Nonlinear control experiments on an axial flow compressor

This paper describes the design of and experiments with a nonlinear feedback controller implemented on an industrial type axial compressor. Two-dimensional (2-D) actuation with a ring of bleed valves was used to prevent surge and stall instabilities. For the interstage location of the bleed valves the nonlinear controller design was based on a modified version of the Moore-Greitzer model, also presented in the paper. For downstream bleed, the experimentally determined stability region closely matched the largest region possible under the constraints of the actuators.