Wireless electric heat trace and vibration control and monitoring system

• US 9,006,617 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2010
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brace Integrated Services, Inc. (Brand Industrial Services, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Timothy Russell Mullen
• Inventors: Mullen, Timothy Russell
• Primary Examiner(s): JENNISON, BRIAN W
• Application Number:
  US12/967,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20110163082A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,582 Days
• Field of Search: 219/494, 374/152, 340/539.1, 340/539.13, 340/539.17, 340/539.26, 340/539.27, 340/531
• US Class Current: 219/494
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0272 Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0275 Fault isolation and identification, e.g. classify fault; estimate cause or root of failure
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 19/02 characterised by the use of electric means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 27/02 characterised by the use of electric means
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/25 using a mesh network, e.g. a public urban network such as public lighting, bus stops or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/02 Automatic switching arrangements specially adapted to apparatus ; Control of heating devices thermally-actuated switches H01H37/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/023 Industrial applications
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0244 Heating of fluids H05B1/0247 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0291 Tubular elements

Abstract

A monitoring system for monitoring the temperature and vibration of equipment, comprising a central digital computer, a MESH communication network, wherein the network feeds signals to the central digital computer, a plurality of heating elements for heating the equipment, temperature/vibration sensors adapted to measure the temperature of the equipment, wherein each sensor is adapted to provide a signal representing the temperature/vibration of the piece of equipment to which the sensor is associated, to the network, wherein each temperature/vibration sensor can also be used to control the electric heaters, a temperature sensor that monitors the ambient temperature of the facility, and current transducers associated with the heaters, to monitor the energy use and current loss of the heaters, wherein the central computer uses the data it receives from the other elements of the monitoring system to determine when the equipment is not at the correct temperature/vibration and diagnoses the reason why.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring and controlling the temperature and vibration of various pieces of equipment in a facility, comprising:

a.) a central digital computer that monitors and interprets data provided to it,

b.) a MESH communication network comprised of a plurality of wireless communicators (radios), designed to form a node in the MESH communication network, wherein the MESH communicating network is a communication network in which each of the nodes is capable of receiving signals from the nodes around it and then retransmitting that signal to a node around it that moves the signal to a desired direction, in this case, toward the central digital computer, and feeds the signal to the central digital computer,

c.) A plurality of electric heat trace circuits each of which is associated with a piece of equipment in the facility, and adapted to heat that piece of equipment,

d.) a plurality of temperature and vibration sensors, one of which is associated with and configured to measure the temperature and vibration of one of the pieces of equipment in the facility, wherein each sensor is configured to provide a signal representing the temperature and vibration of the piece of equipment to which each sensor is associated, to a wireless communicator (radio) in the MESH communication network, wherein each temperature and vibration sensor can also be used to control the electric heat trace circuit that heats the piece of equipment and provides the vibratory state of the piece of equipment to which the sensor is associated,

e.) an ambient temperature sensor configured to monitor the ambient temperature of the facility and feed a signal representing the ambient temperature of the facility to the central digital computer wherein, the ambient temperature sensor is thermally independent and isolated from the equipment, and

f.) a plurality of current transducers, one of which is associated with each of the electric heat trace circuits and which sends a signal representing the amount of energy being used by the electric heat trace circuit to the central computer,

wherein the central computer uses the data it receives from the equipment temperature and vibration sensors, the ambient temperature sensor, and the current transducers to determine and announce when each piece of factory equipment is not at the correct temperature and vibration.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the system uses the combined temperature and vibration information to diagnose that the equipment is not at the correct temperature and vibration, and displays that fact.

3. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the system uses the combined temperature and vibration information to diagnose the reason why the equipment is not at the correct temperature and vibration, and displays the reason.

4. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the system monitors current loss associated with each electric heat trace circuit and provides that information to the central digital computer.

