Hydraulic signature tester

• US 9,631,479 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2012
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Barry James Mcmiles
• Original Assignee: Barry James Mcmiles
• Inventors: McMiles, Barry James
• Primary Examiner(s): FITZGERALD, JOHN P
• Application Number:
  US13/551,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20120283966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,742 Days
• Field of Search: 7315251-15253
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/001 for underwater installation
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 20/00 Safety arrangements for fluid actuator systems; Applications of safety devices in fluid actuator systems; Emergency measures for fluid actuator systems

Abstract

The present invention provides a subsea apparatus for testing a hydraulic signature which has a fluid supply, a first pressure line coupled to the fluid supply, a second pressure line coupled to the fluid supply; and a pressure recording device operatively coupled to both the first pressure line and the second pressure line. A pressure recording device is capable of storing pre-determined pressure data representative of said pressure lines. The first pressure line functions at a lower pressure than the second pressure line while a pressure recording device records data to allow comparison of actual pressure data on the first and second pressure lines with said stored data.

Claims

1. A method for testing a set of pressure values representative of a hydraulic signature in a pressurized flow system comprising:

receiving from a sensor on a first pressure line and a second pressure line of a higher pressure each coupled to a fluid supply a first set of pressure values from each one of the respective pressure lines over a specified time period, determining a baseline of said pressure values in a first data set of a pressurized system and storing said pressure values in a recorder;

receiving and recording additional pressure values for each of said first and second pressure lines over a subsequent period of time to create and store a second set of data;

comparing said second set of data to the first set of pressure values to detect variances in the baseline pressure readings of said system; and

communicating said second set of data to a computing mechanism so that a compensating device adjusts pressure to desired pressure values representative of said first set of data.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adjusting pressure values to pre-determined pressure values.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of operably connecting said comparison data to a signal for operating one or more valves in said system.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising a processor for analyzing pressure values and said additional pressure values.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising a vent for relieving pressures.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of releasing said pressures while monitoring the hydraulic signature over time.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of comparing a real time hydraulic signature to pre-determined theoretical hydraulic signatures to identify discrepancies between the two signatures.