# US 2014/0150532 A1 · Valve leak detecting method and combustion equipment > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0150532 A1 - Document ID: US20140150532A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/092,321 - Filed: 2013-11-27 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30 - Assignees: Azbil Corporation - Applicants: Azbil Corporation - Inventors: Shigeki ISHII; Satoru YAMAGISHI; Yuuichi KUMAZAWA - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140150532A1 ## CPC - G01M 3/04: by detecting the presence of fluid at the leakage point - F23K 5/007: {Details} - F23K 5/16: Safety devices (cleaning or purging devices, e.g. filters F23K5/18) - F23N 5/24: Preventing development of abnormal or undesired conditions, i.e. safety arrangements (F23N5/02 - F23N5/18 take precedence) - F23K 2400/20: Supply line arrangements - F23K 2900/05001: Control or safety devices in gaseous or liquid fuel supply lines - F23N 2225/04: pressure - G01M: TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - F23K: FEEDING FUEL TO COMBUSTION APPARATUS (fuel feeders specially adapted for fluidised bed combustion apparatus F23C10/22) - F23N: REGULATING OR CONTROLLING COMBUSTION (control devices specially adapted for combustion apparatus in which combustion takes place in a fluidised bed of fuel or other particles F23C10/28; condition responsive controls for regulating combustion in domestic stoves with open fires for solid fuel F24B1/187) ## Abstract A valve leak detecting method includes a pressure setting step before closing valves individually to set a pressure in a pipe, a first threshold value evaluating step for closing the valves after the pressure has been set to no less than the threshold value, and evaluating whether the pressure, after a specific time interval has elapsed, is at least threshold value, a second valve normalcy evaluating step for evaluating that one of the valves is operating properly or faultily if the pressure is at least or less than the threshold value, respectively, a second threshold value evaluating step for closing the valves and evaluating whether the pressure is less than the threshold value after a specific time interval has elapsed, and a first valve normalcy evaluating step for evaluating whether the valve is operating properly or faultily depending on the pressure being less or no less than the threshold value. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A valve leak detecting method through combustion equipment comprising: a first valve that is connected to a pipe of a fuel supplying system and controls a fluid flow rate within the pipe; a second valve that is connected in series to the pipe on the downstream side of the first valve and controls a fluid flow rate within the pipe; a pressure detecting portion that detects pressure within the pipe between the first and second valves; and a leak detecting portion that performs leak detection for the first and second valves, based on a pressure within the pipe, detected by the pressure detecting portion, by controlling the first and second valves individually, wherein: the leak detecting portion performs: a pressure setting step for setting the pressure within the pipe between the first and second valves to no less than a specific threshold value or to less than a specific threshold value, by closing the first and second valves individually when the combustion equipment stops combustion; a first threshold value evaluating step for evaluating whether or not the pressure within the pipe, detected by the pressure detecting portion after a first time interval has elapsed, is at least the specific threshold value, after the pressure within the pipe has been set to at least the specific threshold value in the pressure setting step; a second valve normalcy evaluating step for evaluating the second valve as operating properly if the evaluation in the first threshold value evaluating step was that the pressure within the pipe is at least the specific threshold value, and for evaluating that the second valve is faulty if the evaluation was that the pressure within the pipe is less than the specific threshold value; a second threshold value evaluating step for evaluating whether or not the pressure within the pipe, detected by the pressure detecting portion after a second time interval has elapsed, is less than the specific threshold value, after the pressure within the pipe has been set to less than the specific threshold value in the pressure setting step; and a first valve normalcy evaluating step for evaluating the first valve as operating properly if the evaluation in the second threshold value evaluating step was that the pressure within the pipe is less than the specific threshold value, and for evaluating that the first valve is faulty if the evaluation was that the pressure within the pipe is no less than the specific threshold value. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The valve leak detecting method as set forth in claim 1, wherein: the first and second threshold value evaluating steps are performed alternatingly when the combustion equipment has been started. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The valve leak detecting method as set forth in claim 1, wherein: in the pressure setting step, the pressure within the pipe is caused to be near to the specific threshold value. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The valve leak detecting method as set forth in claim 1, wherein: in the pressure setting step, the pressure within the pipe between the first and second valves is set to no less than a first threshold value or less than a second threshold value that is less than the first threshold value. ### Claim 5 Combustion equipment comprising: a first valve that is connected to a pipe of a fuel supplying system and controls a fluid flow rate within the pipe; a second valve that is connected in series to the pipe on the downstream side of the first valve, that controls a fluid flow rate within the pipe; a pressure detecting portion that detects pressure within the pipe between the first and second valves; and a leak detecting portion that performs leak detection for the first and second valves, based on a pressure within the pipe, detected by the pressure detecting portion, by controlling the first and second valves individually, wherein: the leak detecting portion has: a pressure setting portion that sets the pressure within the pipe between the first and second valves to no less than a specific threshold value or to less than a specific threshold value, by closing the first and second valves individually when the combustion equipment stops combustion; a first threshold value evaluating portion that evaluates whether or not the pressure within the pipe, detected by the pressure detecting portion after a first time interval has elapsed, is at least the specific threshold value, after the pressure within the pipe has been set to at least the specific threshold value by the pressure setting portion; a second valve normalcy evaluating portion that evaluates the second valve as operating properly if the evaluation by the first threshold value evaluating portion was that the pressure within the pipe is at least the specific threshold value, and evaluates that the second valve is faulty if the evaluation was that the pressure within the pipe is less than the specific threshold value; a second threshold value evaluating portion that evaluates whether or not the pressure within the pipe, detected by the pressure detecting portion after a second time interval has elapsed, is less than the specific threshold value, after the pressure within the pipe has been set to less than the specific threshold value by the pressure setting portion; and a first valve normalcy evaluating portion that evaluates the first valve as operating properly if the evaluation by the second threshold value evaluating portion was that the pressure within the pipe is less than the specific threshold value, and evaluates that the first valve is faulty if the evaluation was that the pressure within the pipe is no less than the specific threshold value. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The combustion equipment as set forth in claim 5, wherein: in the combustion equipment, the processing time for the valve leak detection is included in a pre-purge interval if the valve leak detection is performed when the combustion equipment is started up and the valves have been evaluated as operating properly by the first and second valve normalcy evaluating portions. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The combustion equipment as set forth in claim 5, wherein: the combustion equipment comprises a valve controlling portion that controls the first and second valves; the valve controlling portion is disabled while the leak detecting portion is operating; and the leak detecting portion is disabled while the valve controlling portion is operating.