Application of Bifurcation Theory to Axial Flow Compressor Instability

When a compression system becomes unstable, the mode of response depends on the operating and system parameters, such as throttle setting and B parameter. Previous numerical work on the model developed by Moore and Greitzer has provided a limited picture of the parametric effects. Applying bifurcation theory to a single-harmonic version of the model has supplied much more complete information, defining the boundaries of each mode of response in the parameter space. Specifically this is shown in a plot of B versus throttle setting, which compares well with the corresponding map produced experimentally. We stress the importance of the shape of the rotating stall characteristic. The analysis shows the qualitative difference between classic surge and deep surge.