# US 11,441,557 B2 · Valve failure determination in a pump monitoring system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,441,557 B2 - Document ID: US11441557B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/755,853 - Filed: 2017-12-29 - Published: 2021-07-01 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2017-12-29 - Assignees: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. - Applicants: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. - Inventors: Joseph A. Beisel - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11441557B2 ## CPC - F04B 51/00: Testing machines, pumps, or pumping installations - F04B 1/0452: Distribution members, e.g. valves (machines or pumps with cam-actuated distribution members at the outer ends of the cylinders F04B1/0472; machines or pumps with cam-actuated distribution members at the inner ends of the cylinders F04B1/0531; the piston-driving cams being provided with inlets and outlets F04B1/0535) - F04B 15/02: the fluids being viscous or non-homogeneous - F04B 49/022: {by means of pressure} - F04B 49/10: Other safety measures - G01H 1/00: Measuring {characteristics of} vibrations in solids by using direct conduction to the detector (G01H9/00, G01H11/00 take precedence) - F04B 49/065: {and making use of computers} - F04B 2201/0601: Opening times - F04B 2205/03: Pressure in the compression chamber - F04B: POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS (machines for liquids, or pumps, of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type F04C; non-positive-displacement pumps F04D; pumping of fluid by direct contact of another fluid or by using inertia of fluid to be pumped F04F) - G01H: MEASUREMENT OF MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OR ULTRASONIC, SONIC OR INFRASONIC WAVES ## Abstract A pump monitoring system for use in wellbore operations includes a strain gauge that can be positioned on a fluid end of a pump and at least one pressure transducer to measure relative pressure. A computing device can be connected to the strain gauge and the pressure transducers. The computing device executes programming instructions to identify failures of specific valves by correlating the strain signal to an actual pressure associated with the specific valve in the pump section. The processor then determines whether a pump pressure corresponds to the actual pressure associated with the specific valve, and if so, displays an indication that the specific valve in the pump section has failed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A pump monitoring system for use in wellbore operations, comprising: a strain gauge positionable on a fluid end of a pump to measure strain in a pump section of the pump and generate a strain signal representing strain in the pump section; a first pressure transducer positionable to measure a first pressure associated with a first valve in the pump section over time and provide a first pressure signal; a second pressure transducer positionable to measure a second pressure associated with a second valve in the pump section over time and provide a second pressure signal; and a computing device communicatively couplable to the strain gauge and the first and second pressure transducers, the computing device including a processor for which instructions are executable by the processor to cause the processor to: identify the pump section as failed by detecting irregularities in the strain signal; correlate the strain signal to an internal pump pressure; compare the internal pump pressure to at least one of the first pressure of the first valve or the second pressure of the second valve; determine the internal pump pressure corresponds to the first pressure of the first valve; and display an indication that the first valve in the pump section has failed in response to determining the internal pump pressure corresponds to the first pressure of the first valve. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The pump monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable to correlate the strain signal to the internal pump pressure by: acquiring a chamber pressure signal; and applying an envelope filter to the chamber pressure signal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The pump monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the first valve and the second valve each comprise one of a suction valve or a discharge valve, and wherein the instructions are executable to separate the strain signal into a suction strain signal and a discharge strain signal using valve actuation points. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The pump monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the strain signal comprises individual strain signals from a plurality of chambers. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The pump monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the instructions that are executable to correlate the strain signal to the internal pump pressure further include instructions for comparing a current strain value of the strain signal to a stored strain value of the strain signal. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The pump monitoring system of claim 5, wherein the stored strain value of the strain signal is determined by finite element analysis of the pump section. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The pump monitoring system of claim 5, wherein the stored strain value of the strain signal is determined by a test operation of the pump. ### Claim 8 A method of identifying a failure of a specific valve in a pump, the method comprising: identifying, by a processor, a pump section as failed by detecting irregularities in a strain signal; correlating, by the processor, the strain signal to an internal pump pressure; determining, by the processor, whether the internal pump pressure corresponds to a pressure associated with a first valve determined via a pressure transducer at the first valve; and displaying an indication that the first valve in the pump section has failed in response to determining that the internal pump pressure corresponds to the pressure associated with the first valve. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the correlating of the strain signal to the internal pump pressure further comprises: acquiring a chamber pressure signal; and applying an envelope filter to the chamber pressure signal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the first valve comprises at least one of a suction valve or a discharge valve and wherein the correlating of the strain signal to the internal pump pressure further comprises separating the strain signal into a suction strain signal and a discharge strain signal using valve actuation points. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the strain signal comprises individual strain signals from a plurality of chambers. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the correlating of the strain signal to the internal pump pressure further comprises comparing a current strain value of the strain signal to a stored strain value of the strain signal. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 further comprising acquiring the stored strain value of the strain signal from finite element analysis data for the pump section. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 further comprising: performing a test operation of the pump; and acquiring the stored strain value of the strain signal from the test operation. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer-readable medium that includes instructions that are executable by a processor for causing the processor to perform operations for identifying a failed valve in a pump associated with a wellbore, the operations comprising: identifying a first valve in a pump section as failed by detecting irregularities in a strain signal; correlating the strain signal to an actual discharge pressure in the pump section using a discharge pressure signal; correlating the strain signal to an actual suction pressure in the pump section using the suction pressure signal; determining whether a pump pressure corresponds to the actual suction pressure or the actual discharge pressure using the strain signal; displaying an indication that a suction valve in the pump section has failed in response to determining the pump pressure corresponds to the actual suction pressure; and displaying an indication that a discharge valve in the pump section has failed in response to the pump pressure corresponds to the actual discharge pressure. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise: acquiring a cylinder pressure signal; and applying an envelope filter to the cylinder pressure signal. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise separating the strain signal into a suction strain signal and a discharge strain signal using valve actuation points. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the strain signal comprises individual strain signals from a plurality of cylinders. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise comparing a current strain value of the strain signal to a stored strain value of the strain signal. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the operations further comprise acquiring the stored strain value of the strain signal from at least one of finite element analysis data for the pump section or performing a test operation of the pump.