5. A system for monitoring the vibration of various pieces of equipment in a facility, comprising:

a.) a central digital computer that monitors and interprets data provided to it,

b.) a MESH communication network comprised of a plurality of wireless communicators (radios) designed to form a node in the MESH communication network, wherein the MESH communicating network is a communication network in which each of the nodes is capable of receiving signals from the nodes around it and then retransmitting that signal to a node around it that moves the signal in a desired direction, in this case, toward the central digital computer, and feeds the signal to the central digital computer,

c.) A plurality of vibration sensors, one of which is associated with and adapted to measure the vibration of one of the pieces of equipment in the facility, wherein each sensor is adapted to provide a signal representing the vibration of the piece of equipment to which the sensor is associated, to a wireless communicator (radio) in the MESH communication network,

wherein the central computer uses the data it receives from the vibration sensors to determine and announce when each piece of factory equipment is not operating correctly, and displays that fact.

6. A system as recited in claim 5, wherein the central digital computer is structured and programmed to monitor the vibration of the equipment, and, by comparing the data from the vibration sensors to diagnose that the equipment is not at the correct vibration, and to display that fact.

7. A system as recited in claim 5, wherein the central digital computer is structured and programmed to monitor the vibration of the equipment, and, by analyzing the data from the vibration sensors to diagnose the reason why the equipment is not at the correct vibration, and to display that reason.

8. A system as recited in claim 5, wherein the central digital computer is structured and programmed to monitor the vibration of the equipment and to store historical information about the vibration of a piece of equipment in a storage device, and, by comparing the historical data with data from the vibration sensors to diagnose that the equipment is not at the correct vibration, and to display that fact.

9. A system as recited in claim 5, wherein the central digital computer is structured and programmed to monitor the vibration of the equipment and to store historical information about the vibration of a piece of equipment in a storage device, and, by comparing the historical data with data from the vibration sensors to diagnose the reason why the equipment is not at the correct vibration, and to display that reason.

10. A system for monitoring and controlling the temperature and vibration of a portion of a stationary fluid transport system in a facility, comprising:

a.) a central digital computer that monitors and interprets data provided to it,

b.) a MESH communication network comprised of a plurality of wireless communicators (radios), designed to form a node in the MESH communication network, wherein the MESH communicating network is a communication network in which each of the nodes is capable of receiving signals from the nodes around it and then retransmitting that signal to a node around it that moves the signal in a desired direction, in this case, toward the central digital computer, and feeds the signal to the central digital computer,

c.) A plurality of stationary electric heat trace circuits each of which is associated with a portion of the stationary fluid transport system in the facility, and adapted to heat that portion of the stationary fluid transport system,

d.) a plurality of temperature and vibration sensors, one of which is associated with and configured to measure the temperature and vibration of one of the portions of the stationary fluid transport system in the facility, wherein each sensor is configured to provide a signal representing the temperature and vibration of the portion of the stationary fluid transport system to which each sensor is associated, to a wireless communicator (radio) in the MESH communication network, wherein each temperature and vibration sensor can also be used to control the stationary electric heat trace circuit that heats the portion of the stationary fluid transport system and provides the vibratory state of the portion of the stationary fluid transport system to which the sensor is associated,

e.) an ambient temperature sensor configured to monitor the ambient temperature of the facility and feed a signal representing the ambient temperature of the facility to the central digital computer wherein, the ambient temperature sensor is thermally independent and isolated from the portions of the stationary fluid transport system,

f.) a plurality of first current transducers, one of which is associated with each of the stationary electric heat trace circuits and which sends a signal representing the amount of energy being used by the stationary electric heat trace circuit to the central computer,

g) a plurality of second current transducers, one of which is associated with each of the electric heat trace circuits and which sends a signal which is used by the central digital computer to determine current loss associated with each stationary electric heat trace circuit to the central digital computer,

wherein the central computer uses the data it receives from the equipment temperature and vibration sensors, the ambient temperature sensor, and the current transducers to determine and announce when each portion of the stationary fluid transport system is not at the correct temperature and vibration.