System and method for dynamic multi-objective optimization of pumping system operation and diagnostics

• US 7,143,016 B1
• Filed: 09/27/2001
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zevchek, Joseph K., Discenzo, Frederick M., Chung, Dukki
• Primary Examiner(s): PALADINI, ALBERT WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US09/964,939
• Time in Patent Office: 1,888 Days
• Field of Search: 700/9, 700/275, 700/276, 700/282, 700/289, 700/291, 700/170, 417 1- 6, 417/321, 417/16, 417/17, 417/22, 318/544, 318/112, 318/152, 318/257, 318/268, 318/433, 363/74, 363/105, 363/149, 363/164, 622/281, 303/156
• US Class Current: 703/3
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/0265 the criterion being a learning criterion
• 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

Abstract

Control systems and methodologies are disclosed for controlling a process having one or more motorized pumps and an associated motor drives, which comprise selecting a desired operating point within an allowable range of operation about a process setpoint according to performance characteristics associated with a plurality of components in the process, and controlling the system according to the desired operating point. The control system comprises a motor drive providing electrical power to a motor in a controlled fashion according to a control signal, and a controller providing the control signal to the motor drive according to a desired operating point within an allowable range of operation about a process setpoint. The controller selects the desired operating point according to one or more performance characteristics or criteria associated with a plurality of components in the process, such as cost, throughput, lifetime, or the like. Also disclosed are methods and systems for diagnosing operating conditions in a pump or other motorized device.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a system having at least one motorized pump and an associated motor drive, comprising:

obtaining at least a portion of one of efficiency information, an allowable range, and a system setpoint from prior operation of the system;

selecting a desired operating point within the allowable range of operation about the system setpoint according to performance characteristics associated with a plurality of components in the system; and

automatically providing a control signal to the motor drive according to the desired operating point.

2. The method of claim 1, the system comprises a motorized pump system having an electric motor operatively coupled with a pump, and a motor drive providing electrical power to the motor, and the performance characteristics associated with a plurality of components in the system comprises efficiencies of at least two of the motor, the pump, and the motor drive.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising obtaining the system setpoint and the allowable range of operation from a user.

4. The method of claim 2, selecting the desired operating point comprises:

correlating at least two of motor efficiency information, pump efficiency information, and motor drive efficiency information in order to derive correlated system efficiency information; and

selecting the desired operating point as the optimum efficiency point within the allowable range of operation according to the correlated system efficiency information.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising obtaining at least one of the efficiency information, the allowable range, and the system setpoint from a user.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising obtaining at least one of the efficiency information, the allowable range, and the system setpoint from a host computer.

7. The method of claim 6, the at least one of the efficiency information, the allowable range, and the system setpoint is obtained via a network.

8. The method of claim 7, the at least one of the efficiency information, the allowable range, and the system setpoint is obtained via wireless communications.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the desired operating point comprises:

correlating component performance information associated with at least two components in the system in order to derive correlated system performance information; and

selecting the desired operating point as the optimum performance point within the allowable range of operation according to the correlated system performance information.

10. The method of claim 9, controlling the system according to the desired operating point comprises providing a setpoint to a controller associated with the system according to the desired operating point.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising obtaining at least one of the performance information, the allowable range, and the system setpoint from a user.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising obtaining at least one of the performance information, the allowable range, and the system setpoint from a host computer.

13. The method of claim 12, the at least one of the performance information, the allowable range, and the system setpoint is obtained via a network.

14. The method of claim 13, the at least one of the performance information, the allowable range, and the system setpoint is obtained via wireless communications.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising obtaining at least a portion of one of the performance information, the allowable range, and the system setpoint from prior operation of the system.

16. The method of claim 9, the component performance information comprises at least one of life cycle cost information, efficiency information, life expectancy information, safety information, emissions information, operational cost information, MTBF information, noise information, and vibration information.

17. The method of claim 16, the system comprises a motorized pump system for pumping fluid, having an electric motor operatively coupled with a pump, and a motor drive providing electrical power to the motor, wherein the component performance information comprises efficiency information related to at least two of the motor, the pump, and the motor drive, and the correlated system performance information comprises cost information related to the system operational cost per unit of fluid pumped.

18. The method of claim 1, the system comprises a motorized pump system having an electric motor operatively coupled with a pump, and a motor drive providing electrical power to the motor, and the performance characteristic associated with a plurality of components in the system comprises life expectancies of at least two of the motor, the pump, and the motor drive.

