Early fault detection in pump valves

Device for carrying out a process for the monitoring and automatic early fault detection in valves of an oscillating displacement pump, said process comprising the steps of continuously monitoring operating noise produced by a leaky pump valve due to back-flow of fluid pumped in a closed state of the pump valve and using the monitored operating noise as a measure for leakiness of the pump valve by a generated effective signal level, comparing the generated effective signal level to a reference signal level formed by operating noise of the pump with an intact pump valve, and triggering early fault detection of the leaky pump valve at a predefined signal level deviation or change due to increased operating noise of the leaky pump valve, said device comprising

• a measuring device attached to a structural part of the pump, said device monitoring and measuring as the effective signal level the operating noise produced by a leaky valve due to the back-flow of the fluid pumped in the closed state of the valve, and
• a comparator device connected to the measuring device, said comparator device comparing the effective signal level to the reference signal level formed from the operating noise of the pump with the intact valve and, at the predefined signal level deviation or change, generating a fault message as the early fault detection of the leaky valve, the measuring device including at least one sensor to record the structure-borne sound produced by the operating noise of the pump, the structure-borne sound sensor being a vibration acceleration sensor.