MODULAR REFRIGERATION UNIT HEALTH MONITORING

• US 20130191072A1
• Filed: 01/20/2012
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Marchini, Timothy R., Muller, K. Paul, Pizzolato, Katie L., Hadderman, Scott, Vogel, Andrew H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,053,223 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/182
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 49/005 of safety devices F25B49/02 and F25B49/04 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3072 where the reporting involves data filtering, e.g. pattern matching, time or event triggered, adaptive or policy-based reporting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence

Abstract

A method for modular refrigeration unit (MRU) health monitoring includes receiving log data on a log data input from the MRU by a MRU health monitor, the log data comprising a plurality of datapoints, each of the plurality of datapoints comprising a position of a control valve of the MRU and a corresponding time; determining by the MRU health monitor a plurality of MRU parameters from the log data; determining a plurality of MRU health flags based on the MRU parameters; adding the plurality of MRU health flags to determine an MRU health score; determining whether the MRU health score is higher than a replacement threshold; and indicating replacement of the MRU in the event the MRU health score is higher than the replacement threshold.

Claims

1. A method for modular refrigeration unit (MRU) health monitoring, the method comprising:

receiving log data from the MRU on a log data input by a MRU health monitor, the log data comprising a plurality of datapoints, each of the plurality of datapoints comprising a position of a control valve of the MRU and a corresponding time;

determining by the MRU health monitor a plurality of MRU parameters from the log data;

determining a plurality of MRU health flags based on the MRU parameters;

adding the plurality of MRU health flags to determine an MRU health score;

determining whether the MRU health score is higher than a replacement threshold; and

indicating replacement of the MRU in the event the MRU health score is higher than the replacement threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising scheduling a replacement of the MRU in the event replacement of the MRU is indicated.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of MRU health flags comprises an overtemperature recovery (OTR) rate flag, a control valve position increase flag, control valve position average flag, an expected operating threshold flag, and an OTR flag, and wherein each of the MRU health flags is set to one of zero and one based on the log data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the OTR flag is set to one in the event that at least one OTR event is observed in the log data.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the expected operating threshold flag is set to one in the event that a highest control valve position in the log data is higher than an expected operating threshold of the MRU.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the control valve position average flag is set to one in the event that an average control valve position over the log data is determined to be higher than an expected operating threshold of the MRU.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the control valve position increase rate flag is set to one in the event that an average control valve position increase per unit time across the log data is determined to be higher than an expected position increase threshold and a highest control valve position in the log data is higher than a normal operating threshold of the MRU, wherein the normal operating threshold of the MRU is lower than an expected operating threshold of the MRU.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the OTR rate flag is set to one in the event that a rate of increase of a number of OTRs per unit time observed in the log data is higher than an OTR rate threshold.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein adding the plurality of MRU health flags to determine an MRU health score comprises multiplying each of the MRU health flags by a weighting factor and adding the weighted MRU health flags, wherein the OTR rate flag has a weighting factor that is higher than a weighting factor of the control valve position increase flag, the control valve position increase flag has a weighting factor that is higher than a weighting factor of the control valve position average flag, the control valve position average flag has a weighting factor that is higher than a weighting factor of the expected operating threshold flag, and the expected operating threshold flag has a weighting factor that is higher than a weighting factor of the OTR flag.

10. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium containing computer code that, when executed by a computer, implements a method for modular refrigeration unit (MRU) health monitoring, wherein the method comprises:

receiving log data from an MRU, the log data comprising a plurality of datapoints, each of the plurality of datapoints comprising a position of a control valve of the MRU and a corresponding time;

determining by a plurality of MRU parameters from the log data;

determining a plurality of MRU health flags based on the MRU parameters;

adding the plurality of MRU health flags to determine an MRU health score;

determining whether the MRU health score is higher than a replacement threshold; and

indicating replacement of the MRU in the event the MRU health score is higher than the replacement threshold.

11. The computer program product according to claim 10, further comprising scheduling a replacement of the MRU in the event replacement of the MRU is indicated.

12. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of MRU health flags comprises an overtemperature recovery (OTR) rate flag, a control valve position increase flag, control valve position average flag, an expected operating threshold flag, and an OTR flag, and wherein each of the MRU health flags is set to one of zero and one based on the log data.

13. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein the OTR flag is set to one in the event that at least one OTR event is observed in the log data.

14. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein the expected operating threshold flag is set to one in the event that a highest control valve position in the log data is higher than an expected operating threshold of the MRU.

15. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein the control valve position average flag is set to one in the event that an average control valve position over the log data is determined to be higher than an expected operating threshold of the MRU.

16. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein the control valve position increase rate flag is set to one in the event that an average control valve position increase per unit time across the log data is determined to be higher than an expected position increase threshold and a highest control valve position in the log data is higher than a normal operating threshold of the MRU, wherein the normal operating threshold of the MRU is lower than an expected operating threshold of the MRU.

17. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein the OTR rate flag is set to one in the event that a rate of increase of a number of OTRs per unit time observed in the log data is higher than an OTR rate threshold.

18. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein adding the plurality of MRU health flags to determine an MRU health score comprises multiplying each of the MRU health flags by a weighting factor and adding the weighted MRU health flags, wherein the OTR rate flag has a weighting factor that is higher than a weighting factor of the control valve position increase flag, the control valve position increase flag has a weighting factor that is higher than a weighting factor of the control valve position average flag, the control valve position average flag has a weighting factor that is higher than a weighting factor of the expected operating threshold flag, and the expected operating threshold flag has a weighting factor that is higher than a weighting factor of the OTR flag.

19. A modular refrigeration unit (MRU) health monitor, comprising:

a log data input configured to receive log data from an MRU, the log data comprising a plurality of datapoints, each of the plurality of datapoints comprising a position of a control valve of the MRU and a corresponding time; and

MRU health monitoring logic configured to;

determine a plurality of MRU parameters from log data received on the log data input;

determine a plurality of MRU health flags based on the MRU parameters;

add the plurality of MRU health flags to determine an MRU health score;

determine whether the MRU health score is higher than a replacement threshold; and

indicate replacement of the MRU in the event the MRU health score is higher than the replacement threshold.

20. The MRU health monitor of claim 19, wherein the plurality of MRU health flags comprises an overtemperature recovery (OTR) rate flag, a control valve position increase flag, control valve position average flag, an expected operating threshold flag, and an OTR flag, and wherein each of the MRU health flags is set to one of zero and one based on the log data.