Leak detection system
OwnerDushan Drakulich, M. Cueva-Eguigureninventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for thermal volume modeling of the pipe fluid volume change by taking temperature change measurements of pipe fluid taken at a single location, and comparing it to the changes in the fluid volume inside a tank hydraulically connected to a said pipe; a method of determining a fluid leak by comparing a calculated fluid volume inside a tank(s) and the actually measured tank fluid volume, where calculations are based on the method.
Claims24
A leak detection system for forced flow and stationary pipes comprising at least one first volume temperature sensor (26A) and at least one first volume sensor (24A) positioned in a first tank (38) containing fluid (32) therein, the first tank (38) is sealably connected to at least one first line (29) containing at least one electrical piped-type cable (30) with the fluid (32) therebetween, a first pump (34A) pressurizes the fluid (32) within the at least one first line (29), at least one pressure sensor (28) sensing first line (29) fluid pressure and at least one first line temperature sensor (26C) positioned to sense temperature of fluid (32) in the at least one first line (29), the leak detection system further comprising a snapshot volume comparison leak detection operation (16) method consisting of the following steps:
- A) starting (16A) volume calculation;
- B) executing (16B) triggering logic;
- C) reading (16C) accumulated line temperature changes;
- D) calculating (16D) acceptable volume deviation;
- E) clearing (16E) accumulated line temperature changes;
- F) calculating (16F) temperature differences;
- G) calculating (16G) volume adjusted for temperature;
- H) calculating (16H) volume difference;
- I) writing (16I) collected and calculated data including flags;
- J) determining (16J) if volume change is smaller than a currently acceptable value;
- K) determining (16K) alarm flag status;
- L) determining (16L) invalid flag status;
- M) tripping (16M) alarm function;
- N) reporting (16N) invalid readings.
A leak detection system for intermittent flow pipes comprising at least one first volume temperature sensor (26A) and at least one first volume sensor (24A) positioned in a first tank (38) containing fluid (32) therein, the first tank (38) is sealably connected to at least one first line (29) containing at least one electrical piped-type cable (30) with the fluid (32) therebetween, a second tank (39) is sealably connected to the outlet of a relief valve (36) the inlet of the relief valve (36) to a distal end of at least one first line (29), a second volume sensor (24B) and a second volume temperature sensor (26B) are positioned in a second tank (39) containing fluid (32) therein, the first pump (34A) pressurizes the fluid (32) within the at least one first line (29), and circulates it from a proximal end to a distal end of a first line (29), at least one pressure sensor (28) sensing first line (29) fluid pressure and at least one first line temperature sensor (26C) positioned to sense temperature of fluid (32) in proximity of electrical piped-type cable (30) in the at least one first line (29) or at the distal end of a first line (29), the leak detection system further comprising a snapshot volume comparison leak detection operation (16) method consisting of the following steps:
- A) starting (16A) volume calculation;
- B) executing (16B) triggering logic;
- C) reading (16C) accumulated line temperature changes;
- D) calculating (16D) acceptable volume deviation;
- E) clearing (16E) accumulated line temperature changes;
- F) calculating (16F) temperature differences;
- G) calculating (16G) volume adjusted for temperature;
- H) calculating (16H) volume difference;
- I) writing (16I) collected and calculated data including flags;
- J) determining (16J) if volume change is smaller than a currently acceptable value;
- K) determining (16K) alarm flag status;
- L) determining (16L) invalid flag status;
- M) tripping (16M) alarm function;
- N) reporting (16N) invalid readings.
