Pressure relief valve monitoring device

An apparatus for monitoring the operation of a pressure relief valve having a closure element engageable with a nozzle to block flow of fluid through the pressure relief valve, comprising:

• a. a sensor input module including a microcontroller and a real time clock/calendar, said sensor input module located proximate to the pressure relief valve;
• b. a position sensor located proximate to the pressure relief valve and that indicates the position of the closure element relative to the nozzle by generating a lift signal representative of such position;
• c. said microcontroller configured to receive said lift signal and correlate the receipt thereof with an indication of time from said clock/calendar to determine the magnitude of movement of the closure element and the time of such movement;
• and
• d. wherein said microcontroller compares the frequency of said movement with a predetermined limit to detect unstable operation.

An apparatus for monitoring the operation of a pressure relief valve having a closure element engageable with a nozzle to block flow of fluid through the pressure relief valve, comprising:

• a. a sensor input module including a microcontroller and a real time clock/calendar, said sensor input module located proximate to the pressure relief valve;
• b. a position sensor located proximate to the pressure relief valve and that indicates the position of the closure element relative to the nozzle by generating a lift signal representative of such position;
• c. a pressure sensor located proximate to the pressure relief valve that indicates pressure by generating a pressure signal representative of such pressure;
• and
• d. said microcontroller configured to receive said lift signal and correlate the receipt thereof with an indication of time from said clock/calendar to determine the magnitude of movement of the closure element and the time of such movement, and to receive said pressure signal and correlate the receipt thereof with an indication of time from said clock/calendar and with the magnitude of said pressure signal and the time at which said pressure signal changed.

A method for monitoring the operation of a pressure relief valve, the pressure relief valve having a closure element engageable with a nozzle to block the flow of fluid through the pressure relief valve, the pressure relief valve being located proximate to a sensor input module, said sensor input module having a microcontroller and a real time clock/calendar, said method comprising the steps of:

• a. sensing the position of the closure element relative to the nozzle using a position sensor located proximate to the pressure relief valve;
• b. generating a lift signal representative of said position;
• c. communicating said lift signal to said sensor input module;
• d. sensing pressure using a pressure sensor located proximate to the pressure relief valve;
• e. generating a pressure signal representative of such pressure;
• f. communicating said pressure signal to said sensor input module;
• g. generating an indication of time using said real time clock/calendar;
• h. determining the magnitude of movement of the closure element using said microcontroller and said lift signal;
• i. determining the time of said movement of the closure element;
• j. determining the magnitude of the pressure using said microcontroller and said pressure signal;
• and
• k. correlating the receipt of said pressure signal with said indication of time and with the magnitude of said pressure signal.

A method for monitoring the operation of a pressure relief valve, the pressure relief valve having a closure element engageable with a nozzle to block the flow of fluid through the pressure relief valve, the pressure relief valve being located proximate to a sensor input module, said sensor input module having a microcontroller and a real time clock/calendar, said method comprising the steps of:

• a. sensing the position of the closure element relative to the nozzle using a position sensor located proximate to the pressure relief valve;
• b. generating a lift signal representative of said position;
• c. communicating said lift signal to said sensor input module;
• d. generating an indication of time using said real time clock/calendar;
• e. determining the magnitude of movement of the closure element as a function of time by correlating the receipt of said lift signal with said indication of time using said microcontroller;
• and
• f. comparing the frequency of said movement with a predetermined limit to detect unstable operation.