Electric fuel pump condition monitor system using electrical signature analysis

• US 20040230384A1
• Filed: 05/13/2003
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UT-Battelle LLC
• Original Assignee: UT-Battelle LLC
• Inventors: Haynes, Howard D., Cox, Daryl F., Welch, Donald E.
• Granted Patent: US 6,941,785 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/57
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 17/03 driven by electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 2203/0201 Current
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 2203/0204 Frequency of the electric current
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 51/00 Testing machines, pumps, or pumping installations
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 13/06 the pump being electrically driven
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/0088 Testing machines

Abstract

A pump diagnostic system and method comprising current sensing probes clamped on electrical motor leads of a pump for sensing only current signals on incoming motor power, a signal processor having a means for buffering and anti-aliasing current signals into a pump motor current signal, and a computer having a means for analyzing, displaying, and reporting motor current signatures from the motor current signal to determine pump health using integrated motor and pump diagnostic parameters.

Claims

1. A pump diagnostic system comprising:

current sensing probes removably disposed on electrical motor leads of a pump for sensing only current signals on incoming motor power,

a signal processor having means for buffering and anti-aliasing said current signals into a pump motor current signal, and

a computer having a means for analyzing, displaying, and reporting motor current signatures from said motor current signal to determine pump health using integrated motor and pump diagnostic parameters.

2. The pump diagnostic system of claim 1 wherein said pump is a fuel pump.

3. The pump diagnostic system of claim 1 wherein said current probes are clamp-on type.

4. The pump diagnostic system of claim 1 wherein said incoming motor power is single phase alternating current.

5. The pump diagnostic system of claim 1 wherein said incoming motor power is three phase alternating current.

6. The pump diagnostic system of claim 1 wherein said signal processor and computer are powered by an internal battery supply.

7. The pump diagnostic system of claim 1 wherein said signal processor and computer are powered by an external power supply.

8. The pump diagnostic system of claim 1 wherein said signal processor further comprises at least one active low-pass fixed-cutoff frequency filter.

9. The pump diagnostic system of claim 8 wherein said filters are 8-stage Butterworth filters.

10. The pump diagnostic system of claim 1 wherein said signal processor further comprises at least one active low-pass adjustable-cutoff frequency filter.

11. The pump diagnostic system of claim 1 wherein said computer integrates multiple diagnostic parameters to objectively determine pump system health.

12. The pump diagnostic system of claim 1 wherein said computer determines the motor speed from said motor current signal.

13. The pump diagnostic system of claim 12 wherein said computer determines the motor line voltage from said motor current signal and said motor speed.

14. The pump diagnostic system of claim 1 wherein said computer determines the change in noise floor from said motor current signal to detect bearing wear in said pump.

15. The pump diagnostic system of claim 1 wherein said computer demodulates the motor current signal.

16. A method of determining pump system health comprising the steps of:

sensing only current signals on incoming motor power leads using current probes,

processing said current signals into a pump motor current signal using a signal processor having a means for buffering and anti-aliasing, and

determining pump system health from integrated motor and pump diagnostic parameters using a computer having a means for analyzing, displaying, and reporting motor current signatures.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said pump is a fuel pump.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein said current probes are clamp-on type.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein said incoming motor power is single phase alternating current.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein said incoming motor power is three phase alternating current.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein said signal processor and computer are powered by an internal battery supply.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein said signal processor and computer are powered by an external power supply.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein said signal processor further comprises at least one active low-pass fixed-cutoff frequency filter.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said filters are 8-stage Butterworth filters.

25. The method claim 16 wherein said signal processor further comprises at least one active low-pass variable-cutoff frequency filter.

26. The method of claim 16 wherein said computer integrates multiple diagnostic parameters to objectively determine pump system health.

27. The method of claim 16 wherein said computer determines the motor speed from said motor current signal.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein said computer determines the motor line voltage from said motor current signal and said motor speed.

29. The method claim 16 wherein said computer determines the change in noise floor from said motor current signal to detect bearing wear in said pump.