Apparatus and method for monitoring and maintaining plant equipment

• US 6,505,145 B1
• Filed: 02/22/1999
• Issued: 01/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Northeast Equipment Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Northeast Equipment Incorporated
• Inventors: Bjornson, Carl C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hilten, John S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRETLOW, DEMETRIUS R
• Application Number:
  US09/255,511
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: 702/35, 702/185, 702/184, 702/183, 700/9, 700/108, 700/175, 700/174, 700/79, 700/80, 137/15.11, 137/247.11, 137/17.11
• US Class Current: 702/185
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0278 Qualitative, e.g. if-then rules; Fuzzy logic; Lookup tables; Symptomatic search; FMEA
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0283 Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0452 Detecting or repairing leak

Abstract

A computer system implements a process for gathering, synthesizing, and analyzing data relating to a pump and/or seal or other rotating equipment failure. Data indicating the current state of the equipment is gathered and verified prior to a failure occurring so that accurate information is available. After a failure or problem occurs, data about the problem or failure are methodically gathered to aid in the determination of the root cause of the failure. In particular, visual images of failure modes are provided to the user to ensure that proper and accurate data are obtained. A user also is directed to gather other data about the failure and the system. After data relating to the problem or failure has been gathered, the data are synthesized and an analysis is performed to determine the root cause of the failure or problem. These various methods and apparatus allow a non-specialist to properly identify and diagnose a failure or problem associated with a mechanical seal and pump. After the analysis has determined the root cause of the problem or failure in the system, the system suggests corrective actions and plans for implementing a corrective action. Installation instructions, training and safety information can be provided to the user to ensure proper execution of the selected corrective action. A plant reliability manager also may monitor the progress and verify that installation, maintenance and failure correction are performed correctly. The plant reliability manager also may track problems or failures by each individual or department to determine if additional training is needed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for analyzing a failure in mechanical seal, the apparatus comprising:

an equipment data module storing data indicative of a characteristic of a piece of rotating equipment;

a problem/failure database storing problem/failure data indicative of a characteristic of a failure mode of a mechanical seal associated with the piece of rotating equipment;

a seal failure analysis module;

the seal failure analysis module receiving input data indicative of a characteristic of a failure of a particular mechanical seal associated with a particular piece of equipment;

the seal failure analysis module coupled to the problem/failure database and querying the problem/failure database for failure mode data corresponding to the input data and receiving a query response of data indicative of a failure mode of the particular mechanical seal;

the seal failure analysis module coupled to the equipment data module, and providing the equipment data module with data indicative of the failure mode of the particular mechanical seal to be associated and stored with the particular piece of equipment;

a data analyzer coupled to the seal failure analysis module and receiving data from the seal failure analysis module indicative of a failure mode of the particular mechanical seal; and

the data analyzer coupled to the problem/failure database and querying the problem/failure database with the failure mode of the particular mechanical seal and receiving a query response data indicative of a root cause of the failure mode of the particular mechanical seal.

2. A The apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising, the data analyzer querying the problem/failure database for data indicative of a corrective action associated with the data indicative of the root cause and receives data corresponding to the query indicative of a corrective action, the data analyzer module coupled to the equipment data module and providing the data indicative of the corrective action and the data indicative of the root cause of the failure to the equipment data module to be stored associated with the particular piece of equipment.

3. The apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising:

a design deficiency identifier module coupled to the equipment data module and having an input of data indicative of a characteristic of a piece of equipment;

the design deficiency identifier module coupled to the problem/failure database, wherein the design deficiency identifier module queries the problem/failure database for a possible design deficiency and receives as query response data indicative of a possible design deficiency;

the design deficiency identifier module providing output data indicative of the possible design deficiency.

4. The apparatus as in claim 3 wherein the design deficiency identifier module provides output data indicative of the possible design deficiency of a particular piece of equipment to the equipment data module to be associated with the particular piece of equipment.

5. The apparatus as in claim 3 wherein the piece of equipment is a mechanical seal.

6. The apparatus as in claim 3 wherein the piece of equipment is a piece of rotary equipment.

7. The apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising:

a process fluid database containing data indicative of a characteristic of a process fluid;

a process fluid analyzer coupled to the process fluid database;

the process fluid analyzer coupled to the process fluid database for receiving data indicative of a particular process fluid;

the process fluid analyzer coupled to the equipment data module and providing a query to the equipment data module for data indicative of a characteristic of a particular piece of equipment and receiving as response to the query, data indicative of a characteristic of the particular piece of equipment;

the process fluid analyzer compares the compatibility of the data indicative of a characteristic of the particular process fluid with the data indicative of a characteristic of the particular piece of equipment and provides output data indicative of a possible incompatibility of the particular piece of equipment and the particular process fluid.

