Programmable pump monitoring and shutdown system
First Claim
1. A system for monitoring the operation of a high pressure pump including one or more plungers each movable within a respective pumping chamber during a pressurizing pump cycle and a return pump cycle, the pump including a fluid inlet for receiving low pressure fluid, a fluid outlet for discharging high pressure fluid, a fluid inlet check valve for preventing fluid flow from the pumping chamber to the fluid inlet during the pressurizing pump stroke, and a fluid outlet check valve for preventing flow from the fluid outlet to the pumping chamber during the return pump stroke, the system comprising:
- an inlet fluid pressure sensor for sensing instantaneous fluid pressure upstream from the pumping chamber and generating an electrical signal corresponding to the sensed inlet fluid pressure; and
a controller responsive to the inlet fluid pressure sensor for generating a fault signal in response to variations between a plurality of instantaneous pressure signals.
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A control system 10 for monitoring operation of a high pressure plunger pump 12 includes a microprocessor-based controller 40 and a plurality of sensors. Inlet pressure transducers 48 output electrical signals to the controller at intervals of less than 1 millisecond, indicative of the instantaneous inlet pressure to the pump. The controller 40 shuts down pump operation if a number of instantaneous pressure signals within a selected time period exceeds a predetermined value, or if the average inlet pressure signal exceeds a preselected value. The control system 10 is substantially tamperproof, and stored data indicative of tampering, pump startup, pump shutdown, and pump alarm conditions are recorded in a memory for subsequent retrieval and analysis. The serial interface 82 allows communication between the system operating computer 68 and a setup/processing computer 84, which may optionally be remote from the control system by use of a modem.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A system for monitoring the operation of a high pressure pump including one or more plungers each movable within a respective pumping chamber during a pressurizing pump cycle and a return pump cycle, the pump including a fluid inlet for receiving low pressure fluid, a fluid outlet for discharging high pressure fluid, a fluid inlet check valve for preventing fluid flow from the pumping chamber to the fluid inlet during the pressurizing pump stroke, and a fluid outlet check valve for preventing flow from the fluid outlet to the pumping chamber during the return pump stroke, the system comprising:
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an inlet fluid pressure sensor for sensing instantaneous fluid pressure upstream from the pumping chamber and generating an electrical signal corresponding to the sensed inlet fluid pressure; and a controller responsive to the inlet fluid pressure sensor for generating a fault signal in response to variations between a plurality of instantaneous pressure signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A system for monitoring the operation of a high pressure pump and terminating unacceptable pump operation, the high pressure pump including one or more plungers each movable within a respective pumping chamber during a pressurizing pump cycle and a return pump cycle, the pump including a fluid inlet for receiving low pressure fluid, a fluid outlet for discharging high pressure fluid, a fluid inlet check valve for preventing fluid flow from the pumping chamber to the fluid inlet during the pressurizing pump stroke, and a fluid outlet check valve for preventing flow from the fluid outlet to the pumping chamber during the return pump stroke, the system comprising:
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an inlet fluid pressure sensor for sensing instantaneous fluid pressure upstream from the pumping chamber and generating an electrical signal corresponding to the sensed inlet fluid pressure; a controller responsive to the inlet fluid pressure sensor for generating a fault signal either when a sensed variation in a plurality of instantaneous pressure signals within a selected time period exceeds a predetermined acceptable instantaneous pressure signal variation or when an average inlet pressure signal based on instantaneous pressure signals during a plurality of selected time periods drops below a preselected minimum average pressure; and a power disconnect for terminating operation of the pump in response to the fault signal. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of monitoring the operation of a high pressure pump including one or more plungers each movable within a respective pumping chamber during a pressurizing pump cycle and a return pump cycle, the pump including a fluid inlet for receiving low pressure fluid, a fluid outlet for discharging high pressure fluid, a fluid inlet check valve for preventing fluid flow from the pumping chamber to the fluid inlet during the pressurizing pump stroke, and a fluid outlet check valve for preventing flow from the fluid outlet to the pumping chamber during the return pump stroke, the method comprising:
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sensing instantaneous fluid pressure upstream from the pumping chamber over a time period; generating electrical signals each corresponding to the sensed inlet fluid pressure; generating a fault signal in response to variations between a plurality of instantaneous pressure signals; and automatically recording the electrical signals corresponding to the sensed inlet fluid pressure and the generation of the fault signal. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification