Turbomachinery filter change forecaster

• US 10,207,213 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2017
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solar Turbines Incorporated (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Solar Turbines Incorporated (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Inventors: Soldi, Andrea
• Primary Examiner(s): Ha, Nguyen Q.
• Application Number:
  US15/408,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20180200657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2279/60 for the intake of internal combustion engines or turbines intake systems for vehicles comprising filters F02M35/024
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/0086 Filter condition indicators
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/084 Testing filters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/14 Combined heat and power generation [CHP]

Abstract

A method of monitoring a turbomachinery system is disclosed herein. The method includes measuring a pressure drop across an intake filter. The method further includes determining clog rate parameters for a clog rate of a filter area of the intake filter based on the measured pressure drop across the intake filter. The method yet further includes predicting an intake filter life cycle of the intake filter by predicting a pressure drop across the intake filter for the intake filter life cycle based on the determined clog rate parameters, and providing a recommended time to service the intake filter to an operator of the turbomachinery system based on the predicted intake filter life cycle.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring a turbomachinery system including intake ducting and an intake filter for the intake ducting, the method comprising:

measuring a pressure drop across the intake filter;

normalizing the measured pressure drop across the intake filter by a turbomachinery power output;

determining clog rate parameters for a clog rate of a filter area of the intake filter based on the normalized measured pressure drop across the intake filter, the clog rate parameters including a first clog parameter and an exponential clog parameter;

predicting an intake filter life cycle, including predicting a pressure drop across the intake filter for an intake filter life cycle based on the determined clog rate parameters; and

providing a recommended time to service the intake filter to an operator of the turbomachinery system based on the predicted intake filter life cycle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the turbomachinery system includes an intake ducting pressure sensor located in the intake ducting and an intake atmospheric pressure sensor, and wherein measuring the pressure drop across the intake filter includes obtaining an intake ducting pressure value from the intake ducting pressure sensor and an atmospheric pressure value from the atmospheric pressure sensor and determining a difference between the intake ducting pressure value and the atmospheric pressure value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the clog rate parameters for the clog rate of the filter area of the intake filter based on the normalized measured pressure drop across the intake filter and predicting the pressure drop across the intake filter for the intake filter life cycle based on the determined clog rate parameters each include the pressure drop across the intake filter as the density of the air divided by two, times the square of a flowrate of air through the intake filter divided by the effective surface area of the intake filter, and the effective surface area of the intake filter is the filter area minus the clog rate.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the clog rate parameters include a second clog parameter, and wherein determining the clog rate parameters for the clog rate of the filter area of the intake filter based on the normalized measured pressure drop across the intake filter and predicting the pressure drop across the intake filter for the intake filter life cycle based on the determined clog rate parameters each include the clog rate as the product of the first clog parameter, the flowrate and time raised to the power of the exponential clog parameter plus the second clog parameter.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the clog rate parameters for the clog rate of the filter area of the intake filter based on the normalized measured pressure drop across the intake filter and predicting the pressure drop across the intake filter for the intake filter life cycle based on the determined clog rate parameters each include the flowrate as a constant.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising measuring the flowrate with a flowmeter of the turbomachinery system located in the intake ducting.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of measuring the pressure drop across the intake filter, normalizing the measured pressure drop across the intake filter by the turbomachinery power output, determining the clog rate parameters for the clog rate of the filter area of the intake filter based on the normalized measured pressure drop across the intake filter, predicting the pressure drop across the intake filter for an intake filter life cycle based on the determined clog rate parameters and providing the recommended time to service the intake filter to an operator of the turbomachinery system are performed on an interval;

and wherein the step of determining the clog rate parameters for the clog rate of the filter area of the intake filter is based on multiple normalized pressure drops obtained since the latest service was performed on the intake filter.

8. A method of monitoring a turbomachinery system including intake ducting, an intake filter for the intake ducting, a controller, and a human machine interface, the method comprising:

the controller obtaining an intake ducting pressure value from an intake ducting pressure sensor of the turbomachinery system located within the intake ducting;

a forecaster of the human machine interface determining a pressure drop across the intake filter by determining a difference between an atmospheric pressure value and the intake ducting pressure value;

the forecaster determining clog rate parameters for a clog rate of a filter area of the intake filter based on the pressure drop across the intake filter, the clog rate parameters including a first clog parameter and an exponential clog parameter;

the forecaster predicting an intake filter life cycle by predicting a pressure drop across the intake filter for the intake filter life cycle based on the determined clog rate parameters; and

the human machine interface providing a recommended time to service the intake filter to an operator of the turbomachinery system based on the predicted intake filter life cycle.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the forecaster normalizing the measured pressure drop across the intake filter by a turbomachinery power output prior to using the measured pressure drop across the intake filter to determine the clog rate parameters for the clog rate of the filter area of the intake filter.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the human machine interface displays the recommended time to service the intake filter on a display of the human machine interface.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the human machine interface providing the recommended time to service the intake filter to the operator of the turbomachinery system includes the human machine interface providing the recommended time to service the intake filter to a monitoring system, and wherein the monitoring system provides the recommended time to service the intake filter to a monitoring device of the operator.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the turbomachinery system includes an atmospheric pressure sensor, and wherein the controller obtains the atmospheric pressure value from the atmospheric pressure sensor.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the forecaster determining the clog rate parameters for the clog rate of the filter area of the intake filter based on the pressure drop across the intake filter and the forecaster predicting the intake filter life cycle by predicting the pressure drop across the intake filter for the intake filter life cycle based on the determined clog rate parameters each include the pressure drop across the intake filter as the density of the air divided by two, times the square of a flowrate of air through the intake filter divided by the effective surface area of the intake filter, and the effective surface area of the intake filter is the filter area minus the clog rate.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the clog rate parameters include a second clog parameter, and wherein the forecaster determining the clog rate parameters for the clog rate of the filter area of the intake filter based on the pressure drop across the intake filter and the forecaster predicting the intake filter life cycle by predicting the pressure drop across the intake filter for the intake filter life cycle based on the determined clog rate parameters each include the clog rate as the product of the first clog parameter, the flowrate and time raised to the power of the exponential clog parameter plus the second clog parameter.

15. A system for monitoring a turbomachinery system including intake ducting, an intake filter for the intake ducting, a controller, and a human machine interface, the system comprising:

an intake pressure sensor located within the intake ducting; and

one or more processors configured to;

receive an intake ducting pressure value from the intake ducting pressure sensor,

determine a pressure drop across the intake filter by determining a difference between an atmospheric pressure value and the intake ducting pressure value,

determine clog rate parameters for a clog rate of a filter area of the intake filter based on the pressure drop across the intake filter, the clog rate parameters including a first clog parameter and an exponential clog parameter,

predict an intake filter life cycle including predict a pressure drop across the intake filter for the intake filter life cycle based on the determined clog rate parameters, and

provide a recommended time to service the intake filter to an operator of the turbomachinery system based on the predicted intake filter life cycle.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to normalize the measured pressure drop across the intake filter by a turbomachinery power output prior to using the measured pressure drop across the intake filter to determine the clog rate parameters for the clog rate of the filter area of the intake filter.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are configured to display the recommended time to service the intake filter on a display of the human machine interface.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising an atmospheric pressure sensor, and wherein the one or more processors receive the atmospheric pressure value from the atmospheric pressure sensor.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors determining the clog rate parameters for the clog rate of the filter area of the intake filter based on the pressure drop across the intake filter and predicting the pressure drop across the intake filter for the intake filter life cycle based on the determined clog rate parameters includes the pressure drop across the intake filter as the density of the air divided by two, times the square of a flowrate of air through the intake filter divided by the effective surface area of the intake filter, and the effective surface area of the intake filter is the filter area minus the clog rate.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the clog rate parameters include a second clog parameter, and wherein the one or more processors determining the clog rate parameters for the clog rate of the filter area of the intake filter based on the pressure drop across the intake filter and predicting the pressure drop across the intake filter for the intake filter life cycle based on the determined clog rate parameters includes the clog rate as the product of the first clog parameter, the flowrate and time raised to the power of the exponential clog parameter plus the second clog parameter.