19. The method of claim 1, the system comprises a motorized pump system having an electric motor operatively coupled with a pump, and a motor drive providing electrical power to the motor, and the performance characteristics associated with a plurality of components in the system comprises cost of operation associated with at least two of the motor, the pump, and the motor drive.

20. The method of claim 1, selecting the desired operating point comprises measuring at least one process variable from a sensor associated with the system.

21. A control system for controlling a process having a pump with an associated motor, the control system comprising:

a motor drive providing electrical power to the motor in a controlled fashion according to a control signal; and

a controller that obtains at least one of efficiency information, an allowable range and a process setpoint from a user via a user interface, the controller further provides the control signal to the motor drive according to a desired operating point within an allowable range of operation about a process setpoint and selects the desired operating point according to performance characteristics associated with a plurality of components in the process.

22. The control system of claim 21, the performance characteristics associated with a plurality of components in the process comprises efficiencies of at least two of the motor, the pump, and the motor drive.

23. The control system of claim 21, the controller is adapted to correlate at least two of motor efficiency information, pump efficiency information, and motor drive efficiency information in order to derive correlated process efficiency information, and to select the desired operating point as the optimum efficiency point within the allowable range of operation according to the correlated process efficiency information.

24. The control system of claim 23, the controller provides the control signal as a motor speed signal to the motor drive according to the desired operating point.

25. The control system of claim 23, the controller comprises a network interface operatively connecting the controller with a host computer through a network, and the controller obtains at least one of the efficiency information, the allowable range, and the process setpoint from the host computer via the network.

26. The control system of claim 23, the controller comprises a wireless communication device, and the controller obtains the at least one of the efficiency information, the allowable range, and the process setpoint via wireless communications using the wireless communications device.

27. The control system of claim 23, the controller obtains at least a portion of one of the efficiency information, the allowable range, and the process setpoint from prior operation of the process.

28. The control system of claim 23, the controller is adapted to correlate component performance information associated with at least two components in the process in order to derive correlated process performance information, and to select the desired operating point as the optimum performance point within the allowable range of operation according to the correlated process performance information.

29. The control system of claim 28, the controller provides the control signal as a motor speed signal to the motor drive according to the desired operating point.

30. The control system of claim 28, the component performance information comprises at least one of life cycle cost information, efficiency information, life expectancy information, safety information, emissions information, operational cost information, MTBF information, noise information, and vibration information.

31. A control system for controlling a process having a pump with an associated motor, the control system comprising:

a motor drive adapted to provide electrical power to the motor in a controlled fashion according to a control signal; and

means for providing the control signal to the motor drive according to a desired operating point within an allowable range of operation about a process setpoint; and

means for selecting the desired operating point according to performance characteristics associated with a plurality of components in the process the performance characteristics comprises efficiencies of at least two of the motor, the pump, and the motor drive.

32. A control system for controlling a process comprising a motorized pump system having an electric motor coupled with a pump and an associated motor drive providing electrical power to the motor, comprising:

means for selecting a desired operating point as the optimum efficiency point within an CD allowable range of operation according to correlated process efficiency information, the correlated process efficiency information is derived from at least two of motor efficiency information, pump efficiency information, and motor drive information; and

means for providing a control signal to the motor drive according to the desired operating point.

33. A pump control system for automatically operating a pump driven by a motor in a controlled fashion, comprising:

a motor drive providing electric power to operate the motor in a controlled fashion according to a motor control signal; and

a controller comprising a diagnostic component that diagnoses an operating condition associated with the pump by performing signature analysis of at least one sensor signal from a sensor associated with the pump, the controller further provides the control signal to the motor drive according to a setpoint and a diagnostic signal from the diagnostic component according to the diagnosed operating condition in the pump.

34. The control system of claim 33, at least one sensor signal is related to one of flow, pressure, current, noise, vibration, and temperature associated with the pump.

35. A controller for providing a control signal to a motor drive to operate a motorized pump in a controlled fashion, comprising:

a diagnostic component operatively connected to the pump to diagnose an operating condition associated with the pump;

wherein the controller provides the control signal to the motor drive according to a setpoint and a diagnostic signal from the diagnostic component according to the diagnosed operating condition in the pump, the diagnostic component performs signature analysis on at least one of flow, pressure, current, noise, vibration and temperature associated with the pump.