Prozess!
The anti-surge control system ensures stable operation. When approaching the surge limit, the compressor's flow rate is maintained at the minimum possible value by the controlled opening of a bypass valve. If this control system does not engage or engages too late, the compressor will surge.
An anti-surge control system relies on multiple measurement signals. However, due to the susceptibility of these signals to malfunction, an anti-surge control system alone does not provide comprehensive protection:
Leaky impulse lines, or impulse lines where liquid has accumulated, as well as zero-point or span drift, frequently cause measurement errors.
The surge limit is typically influenced by temperature, molecular weight, speed, but also by deposits and wear on the blading. Not all of these influences can be detected and compensated for by an anti-surge control system.
If the anti-surge system does not engage or engages too late, the compressor surges. Only then is the surge protection activated. Its task is then to prevent damage caused by continuous surging through appropriate control interventions.
A higher-level surge protection control system (backflow prevention) thus ensures optimal protection for the compressor.
kmo turbo simultaneously considers four different transmitter signals for pump-specific signal behavior. It monitors the minimum and maximum absolute values, as well as the positive and negative rates of change. Even a transmitter signal that is distorted due to a leaky impulse line will behave in a pump-typical manner (rapid changes) and will be detected by the kmo anti-surge control. This significantly increases the reliability of detecting compressor surge many times over and clearly exceeds the requirements of API 670. Separate transmitters for the anti-surge control are not required; the transmitters of the anti-surge control system should be used.
Der Betreiber profitiert in mehrfacher Hinsicht:
Im Vordergrund steht die dreistufige Pumpschutzsteuerung mit Teilöffnung, Vollöffnung und Abschaltung, die nicht nur den Kompressor zuverlässig schützt, sondern gleichzeitig den Weiterbetrieb desnachgeschalteten Prozesses auch im Störfall ermöglicht – ein klarer Vorteilgegenüber herkömmlichen Systemen.
Die frühzeitige und sichere Erkennung des Pumpens erfolgt durch eine diversitär redundante Auswertung von bis zu vier Transmittersignalen mit charakteristischem Pumpverhalten. Diese Methode übertrifft die Anforderungen der API 670 deutlich und sorgt für höchste Betriebssicherheit –besonders in kritischen Anwendungen.
Kommt es dennoch zu Unregelmäßigkeiten, stehen dem Betreibereinzigartige Diagnosefunktionen zur Verfügung: Die kontinuierliche Aufzeichnung aller pumprelevanten Signale in einem Diagnosespeicher ermöglicht eine präzise und lückenlose Störungsanalyse – auch im Nachhinein.
Die Einbindung in übergeordnete Steuerungssysteme ist dankgängiger Schnittstellen wie Profibus oder Modbus-TCP problemlos möglich. Ebenso überzeugt die einfache Handhabung: Parametrierung, Visualisierung und Inbetriebnahme können mit jedem netzwerkfähigen Gerät – ob PC, Tablet oder Smartphone – komfortabel durchgeführt werden, unterstützt durch eine moderne, webbasierte Benutzeroberfläche.
Abgerundet wird das Konzept durch den Einsatzindustriebewährter Standard-Komponenten mit weltweiter Verfügbarkeit, was die Ersatzteilversorgung erleichtert und eine hohe Wartungsfreundlichkeit sicherstellt.
Experience shows that the initial settings during compressor commissioning do not guarantee safe, stable, and efficient operation in the long term. Over time, operating conditions can change, for example, due to fouled coolers, measurement drift, wear, or failure of individual components, etc.
kmo turbo offers compressor auditing, during which all relevant compressor measurements are recorded, based on which an up-to-date compressor performance map is created. Specific recommendations for action are provided for necessary upgrades and meaningful optimization.