Compressor surge is a phenomenon where the back pressure of compressed air expelled from the compressor exceeds the maximum capacity of the compressor, causing a sudden and violent backflow of air in the opposite direction to normal flow. This can cause a condition known as compressor stall, which shuts down the compressor and can cause serious damage. In aircraft engines, this can cause the engine to stall or even fail, and has been the cause of several aviation accidents. Supercharger surge is also known to automotive engineers and enthusiasts as it can occur in turbochargers in automobile engines. Modern jet engines have automatic systems to measure fuel delivery to help prevent surges, but debris, extreme conditions, or other equipment failures can cause the compressor to surge.
A compressor surge is a flow through a compressor that is against the direction of flow during normal operation or an oscillating flow in either direction. The surge can cause a condition known as compressor stall, which shuts down the compressor and can cause serious damage. In the case of turbine engines, such as jet aircraft engines, a surge that causes a stall can cause the engine to stall, or even fail, if damaged. This failure is known to have been the cause of several aviation accidents, including the famous emergency landing of a US Airways A320 jet in the Hudson River near Newark, New Jersey in 2009. Supercharger surge is also a phenomenon known to automotive engineers and enthusiasts as it can occur in turbochargers in automobile engines.
Aircraft engines, especially turbines and jet engines are most frequently the subject of discussion when it comes to compressor overvoltage. A number of conditions can lead to this phenomenon, but it mostly occurs under conditions where the compressor is overloaded beyond its ability to move more air. Essentially, the back pressure of the compressed air expelled from the compressor exceeds the maximum capacity of the compressor. This causes a sudden and violent backflow of air in the opposite direction to normal flow. Depending on the severity of the peak and other conditions, this can result in a series of back-and-forth swinging flows through the compressor or cause the compressor to shut down or fail.
When a jet engine experiences a supercharger boost, the violent reversal of airflow usually causes a loud popping noise and an air expulsion or flare from the engine’s intake. This can damage the engine and cause complete engine failure. In less severe cases, it simply causes the motor to stall or sputter. Early jet engines experienced this phenomenon more often due to primitive fuel delivery systems. As the conditions causing compressor overload build up and approach a critical point, modern jet engines have automatic systems to measure fuel delivery to help prevent surges. However, debris, extreme conditions, or other equipment failures can cause the compressor to surge.
For the auto enthusiast, the supercharger boost phenomenon as experienced by a turbocharger causes a “chattering” sound from the engine. These are actually a series of knocking noises at a rapid frequency as the exhaust gases in the turbocharger oscillate, causing the mechanism to stop and start or speed up and slow down, resulting in very erratic boost delivery or power. The phenomenon can occur in any closed system that uses a compressor with flow in a specific direction during normal operation. Any pressure buildup against the direction of flow that causes a reversal of that flow through a compressor can be called a compressor boost.
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