Systems and methods to monitor pump cavitation

• US 9,255,578 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2012
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Sharpe, Joseph H. Jr., Hawkins, Gary, Skeirik, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Paul D
• Application Number:
  US13/563,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20140039805A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• Field of Search: 702/24
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 11/00 Equalisation of pulses, e.g. by use of air vessels; Counteracting cavitation
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/065 and making use of computers
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/0088 Testing machines
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/0245 responsive to a condition of the pump
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/669 especially adapted for liquid pumps F04D29/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/14 using acoustic emission techniques echo of particles G01N29/046; measuring mechanical vibrations or acoustic waves in solids in general G01H1/00

Abstract

Systems and methods to monitor pump cavitation are disclosed. An example method includes monitoring a pressure parameter and a vibration parameter associated with an asset in an operating process unit. The example method includes calculating a manipulated pressure value based on the pressure parameter. The example method includes calculating a manipulated vibration value based on the vibration parameter. The example method includes determining a state of cavitation associated with the asset based on at least one of the manipulated pressure value or the manipulated vibration value.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring a pressure parameter and a vibration parameter associated with an asset in an operating process unit;

calculating a manipulated pressure value based on the pressure parameter, wherein calculating the manipulated pressure value based on the pressure parameter includes calculating a standard deviation value of a set of pressure values;

determining, based on the manipulated pressure value, a state of cavitation associated with the asset;

in response to determining the state of cavitation is a pre-cavitation state, triggering an alarm;

calculating a manipulated vibration value based on the vibration parameter; and

changing a severity level of the alarm based on the manipulated vibration value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the state of cavitation associated with the asset is at least one of the pre-cavitation state or a cavitation state.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the alarm in a display.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the manipulated pressure value based on the pressure parameter includes calculating an average standard deviation value for a plurality of calculated standard deviation values.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the state of cavitation associated with the asset is the pre-cavitation state includes determining if the manipulated pressure value exceeds a baseline parameter by a first threshold.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the baseline parameter corresponds to at least one of values of the pressure parameter measured when the asset is operating in a normal operating condition or a signature of values of the pressure parameter measured across an operating range of one or more corresponding variable state parameters.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein changing the severity level of the alarm includes:

comparing the manipulated vibration value to a vibration baseline; and

determining the asset is in a cavitation state if the manipulated vibration value exceeds the vibration baseline by a second threshold.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the manipulated vibration value based on the vibration parameter includes calculating a standard deviation value of a set of vibration values.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing the manipulated pressure value to a baseline parameter.

10. A system comprising:

a monitoring application to monitor a pressure parameter and a vibration parameter associated with an asset in an operating process unit;

a pressure analyzer to calculate a manipulated pressure value based on the pressure parameter, wherein, to calculate the manipulated pressure value based on the pressure parameter, the pressure analyzer is to;

calculate a standard deviation value based on a plurality of pressure values; and

calculate an average value of multiple standard deviation values;

a cavitation analyzer to determine a state of cavitation associated with the asset based on the manipulated pressure value, the cavitation analyzer to, in response to determining the cavitation state is a pre-cavitation state, trigger an alarm indicative of the pre-cavitation state; and

a vibration analyzer to calculate a manipulated vibration value based on the vibration parameter, wherein, based on the manipulated vibration value, the cavitation analyzer is to change the alarm to indicate a cavitation state.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the alarm is to be presented to an operator.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein, to determine the state of cavitation associated with the asset, the cavitation analyzer is to:

compare the manipulated pressure value to a pressure baseline; and

determine the asset is in a pre-cavitation state if the manipulated pressure value exceeds the pressure baseline by a first threshold.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the pressure baseline corresponds to at least one of the values of the pressure parameter measured when the asset is operating in a normal operating condition or a signature of values of the pressure parameter measured across an operating range of one or more corresponding variable state parameters.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein, to change the alarm, the cavitation analyzer is to:

compare the manipulated vibration value to a vibration baseline; and

determine the asset is in the cavitation state if the manipulated vibration value exceeds the vibration baseline by a second threshold.

15. A tangible computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a computing device to at least:

monitor a pressure parameter and a vibration parameter associated with an asset in an operating process unit;

calculate a manipulated pressure value based on the pressure parameter, wherein calculating the manipulated pressure value based on the pressure parameter includes calculating an average value of different standard deviation values corresponding to different sets of pressure values;

determine, based on the manipulated pressure value, a state of cavitation associated with the asset;

in response to the determined state of cavitation being a pre-cavitation state, trigger a pre-cavitation alarm;

calculate a manipulated vibration value based on the vibration parameter; and

change a severity level of the pre-cavitation alarm based on the manipulated vibration value.

16. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the state of cavitation associated with the asset is at least one of the pre-cavitation state or a cavitation state.

17. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the alarm is to be presented to an operator.

18. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein determining the state of cavitation associated with the asset is the pre-cavitation state includes determining if the manipulated pressure value exceeds a baseline parameter by a first threshold.

19. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the baseline parameter corresponds to at least one of the values of the pressure parameter measured when the asset is operating in a normal operating condition or a signature of values of the pressure parameter measured across an operating range of one or more corresponding variable state parameters.

20. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions that cause the computing device to:

compare the manipulated vibration value to a vibration baseline; and

determine the asset is in a cavitation state if the manipulated vibration value exceeds the vibration baseline by a second threshold.