PREDICTING MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR A VALVE ASSEMBLY

• US 20170114927A1
• Filed: 10/27/2015
• Published: 04/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dresser, LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: Dresser Incorporated (Nagano Keiki Company Limited)
• Inventors: Schoonover, Larry Gene, Shriver, Justin Scott
• Granted Patent: US 10,371,285 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 37/0083 by measuring valve parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33326 Analyzer, diagnostic for servovalve
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0283 Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06

Abstract

A system and method for predicting failure conditions on a valve assembly. The method can include stages for comparing a maintenance variable to a threshold criteria, each related to an operating feature that uses operating data to quantify operation of a valve assembly, the threshold criteria associating an operating pattern found in the operating data with a failure mode on the valve assembly. The method can also include stages for selecting a maintenance task according to a relationship between the maintenance variable and the threshold criteria, the maintenance task related to the failure mode. The method can further include stages for generating an output conveying the maintenance task.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a management server having a processor with access to executable instructions, the executable instructions are configured to, when executed by the processor, cause the management server to,

acquire operating data that describes operation of a valve assembly;

calculate one or more operating feature from the operating data, the operating feature quantifying operation of the valve assembly;

calculate a maintenance variable;

compare the maintenance variable to a threshold criteria related to the operating feature, the threshold criteria associating an operating pattern found in the operating data with a failure mode on the valve assembly;

select a maintenance task according to a relationship between the maintenance variable and the threshold criteria, the maintenance task related to the failure mode; and

generate an output conveying the maintenance task.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the maintenance variable corresponds to a key performance indicator that defines performance of the valve assembly.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the executable instructions further configure the management server to calculate the key performance indicator using the operating data.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the threshold criteria comprises a maximum value for the key performance indicator.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the maintenance variable includes a pattern coefficient that modifies a value of the operating feature.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the maintenance variable integrates more than one of the pattern coefficient and more than one of the operating feature.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the maintenance variable takes the form of a linear equation.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the executable instructions further configure the management server to calculate the maintenance variable in accordance with,

M=C_iX_i+C_i+nX_i+n . . . ,

wherein M is the maintenance variable, Ci is a first pattern coefficient, Xi is a first operating feature, Ci+n is a second pattern coefficient, Xi=n is a second operating feature, and n is an integer having consecutive values.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the executable instructions further configure the management server to receive data from a remote device, to incorporate the data into a training set of data, and to calculate the pattern coefficient using the training set of data.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the executable instructions further configure the management server to update the relationship between the maintenance variable and the threshold criteria in accordance with the pattern coefficient.

11. A valve assembly, comprising

a valve comprising a closure member that is configured to move relative to a seat;

and

a valve positioner configured to,

acquire operating data that describes operation of a valve assembly;

calculate one or more operating feature from operating data defining operation of the valve assembly, the operating feature quantifying operation of the valve assembly;

calculate a maintenance variable;

compare the maintenance variable to a threshold criteria related to the operating feature, the threshold criteria associating an operating pattern found in the operating data with a failure mode on the valve assembly;

select a maintenance task according to a relationship between the maintenance variable and the threshold criteria, the maintenance task related to the failure mode; and

generate an output conveying the maintenance task.

12. The valve assembly of claim 11, wherein the maintenance variable corresponds to a key performance indicator that defines performance of the valve assembly.

13. The valve assembly of claim 11, wherein the maintenance variable includes a pattern coefficient that modifies a value of the operating feature.

14. The valve assembly of claim 13, wherein the maintenance variable integrates more than one of the pattern coefficient and more than one of the operating feature.

15. The valve assembly of claim 11, wherein the valve positioner is further configured to calculate the maintenance variable in accordance with,

M=C_iX_i+C_i+nX_i+n . . . ,

wherein M is the maintenance variable, Ci is a first pattern coefficient, Xi is a first operating feature, Ci+n is a second pattern coefficient, Xi=n is a second operating feature, and n is an integer having consecutive values.

16. A method, comprising:

acquiring operating data that describes operation of a valve assembly;

calculating one or more operating features from the operating data, the operating feature quantifying operation of the valve assembly;

calculating a maintenance variable;

comparing the maintenance variable to a threshold criteria related to the operating feature, the threshold criteria associating an operating pattern found in the operating data with a failure mode on the valve assembly;

selecting a maintenance task according to a relationship between the maintenance variable and the threshold criteria, the maintenance task related to the failure mode; and

generating an output conveying the maintenance task.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the maintenance variable corresponds to one or more values for a key performance indicator that defines performance of the valve assembly.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the maintenance variable includes a pattern coefficient that modifies a value of the operating feature.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

calculating the maintenance variable in accordance with,

M=C_iX_i+C_i+nX_i+n . . . ,

wherein M is the maintenance variable, Ci is a first pattern coefficient, Xi is a first operating feature, Ci+n is a second pattern coefficient, Xi=n is a second operating feature, and n is an integer having consecutive values.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving data that defines the maintenance task that is performed on the valve assembly;

incorporating the data into a training set of data; and

updating the first pattern coefficient and the second pattern coefficient in accordance with the training set of data.