SOLID CHEMISTRY SUPPLY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20160154411A1
• Filed: 12/02/2014
• Published: 06/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gupta, Amit, Bhatia, Divesh, Yao, Chen, Sivaswamy, Vaideeswaran
• Granted Patent: US 9,989,941 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

A system for management of solid chemistry supply can be configured to use operating attributes and sensed operating conditions associated with a process to estimate solid chemistry supply levels. The system can also be configured to control a feeder attached to a solid chemistry supply container. The control can include controlling a dose of a solid chemistry product to the container according to the estimation. The system can also be configured to communicate a message regarding an insufficient supply of the solid chemistry product.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a sensor, configured to;

sense a process condition in a process; and

communicate process data corresponding to the sensed process condition; and

a controller communicatively coupled to the sensor, configured to;

receive the process data via an electromagnetic signal; and

estimate an amount of a solid chemistry product inside a supply container according to the process data and a relationship between the process condition and a solid chemistry supply level, the supply container being a source of the solid chemistry product outputted to the process.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a feeder configured to provide at least a dose of the solid chemistry product to the supply container, and wherein the controller includes an electromechanical controller and the electromechanical controller is configured to electromechanically regulate the feeder according to the estimated amount of the solid chemistry product.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the feeder is configured to:

hold at least the dose of the solid chemistry product; and

receive fluid that flows through the feeder and dissolves at least the dose of the solid chemistry product.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the feeder is configured to automatically receive at least the dose of the solid chemistry product from a solid chemistry inventory.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the process condition is oxidation/reduction potential (ORP) of a fluid in the process.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the process condition is conductivity of a fluid in the process.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the process includes fluid flowing through plumbing in the process.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the solid chemistry product includes a biocide.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the supply container is pressurized.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving, at communications interface circuitry, process information associated with a process;

estimating, by controller circuitry communicatively coupled to the communications interface circuitry, solid chemistry supply levels according to the received process information; and

controlling, by the controller circuitry, a solid chemistry tank feeder attached to a solid chemistry supply container according to the estimation, the control including controlling doses of a solid chemistry product fed by the solid chemistry tank feeder to the solid chemistry supply container.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising communicating, via the communications interface circuitry, a communication indicating the solid chemistry supply levels to an end user device to be displayed on a display of the end user device.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising communicating, via the controller circuitry, a communication indicating an insufficient supply of the solid chemistry product to an end user device to be displayed on a display of the end user device, when the estimation provides a result below a threshold.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the process information includes operating attributes.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the operating attributes include relay on time of a pump in the process.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the operating attributes include relay on time of a solenoid in the process.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the operating attributes include a blowdown time in the process.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the process information includes oxidation/reduction potential (ORP) of a fluid used in the process.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the estimation is a forecast.

19. A control apparatus, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive process information associated with a process using plumbing;

a data processing device communicatively coupled to the receiver, configured to estimate a solid chemistry supply level inside a solid chemistry supply container according to the received process information and a relationship between the received process information and solid chemistry supply levels, the solid chemistry supply container being a source of a solid chemistry product outputted to the plumbing; and

an electromechanical valve communicatively coupled to the data processing device, configured to regulate dosages of the solid chemistry product fed to the solid chemistry supply container.

20. The control apparatus of claim 19, wherein the process information includes a relay on time of a pump connected to the plumbing, relay on time of a solenoid of a plumbing valve connected to the plumbing, a blowdown time associated with the plumbing, conductivity of a fluid, oxidation/reduction potential (ORP) of the fluid, or any combination thereof.