Valve Operation And Diagnosis

• US 20160069772A1
• Filed: 07/24/2015
• Published: 03/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Lochschmied, Rainer, Wetzel, Martin, Gnoss, Thomas, Heger, Michael, Pallek, Anton, Schmanau, Mike, Schmiederer, Bernd, Wiegand, Armin
• Granted Patent: US 10,048,160 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 2227/18 Applying test signals, e.g. periodic
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 2227/20 Calibrating devices
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 2231/10 for component failures
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 2231/18 Detecting fluid leaks
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 5/18 using detectors sensitive to rate of flow of air or fuel
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 5/242 using electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/2876 for valves G01M3/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0635 by action on throttling means G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence

Abstract

A method is disclosed for diagnosing a valve assembly having valve members serially arranged along a flow channel of the valve assembly connecting at least one inlet and at least one outlet of the valve assembly. All of the serially arranged valve members of the valve assembly are opended to allow fluid to flow through the flow channel. The flow of fluid through the flow channel is measured by at least one sensor. At least one of the valve members is openend, and at least one sensor checks for fluid leakage caused by at least one faulted valve member. The at least one sensor may include a flow sensor, e.g., a mass flow sensor.

Claims

1. A method of diagnosis of a valve assembly of a gas-fired installation, which valve assembly includes a plurality of valve members serially arranged along a flow channel of the valve assembly connecting at least one inlet and at least one outlet of the valve assembly, the method comprising:

during an operation of the gas-fired installation, measuring, by at least one flow sensor, a flow of a fluid through the flow channel of the valve assembly,

closing at least one of the serially arranged valve members of the valve assembly such that fluid flow is prevented through the flow channel,

opening at least one of the valve members of the valve assembly to permit a fluid flow from an upstream side of the at least one valve member to a downstream side of the at least one valve member,

measuring, by the at least one flow sensor, at least one signal related to fluid flow,

determining at least one quantity characterizing the at least one signal,

comparing the at least one quantity to at least one threshold value, and

determining that the at least one quantity exceeds the at least one threshold value, and in response to such determination, detecting a leakage flow having a flow velocity between 0.1 m/s and 5 m/s caused by at least one faulted valve member of the plurality of valve members,

wherein the at least one sensor is configured to (a) detect the leakage flow having the flow velocity between 0.1 m/s and 5 m/s, and (b) measure normal operational flow velocities through the flow channel of the gas-fired installation in operation.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising closing all of the serially arranged valve members of the valve assembly to thereby interrupt a flow of fluid through the flow channel.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising checking, by the at least one sensor, for an absence of fluid flow through the valve assembly.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the fluid is at least one of gaseous or combustible.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one flow sensor comprises a mass flow sensor.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising determining at least one quantity characterizing the at least one signal by integrating the at least one signal.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising performing an integration of a pulse during a time between a start point and an end point,

wherein the start point is an instant of valve opening or an instant of the pulse reaching a first pulse threshold along a rising edge of the pulse, and

wherein the end point is a moment of the pulse reaching a second pulse threshold along a falling edge of the pulse.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one quantity characterizing the at least one signal is a peak of the at least one signal.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one quantity characterizing the at least one signal is a pulse width between a defined point along a rising edge and a defined point along a falling edge of the pulse.

10. The method of claim 6, comprising determining the at least one quantity characterizing the at least one signal by multiplying the integral and a peak of the at least one signal.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing, by a control unit, the at least one quantity to a quantity threshold, and

generating, by the control unit, an indication of a valve status based on the comparison of the at least one quantity to the quantity threshold.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising controlling the fluid flow depending on the valve status.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying an indication of the valve status via a display device.

14. A non-transitory, tangible computer readable medium storing a computer program product for diagnosing of a valve assembly of a gas-fired installation, which valve assembly includes a plurality of valve members serially arranged along a flow channel of the valve assembly connecting at least one inlet and at least one outlet of the valve assembly, the computer program product comprising instructions executable by a processor to:

during an operation of the gas-fired installation, control at least one flow sensor to measure a flow of a fluid through the flow channel of the valve assembly,

close at least one of the serially arranged valve members of the valve assembly such that fluid flow is prevented through the flow channel,

open at least one of the valve members of the valve assembly to permit a fluid flow from an upstream side of the at least one valve member to a downstream side of the at least one valve member,

control the the at least one flow sensor to measure at least one signal related to fluid flow,

determine at least one quantity characterizing the at least one signal,

compare the at least one quantity to at least one threshold value, and

determine that the at least one quantity exceeds the at least one threshold value, and in response to such determination, detect a leakage flow caused by at least one faulted valve member of the plurality of valve members,

wherein the at least one sensor is configured to (a) detect the leakage flow having a flow velocity between 0.1 m/s and 5 m/s, and (b) measure normal operational flow velocities through the flow channel of the gas-fired installation in operation.

15. A valve assembly of a gas-fired installation, the valve assembly comprising:

an inlet and an outlet,

a flow channel connecting the inlet to the outlet,

a plurality of valve members serially arranged along a flow channel of the valve assembly,

at least one actuator configured to open at least one of the valve members, and

at least one flow sensor configured to (a) detect a leakage flow having a flow velocity between 0.1 m/s and 5 m/s, caused by at least one faulted valve member of the plurality of valve members and (b) measure normal operational flow velocities through the flow channel of the gas-fired installation in operation.

16. The valve assembly of claim 15, wherein the flow sensor is arranged between the inlet of the valve assembly and the valve member of the plurality of valve members that is closest to the inlet.

17. The valve assembly of claim 15, wherein:

the flow sensor is arranged between the outlet of the valve assembly and the valve member of the plurality of valve members that is closest to the outlet, or

the valve assembly comprises is arranged between two of the valve members.

18. The valve assembly of claim 15, wherein at least one of the valve members is a modulating valve member or an on/off valve.

19. The valve assembly of claim 15, wherein the valve assembly further comprises:

at least one actuator configured to actuate a valve member,

at least one control unit configured to excite the at least one actuator using at least one excitation signal,

wherein the control unit is configured to excite the at least one actuator in accordance with at least one predefined program sequence and in response to at least one request signal,

wherein the control unit is configured to generate at least one indication of valve status as a result of excitation in accordance with the at least one program sequence, and

wherein the valve assembly further comprises at least one control gate configured to transmit or to suppress the at least one request signal.