Method and apparatus for continuous online monitoring of a pulsating pump
AssigneeWave Control Systems, Inc.
InventorsMohammad Saeid Amiri, Trevor Gordon Brown
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is described a method for continuous online monitoring of a pulsating pump. A first step involves monitoring discharge pressure patterns caused by each stroke of the pulsating pump. A second step involves using a computer processing unit to analyze each pressure spike in the discharge pressure patterns and arrive at derived calculations for stroke length, stroke frequency and flow rate. A width of the base of the pressure spike is indicative of pump stroke frequency and an area of the pressure spike being indicative of fluid pumped per stroke. The pump's stroke length and the pump flow rate is fluid pumped per stroke multiplied by stroke frequency.
Claims15
A method for controlling the operation of a pulsating pump, the method comprising:
- monitoring discharge pressure patterns caused by each stroke of the pulsating pump;
- using a computer processing unit to analyze each pressure spike in the discharge pressure patterns and arrive at derived calculations for stroke length, stroke frequency, and flow rate, wherein a width of a base of the pressure spike is used to calculate the pump stroke frequency and an area of the pressure spike is used to calculate the fluid pumped per stroke, or equivalently the pump's stroke length, and the pump flowrate is calculated using the fluid pumped per stroke multiplied by the stroke frequency;
- and
- implementing a pump control strategy, using the computer processing unit, based upon a set of operating rules and the derived calculations.
An apparatus for controlling the operation of a pulsating pump, the apparatus comprising:
- a pressure sensor for monitoring discharge pressure patterns caused by each stroke of the pulsating pump;
- a computer processing unit that analyzes each pressure spike in the discharge pressure patterns to arrive at derived calculations for stroke length, stroke frequency, flow per stroke, and flow rate, wherein a width of a base of the pressure spike is used to calculate the pump stroke frequency and an integral of the pressure spike or a mathematical function of it is used to calculate the flow per stroke or equivalently the pump's stroke length, and the pump flow rate is calculated using the fluid pumped per stroke multiplied by the stroke frequency;
- and
- wherein the computer processing unit implements a pump control strategy based upon a set of operating rules and the derived calculations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.