Seal monitoring and control system
AssigneeJohn Crane Inc.
InventorsElhanafi A. Shamseldin, Joe Delrahim, Paul A. Hosking, Joseph L. Savio, Vladimir Bakalchuk
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Abstract
A seal monitoring and control system for a gas lubricated non-contacting seal includes various sensors providing signals to a programmable logic control system. The control system is disposed to determine a presence of an anomalous operating condition of the seal, for example, based on phase, relative position of rotor to stator or other signals in combination provided by the various sensors to provide an output signal, which in one embodiment performs at least one mitigating process to correct the anomalous operating condition by adjusting at least one operating parameter of the seal.
Claims37
A seal monitoring system for a gas lubricated non-contacting seal disposed in sealing relationship between a rotatable shaft and a housing of a compressor, comprising:
- a phase sensor disposed to provide a phase signal indicative of non-gaseous matter adjacent to said gas lubricated non-contacting seal;
- and
- a programmable logic control system disposed to receive said phase signal, wherein said programmable logic control system is further disposed to determine an operating condition of said gas lubricated non-contacting seal based on said phase signal and provide an output signal in response to said operating condition.
A supply system for providing a flow of treated gas to a gas lubricated non-contacting seal disposed within a compressor, comprising:
- a control system;
- a first plurality of sensors disposed to measure seal operating parameters and provide a first plurality of signals indicative of said seal operating parameters to said control system;
- a second plurality of sensors disposed to measure supply system operating parameters and provide a second plurality of signals indicative of said supply system operating parameters relative to said flow of treated gas to said control system;
- a third plurality of sensors disposed to measure compressor operating parameters and provide a third plurality of signals indicative of said compressor operating parameters to said control system;
- wherein said control system is disposed to:
- determine an operating condition of said gas lubricated non-contacting seal based on said first, second, and third pluralities of signals;
- and
- provide an output in response to said operating condition.
A method of monitoring and controlling operation of a seal associated with a supply system supplying a flow of process gas to said seal, comprising:
- acquiring a plurality of sensor signals provided by a plurality of sensors associated with said seal and said supply system;
- processing said plurality of sensor signals to determine presence of an anomalous operating condition of said seal;
- initiating a mitigation procedure that adjusts at least one operating parameter of said seal;
- and
- conducting said mitigation procedure while said anomalous operating condition is present and each of said plurality of sensor signals is below a corresponding threshold.
A seal monitoring system for a gas lubricated non-contacting seal disposed in sealing relationship between a rotatable shaft and a housing of a compressor, comprising:
- a position sensor disposed to provide a position signal indicative of the relative axial position of rotatable components and stationary components of the gas lubricated non-contacting seal;
- and
- a programmable logic control system disposed to receive said position signal, wherein said programmable logic control system is further disposed to determine an operating condition of said gas lubricated non-contacting seal based on said position signal and provide an output signal in response to said operating condition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.