System and method for monitoring and control of cavitation in positive displacement pumps
First Claim
1. A system for monitoring and controlling a positive displacement pump, comprising:
- a plurality of pressure sensors mounted to the positive displacement pump, the plurality of pressure sensors comprising at least first, second and third pressure sensors, wherein the first pressure sensor is separated from the second pressure sensor by a first distance and the first pressure sensor is separated from the third pressure sensor by a second distance; and
a controller for receiving input signals from the plurality of pressure sensors, and for processing said input signals to obtain a cavitation severity ratio, the cavitation severity ratio comprising a ratio of the difference between a measured interstage pressure of the pump and a measured suction pressure of the pump and the difference between a measured discharge pressure of the pump and the measured suction pressure of the pump;
the controller further configured to adjust an operating speed of the pump based on a comparison of the cavitation severity ratio to a predefined application based severity level and a target cavitation severity level, the application based severity level being set by a user and the target cavitation severity level being based on a ratio between the first distance and the second distance.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method are disclosed for monitoring and controlling a positive displacement pump using readings obtained from a plurality of pressure sensors. The pressure sensors may be mounted at the suction, discharge and interstage regions of the pump. Signals from the pressure sensors are compared to obtain a ratio that is used to predict whether a cavitation condition exists within the pump. The ratio can be compared to user provided limits to change an operating characteristic of the pump to reduce predicted cavitation. The pump may be stopped, or pump speed changed, when the ratio is less than a predetermined value. In some embodiments, historical information regarding the ratio may be used to obtain standard deviation information which may then be used to predict whether gas bubbles are passing through the pump. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
144 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for monitoring and controlling a positive displacement pump, comprising:
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a plurality of pressure sensors mounted to the positive displacement pump, the plurality of pressure sensors comprising at least first, second and third pressure sensors, wherein the first pressure sensor is separated from the second pressure sensor by a first distance and the first pressure sensor is separated from the third pressure sensor by a second distance; and a controller for receiving input signals from the plurality of pressure sensors, and for processing said input signals to obtain a cavitation severity ratio, the cavitation severity ratio comprising a ratio of the difference between a measured interstage pressure of the pump and a measured suction pressure of the pump and the difference between a measured discharge pressure of the pump and the measured suction pressure of the pump;
the controller further configured to adjust an operating speed of the pump based on a comparison of the cavitation severity ratio to a predefined application based severity level and a target cavitation severity level, the application based severity level being set by a user and the target cavitation severity level being based on a ratio between the first distance and the second distance. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for monitoring and controlling a positive displacement pump, comprising:
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obtaining a plurality of signals representative of pressures at a plurality of locations in the positive displacement pump; processing the plurality of signals to obtain a cavitation severity ratio, the cavitation severity ratio comprising a ratio of the difference between a measured interstage pressure of the pump and a measured suction pressure of the pump and the difference between a measured discharge pressure of the pump and the measured suction pressure of the pump; and adjusting an operating speed of the positive displacement pump based on a comparison of the cavitation severity ratio to a predefined application based severity level and a target cavitation severity level, the application based severity level being set by a user and the target cavitation severity level being based on a ratio of distances between the plurality of locations. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification