Sludge pump with monitoring system

A sludge pump system comprising:

• a material cylinder;
• piston movable in the material cylinder;
• a pump drive for driving the piston during working cycles which include a pumping stroke and a filling stroke;
• pump valve means for connecting the material cylinder to an outlet during the pumping stroke and for connecting the material cylinder to an inlet during the filling stroke;
• and
• means for monitoring operation of the sludge pump, the means for monitoring comprising:
• means for sensing a first parameter related to operation of the pump drive, the first parameter being indicative of a hydraulic working pressure in the pump drive;
• means for sensing a second parameter indicative of operation of the piston;
• and
• means for determining errors in the operation of the pump based upon the first parameter and the second parameter.

A sludge pump system comprising:

• a material cylinder;
• piston movable in the material cylinder;
• a pump drive for driving the piston during working cycles which include a pumping stroke and a filling stroke;
• pump valve means for connecting the material cylinder to an outlet during the pumping stroke and for connecting the material cylinder to an inlet during the filling stroke;
• means for monitoring operation of the sludge pump, the means for monitoring comprising:
• means for sensing a first parameter related to operation of the pump drive;
• means for sensing a second parameter indicative of operation of the piston;
• and
• means for determining errors in the operation of the pump based upon the first parameter and the second parameter;
• and
• means for adjusting a width of opening of a throttle valve of the pump drive based upon a comparison of a time period between an opening and a closing of a pump valve to a predetermined value.

A sludge pump system comprising:

• a material cylinder;
• piston movable in the material cylinder;
• a pump drive for driving the piston during working cycles which include a pumping stroke and a filling stroke;
• pump valve means for connecting the material cylinder to an outlet during the pumping stroke and for connecting the material cylinder to an inlet during the filling stroke;
• means for monitoring operation of the sludge pump, the means for monitoring comprising:
• means for sensing a first parameter related to Operation of the pump drive;
• means for sensing a second parameter indicative of operation of the piston;
• and
• means for determining errors in the operation of the pump based upon the first parameter and the second parameter;
• and
• means for determining an actual pumping rate of hydraulic fluid in the pump drive based upon the first parameter sensed;
• means for determining a theoretical pumping rate of hydraulic fluid in the pump drive based upon the second parameter sensed, the second parameter sensed being indicative of a number of piston pumping strokes;
• and
• means for determining a quantity of hydraulic fluid leakage from the hydrostatic pump drive based upon a comparison of the determined actual pumping rate and the determined theoretical pumping rate.