Control valve and positioner diagnostics

• US 7,890,216 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2009
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dresser, LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: Dresser Incorporated (Nagano Keiki Company Limited)
• Inventors: Esposito, Sandro, Boger, Henry W.
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNES-BULLOCK, CRYSTAL JOY
• Application Number:
  US12/437,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20090216350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 700/282, 702/45, 702/47, 73/11.6, 73/13.4, 73/13.5, 137/2, 137/12, 137/14, 137/38, 137803-805, 137/825, 137/826, 323/234, 323/299, 323/304, 417/1, 417/26, 417/63, 417/278, 417/279
• US Class Current: 700/282
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 19/005 Fault detection or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 5/006 with electrical means, e.g. electropneumatic transducer F15B5/003 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 37/0075 For recording or indicating the functioning of a valve in combination with test equipment
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0256 injecting test signals and analyzing monitored process response, e.g. injecting the test signal while interrupting the normal operation of the monitored system; superimposing the test signal onto a control signal during normal operation of the monitored system
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0379 By fluid pressure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0396 Involving pressure control
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2071 And causing change or correction of sensed condition
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/218 Means to regulate or vary operation of device
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7722 Line condition change responsive valves
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7761 Electrically actuated valve

Abstract

Valve positioning systems may include one or more components and a controller. Components may include one or more electric-to-pressure output converters, relays, gas supplies, and/or actuators. A controller may adjust a position of a valve by sending a signal. The valve positioning system may individually monitor components and determine the condition of each component being individually monitored. The valve positioning system may determine if a component will fail prior to failure and/or determine if a problem will occur in a component prior to the problem occurring.

Claims

1. A valve positioning system comprising:

at least two or more components, wherein at least one of the components comprises an electric-to-pressure output converter; and

a controller configured to;

adjust a position of a valve by sending a command signal to the electric-to-pressure output converter;

individually monitor at least two of the components of the valve positioning system by determining an input signal to and an output signal from each of the at least two monitored components; and

determine a condition for each of the at least two components being individually monitored at least partially by comparing the respective input and output signals from each of the at least two monitored components.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an actuator, and wherein the controller is further configured to individually monitor the actuator and determine the condition of the actuator.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a condition of a third component based on the monitoring of the at least two components, where the third component is not a monitored component.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine if a particular one of the at least two monitored components will fail prior to the particular component failing or is failing when determining a condition of the particular component being individually monitored.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine if there will be a problem with a particular one of the at least two monitored components prior to the problem occurring when determining a condition of a component being individually monitored.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a housing at least partially enclosing at least two of the components and the controller.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising sensors coupled to an inlet associated with the input signal and an outlet associated with the output signal of at least one of the components being individually monitored, wherein the sensors are configured to transmit the input and the output signals of the component to the controller.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the components comprises a relay.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein an input signal for at least one of the components comprises an output signal of another component.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

adjust an input signal to at least one component of the valve positioning system such that a valve actuator is inhibited from responding to the input signal change;

wherein individually monitoring at least two of the components comprises determining input and output signals for each of the at least one of the monitored components based on the adjusted input signal; and

wherein a condition of one of the components being individually monitored is determined at least partially based on a comparison of the input signal and the output signal of the monitored component.

11. A method performed by a valve positioning system, the method comprising:

individually monitoring at least two components of a valve positioning system, wherein one of the components comprises an electric-to-pressure output converter, by determining an input signal to and an output signal from each of the at least two monitored components; and

determining a condition for each of at least two components being individually monitored at least partially by comparing the respective input and output signals from each of the at least two monitored components.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining a condition of a third component is based on the individual monitoring of the at least two components, where the third component is not a monitored component.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining if a particular one of the at least two monitored components will fail prior to the particular component failing or is failing at least partially based on the determination of the condition of the particular component.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining if a problem will occur prior to the problem occurring in a particular one of the at least two monitored components at least partially based on the determination of the condition of the particular component.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

adjusting an input signal to at least one component of the valve positioning system such that a valve actuator is inhibited from responding to the input signal change;

wherein individually monitoring each of the at least two of the components comprises determining input and output signals for at least one of the components based on the adjusted input signal; and

wherein a condition of a particular one of the at least two components being individually monitored is determined at least partially based on a comparison of the input signal and the output signal of the particular component.

16. A method performed by a valve positioning system comprising:

adjusting an input signal to at least one component of a valve positioning system such that a valve actuator is inhibited from responding to the input signal change; and

determining a condition of at least one of the components at least partially based on the adjusted input signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein adjusting the input signal comprises terminating the input signal.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein adjusting the input signal comprises transmitting a high frequency signal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein transmitting a high frequency signal comprises transmitting a signal that is above the cutoff frequency of the actuator and below the cutoff frequency of the positioner components.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining if one of the components will fail prior to failure or is failing at least partially based on the determination of the condition of the component.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining if a problem will occur prior to the problem occurring in one of the components at least partially based on the determination of the condition of the component.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein determining a condition of at least one of the components at least partially based on the adjusted input signal comprises:

determining input and output signals for at least one of the components based on the adjusted input signal; and

determining a condition of at least one of the components at least partially based on a comparison of the determined input signal and the determined output signal of the component.