Valve actuator fault analysis system
First Claim
1. A method for detecting and characterizing an occurrence of at least one event during operation of a valve actuator as one of a deviation, malfunction or failure, the method comprising the steps of:
- detecting a series of signals received from a plurality of sensors, where each signal represents a condition of a different operational variable associated with the actuator;
determining from the signals one or more of the operational variables that caused the occurrence of the at least one event;
determining at least one relationship between the one or more variables and the event, wherein the at least one relationship includes a time-related succession of intermediate states of operation associated with the valve actuator that are interconnected by transition paths, which are quantified by cause-and-effect relationships and temporal and likelihood factors;
characterizing the event as being one of a normal mode of operation, a deviation, malfunction or failure; and
communicating the at least one relationship through an output device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A valve actuator fault analysis system for detecting, analyzing and reporting valve actuator performance characterized as deviations, malfunctions and failures. The fault analysis system includes an expert system that monitors the valve actuator and related components, such as the power supply and signal line, for determining causal factors of degraded and/or defective performance; generation of fault-analysis reports in a readable text format file; and methods for characterizing deviations, malfunctions and failures, for generating and concatenating event messages and for detecting and characterizing events that take place in valve actuators, peripheral systems and devices and displaying the results on a display device. The system can operate either in conjunction with, or be embedded in the hardware of a pneumatic valve positioner, an electrical valve actuator and/or similar devices, and can receive messages from external sources, process them, and produce fault-analysis reports in text format for display to the user.
41 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method for detecting and characterizing an occurrence of at least one event during operation of a valve actuator as one of a deviation, malfunction or failure, the method comprising the steps of:
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detecting a series of signals received from a plurality of sensors, where each signal represents a condition of a different operational variable associated with the actuator; determining from the signals one or more of the operational variables that caused the occurrence of the at least one event; determining at least one relationship between the one or more variables and the event, wherein the at least one relationship includes a time-related succession of intermediate states of operation associated with the valve actuator that are interconnected by transition paths, which are quantified by cause-and-effect relationships and temporal and likelihood factors; characterizing the event as being one of a normal mode of operation, a deviation, malfunction or failure; and communicating the at least one relationship through an output device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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9. The method of step 7, wherein the step of determining the state of operation comprises:
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identifying nodes of relational paths associated with the state of operation of the actuator; generating a table that assigns a unique representative text to each transition path formed between the nodes along the relational paths; and concatenating the event messages with the representative text according to the predetermined grammatical rules. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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20. A method of analyzing, detecting and recording an occurrence of at least one event during operation of a valve actuator, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving a plurality of input signals from a plurality of sensors that monitor operation of the actuator and/or surrounding environment; identifying attributes of the plurality of input signals and classifying the attributes as a potential occurrence of the at least one event; determining at least one relationship between the identified attributes and the at least one event, wherein the at least one relationship includes a time-related succession of intermediate states of operation associated with the valve actuator that are interconnected by transition paths, which are quantified by cause-and-effect relationships and temporal and likelihood factors; and verifying the at least one event is characterized as one of a deviation, malfunction or failure associated with the actuator and/or surrounding environment. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A fault analyzing system for characterizing deviations in a specified valve actuator power supply, command signals, ambient conditions, usage conditions and actuator performance during operation of a valve actuator, the system comprising:
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a memory for storing sensor signals associated with each of the valve actuator power supply, command signals, ambient conditions, usage conditions and actuator performance; a processor coupled to the memory; and an expert system program stored in the memory and executable by the processor, the expert system program operable to; a. calculate a first-order discrete derivative for a measured variable Sn associated with a state of operation of the actuator; b. calculate a discrete derivative for the measured variable Sn by utilizing a predetermined variable scan time; c. detect a deviation in measured value of the variable Sn as compared to a specified value of the variable Sn; d. determine an actuator operating signature according to predetermined criteria; e. calculate a trajectory signature of the deviation as a function of time; f. associate messages with the trajectory signature of the deviation; and g. communicate the associated messages to an output device. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification