Pilot-operated relief valve assembly
AssigneeEmerson Automation Solutions Final Control US LP
InventorsVishwa Kalyanasundaram, Michael McNeely, Raul Almazan, William Bockeloh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pilot-operated relief valve assembly can include a relief valve, and a pressure detection assembly. A valve lift factor or indicator of relief flow can be determined based on pressure measurements gathered by the pressure detection assembly.
Claims20
A pilot-operated relief valve assembly comprising:
- a relief valve assembly that includes:
- a pilot valve;
- and
- a main valve that includes:
- a dome in fluid communication with the pilot valve;
- a valve inlet in fluid communication with the pilot valve;
- and
- a valve outlet;
- the main valve being configured to permit or prevent flow from the valve inlet to the valve outlet based on a pressure differential between an inlet pressure at
- the valve inlet and a dome pressure within the dome;
- a pressure detection assembly configured to determine a run-time dome pressure at the dome;
- and
- a control system configured to communicate with one or more processor devices to:
- determine a run-time pressure factor based on the run-time dome pressure;
- and
- determine a run-time valve lift factor based upon the run-time pressure factor, without directly measuring a run-time valve lift of the main valve.
A method of monitoring a pilot-operated relief valve assembly that includes a pressure detection assembly, a pilot valve, and a main valve that includes a dome in fluid communication with the pilot valve, a valve inlet in fluid communication with the pilot valve, a valve outlet, and a piston that is configured to permit flow from the valve inlet to the valve outlet in response to a difference between an inlet pressure at the valve inlet and a dome pressure within the dome, the method comprising:
- determining, based on one or more measurements by the pressure detection assembly, at least one of:
- a run-time dome pressure at the dome, a run-time inlet pressure at the valve inlet, or a run-time pressure differential between the valve inlet and the dome;
- and
- determining a run-time pressure factor based on the determined at least one of the run-time dome pressure, the run-time inlet pressure, or the run-time pressure differential;
- determining a run-time valve lift factor based upon the run-time pressure factor;
- and
- determining, based upon the run-time valve lift factor, a total fluid flow through the main valve over a time interval.
A control system for a pilot-operated relief valve assembly, the control system comprising:
- one or more pressure sensors that are configured to determine at least one of:
- a run-time dome pressure within a dome of the pilot-operated relief valve assembly, a run-time inlet pressure, or a run-time pressure differential between a valve inlet of a main valve of the pilot-operated relief valve assembly and the dome;
- and
- one or more processor devices that are configured to:
- determine a run-time pressure factor at a run-time valve lift of the main valve, based on the determined at least one of the run-time dome pressure, the run-time inlet pressure, or the run-time pressure differential;
- and
- based upon the run-time pressure factor and without receiving a measurement of the run-time valve lift, determine a run-time valve flow factor at the run-time valve lift, wherein the run-time valve flow factor corresponds to run-time flow from the valve inlet to a valve outlet of the main valve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.