A leak detection system for forced flow and stationary pipes comprising at least one first volume temperature sensor (26A) and at least one first volume sensor (24A) positioned in a first tank (38) containing fluid (32) therein, the first tank (38) is sealably connected to at least one first line (29) containing at least one electrical piped-type cable (30) with the fluid (32) therebetween, a first pump (34A) pressurizes the fluid (32) within the at least one first line (29), at least one pressure sensor (28) sensing first line (29) fluid pressure and at least one first line temperature sensor (26C) positioned to sense temperature of fluid (32) in the at least one first line (29), the leak detection system further comprising a method for triggering snapshot for forced flow and stationary pipes (110), consisting of the following steps:
- A) starting (118) at least one snapshot reading, which is initiated either by a gathering (20) calibration data or by a snap shot volume calculation (16);
- B) testing (120) a first flag;
- C) clearing (121) trigger timer flag and pump timer flag;
- CC) resetting (122) trigger timer and pump timer;
- D) determining (123) invalid flag;
- DD) conditional waiting (124) one time period;
- DDD) clearing (125) invalid flag;
- E) testing (126) a first pump (34A) status;
- F) setting (128) a pump timer flag;
- FF) starting (129) a pump timer;
- G) testing (130) a first pump (34A) status;
- H) clearing (132) a pump timer flag;
- HH) resetting (133) a pump timer;
- I) reading and calculating (136) pressure and offset from pressure set point;
- J) determining (138) if pressure offset is less than a preselected value;
- K) reading (140) temperature) from a temperature sensor (26A, 26B, 26C) and volume from at least one volume sensor (24A);
- L) clearing (142) trigger timer flag;
- LL) resetting and starting (143) trigger timer;
- M) returning (144) to a parent module;
- N) clearing (146) a pump timer flag;
- NN) resetting (147) a pump timer;
- O) determining (148) a trigger timer status;
- P) setting (150) a trigger timer flag;
- Q) determining (152) a pump timing condition;
- R) tripping (154) alarm for too long pressurization time;
- S) setting (156) an invalid flag;
- T) determining (158) a pump timing flag status;
- U) determining (160) a trigger timer flag status;
- V) sending (162) a message;
- VV) resetting and starting (163) a trigger timer;
- and
- W) sending (164) message and initiating corrective action.
A leak detection system for intermittent flow pipes comprising at least one first volume temperature sensor (26A) and at least one first volume sensor (24A) positioned in a first tank (38) containing fluid (32) therein, the first tank (38) is sealably connected to at least one first line (29) containing at least one electrical piped-type cable (30) with the fluid (32) therebetween, a second tank (39) is sealably connected to the outlet of a relief valve (36) the inlet of the relief valve (36) to a distal end of at least one first line (29), a second volume sensor (24B) and a second volume temperature sensor (26B) are positioned in a second tank (39) containing fluid (32) therein, the first pump (34A) pressurizes the fluid (32) within the at least one first line (29), and circulates it from a proximal end to a distal end of a first line (29), at least one pressure sensor (28) sensing first line (29) fluid pressure and at least one first line temperature sensor (26C) positioned to sense temperature of fluid (32) in proximity of electrical piped-type cable (30) in the at least one first line (29) or at the distal end of a first line (29), the leak detection system further comprises a method for triggering (210) snapshot for intermittent flow pipes consisting of the following steps:
- A) starting (218) at least one snapshot reading, which is initiated either by a gathering (20) calibration data or by a snapshot volume calculation (16);
- B) determining (220) `first` flag status;
- C) determining (221) invalid flag;
- CC) conditional waiting (222);
- CCC) clearing (223) invalid flag;
- D) determining (224) pressure/flow pump status;
- E) setting (226) pump timer flag;
- EE) starting (227) pump timer;
- F) reading (228) receiving tank temperature from tank temperature sensor (26B);
- G) determining (230) pressure/flow pump status;
- H) determining (232) pumping time condition;
- I) triggering and displaying (234) long pressurization alarm;
- J) reading and calculating (236) pressure and offset from pressure set point;
- K) determining (238) if pressure offset is less than a preselected value;
- L) setting (240) invalid flag;
- M) determining (242) pump timer flag status;
- N) reading (244) temperature from temperature sensors (26A, 26C . . . ) and volume from volume sensors (24A & 24B);
- O) clearing (246) trigger timer flag;
- OO) resetting and starting (247) trigger timer;
- P) returning (248) to parent module;
- Q) clearing (250) trigger timer flag, pump timer flag, and no-flow timer flag;
- QQ) resetting (251) trigger timer, pump timer, and no-flow timer ;
- R) determining (252) first pump (34A) status;
- S) setting (254) no-flow timer flag;
- SS) starting (255) no-flow timer;
- T) clearing (256) pump timer flag;
- TT) resetting (257) pump timer;
- U) determining (258) no-flow timing condition;
- V) setting (260) no-flow timer flag;
- VV) starting (261) pressurization/flow pump;
- W) clearing (262) pump timer flag;
- WW) resetting (263) pump timer;
- WW) resetting and starting (264) no flow timer;
- and
- X) sending (266) error message and taking corrective action.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.