8. The apparatus as in claim 7 wherein the process fluid analyzer provides data indicative of the possible process fluid incompatibility of a particular piece of equipment to the equipment data module to be associated with the particular piece of equipment.

9. The apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising a mechanical seal verifier module having an input for receiving data indicative of an identifying characteristic of a particular mechanical seal;

the mechanical seal verifier coupled to the data equipment module and receives data indicative of a characteristic of a particular piece of equipment; and

the mechanical seal verifier module as a function of the data indicative of an identifying characteristic determines a functional characteristic of the particular mechanical seal and compares the compatibility of the functional characteristic of the particular mechanical seal with the data indicative of a characteristic of the particular piece of equipment and provides output data indicative of a possible incompatibility of the particular piece of equipment and the functional characteristic of the particular mechanical seal.

10. The apparatus as in claim 9 wherein the data indicative of a characteristic of a particular piece of equipment includes a manufacturer product number.

11. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the equipment data module comprises an input-output module and a equipment database storing data indicative of a characteristic of a piece of equipment;

the input-output module coupled to the equipment database, the input-output module receives as an input new equipment data and provides data representative of the new equipment data to the equipment database;

the input-output module receives data indicative of a characteristic of a particular piece of equipment from the equipment database and provides output data representative of the characteristic of the particular piece of equipment.

12. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the seal failure analyzer module comprises a first data gathering module coupled to the problem/failure database and receiving from the problem/failure data base data indicative of a failure mode of a particular mechanical seal;

the first data gathering module having an input of an observed failure data and providing a first query as to which of the data indicative of the failure mode of the failure of a particular mechanical seal corresponds to the observed failure data an and receives input data corresponding to the first query;

the first data gathering module providing output data indicative of the data indicative of the failure mode of the particular mechanical seal;

a second data gathering module that provides a second query as to a condition extant in the failure of the mechanical seal and receives data corresponding to the second query results;

the second data gathering module providing output data indicative of the condition extant in the failure of the mechanical seal; and

a system analyzer that receives the data corresponding to the first and second queries and associates the data corresponding to the first and second query;

the system analyzer selecting data indicative of a failure mode of the particular mechanical seal that corresponds to the association of the first and second query results.

13. The apparatus as in claim 12 wherein the seal failure analyzer module further comprises a cross reference module receiving as an input the first and second query results and determining a cross referenced relationship between the first and second query results to validate the data contained therein.

14. The apparatus as in claim 12 wherein the seal failure analyzer further comprises a data analyzer coupled to the system analyzer that receives the data indicative of a failure modality of the failure of the mechanical seal;

the data analyzer coupled to the problem/failure database and accesses the problem/failure database and receives data corresponding to the failure modality that is indicative of a root cause of the failure modality of the failure of the mechanical seal.

15. The apparatus as in claim 14 wherein the data analyzer accesses the problem/failure database and receives data corresponding to the root cause of the failure modality that is indicative of a corrective action with respect to the root cause of the failure of the mechanical seal.

16. The apparatus as in claim 14 wherein the data analyzer accesses the problem/failure database and receives data corresponding to the corrective action with respect to the root cause of the failure modality of the failure of the mechanical seal that is indicative of an action plan to implement with respect to the corrective action with respect to the failure of the mechanical seal.

17. The apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising proposal generator module having an input data indicative of a characteristic of a solution to the failure of the mechanical seal, the proposal generator module formatting the input data into a form to be transmitted.

18. The apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising a plant performance database for storing data indicative of a characteristic of a maintenance data of a piece of equipment;

a plant performance module coupled to the plant performance database and the equipment data module;

the plant performance module queries the equipment data module for data indicative of a characteristic of a failure of a piece of equipment and receives a query result corresponding to the query, and the plant performance module stores the query result data in the plant performance database; and

the plant performance module utilizes the query result data to determine plant reliability data and stores the plant reliability data in the plant performance database.

19. The apparatus as in claim 18 wherein the determined plant reliability data includes a life cycle cost of the particular piece of equipment.

20. The apparatus as in claim 18 wherein the determined plant reliability data includes a mean time between failure of the particular piece of equipment.

21. The apparatus as in claim 2 further comprising a plant performance database for storing data indicative of a characteristic of a maintenance data of a piece of equipment;

a plant performance module coupled to the plant performance database and the equipment data module;

the plant performance module queries the equipment data module for data indicative of a characteristic of a failure of a piece of equipment and receives a query result corresponding to the query, and the plant performance module stores the query result data in the plant performance database; and

the plant performance module utilizes the query result data to determine plant reliability data and stores the plant reliability data in the plant performance database.

22. The apparatus as in claim 21 wherein the plant performance analyzer is coupled to the equipment data module and receives as an input data indicative of the root cause and the corrective action of the failure of the particular mechanical seal;

the plant performance analyzer determines the party responsible for carrying out the corrective action and stores the party responsible in the plant performance database.

23. The apparatus as in claim 22 wherein the plant performance analyzer determines data indicative of the effectiveness the party responsible for carrying out the corrective action and the corrective action taken in subsequent failures of the particular mechanical seal and providing the data indicative of the effectiveness of the party responsible for carrying out the corrective action and the corrective action taken in response to the failure of a mechanical seal to the plant performance database to be associated with the particular mechanical seal.

24. An apparatus for performing failure analysis on a mechanical seal associated with a particular piece of equipment, the apparatus comprising:

an equipment database containing data indicative of the characteristics of a mechanical seal associated with a piece of equipment;

a database of seal failure mode data storing failure mode data of a mechanical seal associated with a particular piece of equipment;

a first data gathering module coupled to the database of seal failure mode data receiving data indicative of a failure mode of the mechanical seal associated with a particular piece of equipment, and having an input of an observed failure data and providing a first query as to which of the data indicative of the failure mode of the mechanical seal associated with a particular piece of equipment corresponds to the observed failure data and receives data corresponding to the first query;

a second data gathering module that provides a second query as to a condition extant in the failure of the mechanical seal and receives data corresponding to the second query results;

the second data gathering module providing output data indicative of the condition extant in the failure of the mechanical seal associated with a particular piece of equipment;

a mechanical seal failure analyzer that receives the data corresponding to the first and second queries and associates the data corresponding to the first and second query;

the mechanical seal failure analyzer selecting data indicative of a failure mode of the particular mechanical seal that corresponds to the association of the first and second query results.

25. The apparatus as in claim 24 further comprising an information analyzer coupled to the mechanical seal failure analyzer;

the information analyzer having as a first input data indicative of the failure mode of the mechanical seal associated with a particular piece of equipment;

the information analyzer provides an output data identifying a root cause of the failure as a function of the failure mode of the mechanical seal associated with a particular piece of equipment.

26. The apparatus as in claim 25 wherein the seal failure analyzer module further comprises a cross reference module receiving as an input the first and second query results and determining a cross reference between the first and second query results to validate the data contained therein.

27. The apparatus as in claim 25 further comprising an information analyzer coupled to the failure analysis module;

the information analyzer having as a second input data indicative of the operating conditions under which the mechanical seal associated with a particular piece of equipment operates;

the information analyzer coupled to the equipment data base and queries the equipment database for stored data indicative of the operating conditions of the mechanical seal associated with a particular piece of equipment;

the information analyzer provides an output data identifying a difference between the input data indicative of the operating conditions and the stored data of the mechanical seal associated with a particular piece of equipment operates.

28. The apparatus as in claim 24 further comprising a design deficiency module receiving as an input data indicative of a characteristic of the mechanical seal associated with a particular piece of equipment;

the design deficiency module coupled to the database of mechanical seal failure data and comparing the data indicative of a characteristic to the mechanical seal failure data associated with the mechanical seal associated with a particular piece of equipment;

the design deficiency module coupled to the mechanical seal failure analyzer and providing as an input to the mechanical seal failure analyzer, data indicative of an incompatibility between the mechanical seal associated with a particular piece of equipment and the failure data associated with the mechanical seal associated with a particular piece of equipment;

the mechanical seal failure analyzer associates the data corresponding to the first and second queries and the data indicative of an incompatibility between the mechanical seal associated with a particular piece of equipment and the failure data associated with the mechanical seal associated with a particular piece of equipment and selects data indicative of a failure mode of the mechanical seal associated with a particular piece of equipment that corresponds to the association of the data corresponding to the first and second queries and the data indicative of an incompatibility between the mechanical seal associated with a particular piece of equipment and the failure data associated with the mechanical seal associated with a particular piece of equipment.

29. The apparatus as in claim 24 wherein the database of mechanical seal failure modality data comprises at least of visual images representative of a failure modality.

30. The apparatus as in claim 25 wherein the information analyzer comprises a second output of a suggested corrective solution corresponding to the identified cause of the failure.

31. The apparatus as in claim 30 wherein the information analyzer comprises a third output of an action plan corresponding to the suggested corrective solution.

32. The apparatus as in claim 31 wherein the information analyzer comprises a fourth output of follow up planning corresponding to the action plan.

33. The apparatus as in claim 31 wherein the information analyzer comprises a fourth output of providing installation instructions compatible with the action plan.

34. The apparatus as in claim 31 wherein the information analyzer comprises a fourth output of providing data related to the failure of the particular equipment to be provided to a consultant.

35. The apparatus as in claim 31 wherein the information analyzer comprises a fourth output of updating the equipment database with a new equipment or a new operating environment condition based up the action plan.

36. The apparatus as in claim 31 wherein the information analyzer comprises a fourth output of providing training information to execute the action plan.