Robust Stabilization of Axial Flow Compressor Dynamics Via Sliding Mode Design

Issues of the robust stabilization for axial-flow compressor dynamics with respect to the uncertainty in axisymmetric characteristics are presented. This is achieved by the design of sliding mode controllers. By assuming an actuation directly modulating the mass flow such as the close-coupled valve, the domain of attraction for the unstalled operating equilibrium will be enlarged to a great extent. Nonlocal robust stability of the operating equilibrium, with respect to the uncertainty in the unstable branch of axisymmetric compressor characteristic, is also provided by the proposed control laws. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the robust control scheme can be employed to fulfill the task of stall recovery. The proposed stabilization design does not require an explicit form for compressor characteristic.