MEASURING DEFORMATION OF A COMPRESSION SPRING TO MONITOR PERFORMANCE OF A SAFETY VALVE
First Claim
1. A safety valve, comprising:
- valve mechanics comprising a closure component moveable relative to a seat and a pre-load unit coupled with the closure component, the pre-load unit comprising a compression spring; and
a strain gauge disposed on the compression spring, the strain gauge affixed on a coil that is spaced part from both ends of compression spring.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A safety valve is outfit with sensors to monitor performance. The safety valve may include valve mechanics comprising a closure component moveable relative to a seat. The device may also have a pre-load unit coupled with the closure component. The pre-load unit may utilize a coiled compression spring to generate spring force to keep the closure component in contact with the seat. A strain gauge may be disposed on the compression spring to measure strain, for example, shear strain in the compression spring. Analysis of this data may predict set pressure (or “set point”). This prediction may, in turn, form a basis for an alert or other indicator that the safety valve requires maintenance or repair.
11 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A safety valve, comprising:
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valve mechanics comprising a closure component moveable relative to a seat and a pre-load unit coupled with the closure component, the pre-load unit comprising a compression spring; and a strain gauge disposed on the compression spring, the strain gauge affixed on a coil that is spaced part from both ends of compression spring. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A system, comprising:
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a valve assembly comprising a seat, a closure component moveable relative to the seat, and a compression spring deformable to maintain the closure component in contact with the seat; a sensor configured to measure a mechanical property of the compression spring, the sensor affixed on a coil that is spaced part from both ends of the compression spring; and a monitor unit configured to use data from the sensor to determine pressure on the closure component required to compress the compression spring. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method, comprising:
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receiving strain data from a sensor affixed on a coil that is spaced part from ends of a compression spring on a safety valve, where deformation of the compression spring allows the safety valve to open at a preset inlet pressure; using the strain data, determining pressure required to compress the compression spring in response to the preset inlet pressure; and generating an output that is configured to cause pre-emptive maintenance on the safety valve to occur in response to the pressure deviating from a threshold criteria. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification