VALVE PROGNOSTICS FOR POLYMERIC COMPONENTS BASED ON ACCELERATED AGING TECHNIQUES

• US 20150088434A1
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Published: 03/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher Controls International LLC (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher Controls International LLC (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Grabau, Ted Dennis, Bell, Meredith
• Granted Patent: US 10,718,727 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/34
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 37/0075 For recording or indicating the functioning of a valve in combination with test equipment
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 99/008 by doing functionality tests
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 25/00 Investigating or analyzing materials by the use of thermal means G01N3/00 - G01N23/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The claimed method and system develops accelerated aging test protocols for a component of a process control device, such as a polymeric component of a valve assembly, where the accelerated aging test protocol is specifically developed in response to expected operating conditions to be used during operation of the process control device in a process plant installation. Test data from the developed accelerated aging tests is analyzed to determine a projected lifetime profile of the component that profiles the component through failure under those expected operating conditions. Particular profiling for polymeric features includes oxidation failure profiling and other fatigue conditions.

Claims

1. A method for developing a projected lifetime profile for a component of a process control device, the method comprising:

receiving, at a profiler, an indication of at least one operating parameter of the component that effects aging of the component, over time, during operation of the process control device in a process installation;

receiving, at the profiler, in-service operating conditions the component is expected to experience during operation of the process control device in the process installation;

developing, in the profiler, at least one accelerated aging test protocol, based on the in-service operating conditions the component is expected to experience, where the at least one accelerated aging test protocol is designed to simulate operation of the component to failure under the in-service operating conditions;

receiving, from an accelerated test system, accelerated age testing data developed by performing the at least one accelerated aging test protocol on a rendition of the component; and

developing, in the profiler, a projected lifetime profile for the component based on the accelerated age testing data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the process control device is a valve assembly and wherein the component is formed of a polymeric component.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving the indication of the at least one operating parameter the component from a component descriptor in communication with the profiler, and wherein the at least one operating parameter is selected from the group consisting of composition of fluid passing through valve assembly, pressure, current to pressure (I/P), component temperature, ambient temperature, fluid flow rate, valve leakage, oxidation level, valve position, maximum and minimum valve stroke positions, polymeric component compression, and polymeric component material hardness.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the polymeric component is an elastomeric component.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

developing a plurality of proposed accelerated aging test protocols;

identifying, from among the plurality of proposed accelerated aging test protocols, at least one test protocol correlative to an oxidation failure of the polymeric component; and

setting the identified at least one test protocol correlative to the oxidation failure as the at least one accelerated aging test protocol.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

identifying a plurality of test protocols correlative to the oxidation failure of the polymeric component; and

identifying from the plurality of test protocols correlative to the oxidation failure a subset having a higher correlation to oxidation failure than a remaining subset of the plurality of text protocols correlative to the oxidation failure; and

setting the identified subset as the at least one accelerated aging test protocol.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

developing a plurality of accelerated aging test protocols;

receiving, from the accelerated test system, accelerated age testing data developed by performing each of the plurality of accelerated aging test protocols;

determining, in the profiler and from the accelerated age testing data, the accelerated age testing protocol most correlative to an oxidation failure of the polymeric component; and

developing the projected lifetime profile based on the accelerated age testing data from the accelerated age testing protocol most correlative to the oxidation failure.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the projected lifetime profile is an oxidation fatigue profile, a fluid leakage profile, a low temperature fatigue profile.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining if a statistically significant amount of the accelerated age testing data has been received by the profiler, and developing the projected lifetime profile, if a statistically significant amount has been received, otherwise, not developing the projected lifetime profile.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the projected lifetime profile is configured to be updatable in response to changes in actual operating conditions.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

preparing, in the profiler, instructions for performing an accelerated age test based on the at least one accelerated aging test protocol.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the instructions are executable instructions, the method further comprising communicating the executable instructions to the accelerated test system for automatically executing the at least one accelerated aging test protocol.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the projected lifetime profile includes an adjustable parameter for adjusting the lifetime profile according to a measured characteristic of components, corresponding to the component, that were previously in service.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the measured characteristic is hardness and further comprising:

adjusting the adjustable parameter to extend a projected lifetime for the component if the measured hardness of the components that were previously in service is lower than expected according to the projected lifetime profile; and

adjusting the adjustable parameter to shorten the projected lifetime for the component if the measured hardness of the components that were previously in service is higher than expected according to the projected lifetime profile.

15. A method for developing, in an accelerated test system, a projected lifetime profile for a component of a process control device, the method comprising:

operating the process control device while exposing the component to a low temperature during a first period of operation of the process control device;

operating the process control device while exposing the component to normal operating temperatures during a second period of operation after the first period of operation;

receiving, from the accelerated test system, accelerated age testing data developed after the first and second periods of operation, and reflecting at least a first non-oxidative failure;

developing, in a profiler, a projected lifetime profile for the component based on the accelerated age testing data.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein operating the process control device while exposing the component to a low temperature comprises exposing the component to a temperature below −

30°

C.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein operating the process control device while exposing the component to a low temperature comprises exposing the component to a temperature below −

50°

C.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the projected lifetime profile is predictive, for exposure of the component to the low temperature, of the lifetime of the component exclusive of oxidative effects.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the projected lifetime profile is predictive, for exposure of the component to the low temperature, of the lifetime of the component considering both oxidative and non-oxidative failures.