Process for controlling a plurality of turbo engines in parallel or tandem operation

Abstract

A plurality of turbo engines ( 1, 2, 3 ) cooperate in a station, and each turbo engine with the drive machine ( 4, 5, 6 ) driving it forms a machine unit, with which a machine controller ( 28, 29, 30 ) is associated. To control these turbo engines ( 1, 2, 3 ) in parallel or tandem operation to observe at least one process variable, which is preset by the station and is common to all turbo engines ( 1, 2, 3 ), the preset, common process variable is set directly to each of the machine controllers ( 28, 29, 30 ), and this preset, common process variable is controlled exclusively via the machine controllers ( 28, 29, 30 ) associated with the particular machine unit.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A process for controlling a plurality of turbo engines cooperating in a station in parallel or tandem operation to observe at least one process variable, the process comprising: 
 presetting at least one process variable common to all turbo engines of the station;    forming a machine unit of each turbo engine with a drive machine, with which a machine controller is associated;    sending the preset common process variable directly to each of the machine controllers; and    controlling the preset common process variable based on a deviation of the preset common process variable and an actual value associated with the variable sensed at the particular machine unit exclusively via the machine controllers associated with the particular machine unit.    
     
     
         2 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the final pressure of the compressors is used as the process variable.  
     
     
         3 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the flow through the compressors is used as the process variable.  
     
     
         4 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the suction pressure of the compressors is used as the process variable.  
     
     
         5 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the pressure ratio of the compressors is used as the process variable.  
     
     
         6 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the load distribution in parallel operation is used as the process variable.  
     
     
         7 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the load distribution in tandem operation is used as the process variable.  
     
     
         8 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the power of the turbines used as drive machines is used as the process variable.  
     
     
         9 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the inlet pressure of the turbines used as drive machines is used as the process variable.  
     
     
         10 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the outlet pressure of the turbines used as drive machines is used as the process variable.  
     
     
         11 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the tapping pressure of the turbines used as drive machines is used as the process variable.  
     
     
         12 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the flow through a turbine used as a drive machine is used as the process variable.  
     
     
         13 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the current of an electric drive machine is used as the process variable.  
     
     
         14 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of process variables are combined within a station.  
     
     
         15 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the output variables of the capacity controllers are at the same ratio to one another in order to reach a uniform load of all machines.  
     
     
         16 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the set points for the load distribution controllers are at a fixed but not equal ratio to each other in order to reach a predetermined, nonuniform load of all machines.  
     
     
         17 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the factor by which the set points of the load distribution controllers deviate from each other is a function of a process variable in order to reach a desired load of all machines.  
     
     
         18 . A process in accordance with  claim 17 , wherein the power of the turbine used as the drive machine is used as the influencing process variable.  
     
     
         19 . A process in accordance with  claim 17 , wherein the distance of a process variable from a limit or any other optimization algorithm is determined.  
     
     
         20 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the factor by which the set points of the load distribution controllers deviate from each other can be influenced arbitrarily in order to reach a desired load of all machines.  
     
     
         21 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein set points and actual values are preset and measured jointly for all machine units.  
     
     
         22 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein set points and actual values are preset and measured individually for each machine unit.  
     
     
         23 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein one deviation is selected among the deviations of a plurality of process variables and the other, not needed deviations are switched to zero.  
     
     
         24 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein one deviation is selected among the deviations of a plurality of process variables, and the set point of one of the non-selected process variables is switched to zero.  
     
     
         25 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the deviations of all process variables are switched to zero and that the control is performed manually.  
     
     
         26 . A process in accordance with  claim 23 , wherein a machine controller with a proportional part and an integral part is used and the control is performed manually such that the manual intervention acts only on the integral part.  
     
     
         27 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the deviation of the machine controllers of the machine units, which are operated at the upper power limit, is reduced to zero, and that the actually effective deviation is added to the deviation of the other machine units.  
     
     
         28 . A process in accordance with claims  1 , wherein the deviation is switched via an extreme selection.  
     
     
         29 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the deviations for limitations are switched to a maxima of a minimum selection and that the deviations for a minimum limit act on a maximum selection.  
     
     
         30 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the deviations for different process variables are multiplied by different gain factors.  
     
     
         31 . A process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the adjustment time of the controllers is adapted individually such that the process variable that is the leading process variable is determined from a comparison of the individual inputs of the maximum and minimum selection with the output and the controller that is in operation is determined from the position of changeover switches of the controllers for the process variables, and it is determined via a selection matrix of control functions which adjustment time shall be effective at which controller combination.  
     
     
         32 . A control system for a plurality of turbo engines, comprising: 
 a plurality of turbo engines cooperating in parallel or in tandem and forming a turbo engine station;    a machine unit formed by each turbo engine, each machine unit including a drive machine driving the operation of the turbo engine;    a machine controller at each a machine unit;    a station input for at least one process variable to control the turbo engines in parallel or tandem operation, the at least one process variable being preset by the station and being in common to all turbo engines;    connections for setting the preset common process variable directly to each of the machine controllers with the preset common process variable being controlled exclusively via the machine controllers associated with the particular machine unit.