Global stability and control analysis of axial compressor stall and surge phenomena using bifurcation methods

Active controllers that allow the compressor to operate safely at its peak pressure rise point by preventing surge and controlling entry into rotating stall need to be globally stabilizing. Bifurcation methods have emerged as a useful tool for the analysis of global stability and control of nonlinear dynamical systems such as the axial compressor. In this paper we show how bifurcation analysis can be used effectively to obtain answers to questions of global stability of the compressor dynamics. Since the bifurcation method does not directly provide information on transient behaviour, we demonstrate how bifurcation results need to be carefully interpreted to be of use when dealing with practical systems. We then present a novel nonlinear bifurcation-based stall/surge controller that is globally stabilizing. With such a controller, it becomes possible to avoid surge entirely and to prevent abrupt entry into rotating stall. The controller also eliminates the hysteresis between entry into and recovery from a rotating stall, and maintains system stability under all perturbations, small and large.