Intelligent actuator and method of monitoring actuator health and integrity
First Claim
1. An actuator for a control valve, the actuator comprising:
- an actuator body including an actuator casing defining a cavity;
an actuator rod adapted to be coupled to a control element of a control valve;
a biasing device disposed in the cavity of the actuator casing and operably coupled to the actuator rod for biasing the actuator rod into a predetermined position;
a controller carried by the actuator body and including a memory, a processor, and logic stored on the memory;
at least one sensor operably coupled to the controller for measuring parameters of the actuator and transmitting measured parameters to the controller, the at least one sensor comprising a vibration sensor mounted to the actuator rod for detecting vibrations in the actuator rod.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An intelligent actuator for a control valve includes an actuator body, an actuator rod, a biasing device, a controller, and at least one sensor. The actuator body includes an actuator casing defining a cavity. The actuator rod is adapted to be coupled to a control element of a control valve. The biasing device is disposed in the cavity of the actuator housing and operably coupled to the actuator rod for biasing the actuator rod into a predetermined position. The controller is carried by the actuator body and includes a memory, a processor, and logic stored on the memory. The at least one sensor is operably coupled to the controller for measuring various parameters of the actuator and transmitting those parameters to the controller. The at least one sensor can include one or more vibration sensors, one or more acoustic sensors, one or more temperature sensors, etc.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. An actuator for a control valve, the actuator comprising:
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an actuator body including an actuator casing defining a cavity; an actuator rod adapted to be coupled to a control element of a control valve; a biasing device disposed in the cavity of the actuator casing and operably coupled to the actuator rod for biasing the actuator rod into a predetermined position; a controller carried by the actuator body and including a memory, a processor, and logic stored on the memory; at least one sensor operably coupled to the controller for measuring parameters of the actuator and transmitting measured parameters to the controller, the at least one sensor comprising a vibration sensor mounted to the actuator rod for detecting vibrations in the actuator rod. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A process control system, comprising:
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one or more user workstations; a process controller communicatively coupled to the one or more user workstations; and a plurality of field devices communicatively coupled to the process controller, at least one of the plurality of field devices comprising a control valve and an actuator, the actuator comprising; an actuator body including an actuator casing defining a cavity, an actuator rod operably coupled to a control element of the control valve, a biasing device disposed in the cavity of the actuator casing and operably coupled to the actuator rod for biasing the actuator rod into a predetermined position, a controller carried by the actuator body and including a memory, a processor, and logic stored on the memory, and at least one sensor operably coupled to the controller for measuring parameters of the actuator and transmitting measured parameters to the controller, the at least one sensor comprising a vibration sensor mounted to the actuator rod for detecting vibrations in the actuator rod. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of monitoring the operational health and integrity of a control valve actuator, the method comprising:
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measuring one or more parameters of an operating environment of the actuator, the one or more parameters comprising vibrations carried by an actuator rod of the actuator measured by a vibration sensor mounted to the actuator rod, and at least;
(a) a temperature in a cavity of an actuator casing of the actuator, (b) vibrations carried by an actuator body of the actuator, and/or (c) an acoustic emission parameter of the actuator;receiving the one or more parameters at a controller mounted on the actuator; processing the one or more parameters with the controller to determine if the one or more parameters indicate the presence of a predetermined condition; and sending a message to a user workstation with the controller when the controller determines that the detected parameters indicate the presence of a predetermined condition, the message indicating the presence of the predetermined condition. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification