Transformation of the control systems for the variable inlet guide vanes of RB211-24G gas generator

RB211-24G gas generator is currently used in the compressor units of natural gas pipelines. Due to continuous equipment improvement and different procurement batches, the variable inlet guide vanes of gas generator are different in configuration, and the control systems of on-site compressor units are also different in hardware and software. As the core part of the gas generator, the variable inlet guide vane plays a key role in the stop/start and normal operation of gas generator. In this paper, the control characteristics of the MOOG valve were measured by comparing the differences between different configurations thoroughly. Then, different control systems were compared from the aspects of hardware and software, and the corresponding transformation methods were proposed. Finally, the methods were applied on site of the gas station for the actual transformation. Ultimately, variable inlet guide vanes are under effective control, the void situations of compressor units are reduced, the equipment utilization efficiency is increased and the support capacity of pipeline network is improved.