Experimental study on self-healing control based on multi-actuator degradation analysis

Abstract To tackle the remediation of multi-actuator malfunctions in the capacity control system of reciprocating compressors, this study presents a self-healing control methodology. A suite of actuator fault injection experiments and self-healing control validation trials was implemented. The experimental outcomes reveal that the fault degradation magnitude of the capacity control system is correlated with actuator fault modalities as well as system operational condition parameters; the magnitude of fault degradation exacerbates with the escalation in the quantity of malfunctioning actuators, and it also intensifies as the system operational load diminishes. On the basis of the aforementioned research conclusions, the fault degradation magnitude intervals of the compressor can be demarcated. Upon the activation of the self-healing control algorithm, the propagation of faults is efficaciously suppressed; in particular, under the operational conditions of mild and moderate degradation faults, the fluctuations in discharge capacity are regulated within the allowable range within 8 seconds and 13 seconds, respectively, which achieves the rapid restoration of the faulty state to the normal operational state and thus fulfills the stringent operational requirements of industrial manufacturing.