Gate valve real time health monitoring system, apparatus, program code and related methods

A gate valve monitoring system comprising:

• an acoustic emission sensor operably connected to a gate valve, the acoustic emission sensor operable to receive an acoustic wave signal emitted by motion of a gate of the gate valve;
• a transmitter operable to transmit data measurements corresponding to the acoustic wave signal to a data acquisition and analysis device;
• and
• the data acquisition and analysis device operable to monitor the data measurements received from the transmitter for data representing an abnormal acoustic wave signal, the abnormal acoustic wave signal exceeding a normal signal threshold that is associated with normal operating conditions of the gate,
• wherein the data acquisition and analysis device comprises non-transitory memory storing program code, and one or more processors for processing the program code, the program code comprising a set of instructions that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the operations of:
• receiving the acoustic emission sensor data representing one or more characteristics of a gate-valve seat interface, the one or more characteristics comprising one or more the following:
• level of lubricity, level of friction, level of surface degradation, and leakage rate;
• and
• determining or identifying one or more of the following:
• the level of lubricity between the surface portions of a gate body and surface portions of the valve seat,
• the level of friction between the surface portions of the gate body and the surface portions of the valve seat,
• the level of surface degradation of the surface portions of the gate body, the surface portions of the valve seat, or both the surface portions of the gate body and the surface portions of the valve seat, and
• the leakage rate at the gate-valve seat interface,
• wherein the operations further comprise:
• forming a continuum of signatures at different characteristic levels comprising acoustic emission signatures defining a set of corresponding plurality of characteristic level signature models;
• and comparing the received signature or signatures to a subset of the set of the characteristic level signature models to thereby determine the level of the characteristic, and
• wherein the operation of forming a continuum of characteristic level signature models comprises:
• associating each characteristic level signature model of the continuum of characteristic level signature models with a respective back pressure signature model for a respective valve actuator back pressure responsive to the back pressure encountered by a component of a valve actuator utilized to actuate the gate.

A gate valve monitoring system comprising:

• an actuator operably connected to a gate valve, the actuator operable to emit ultrasonic waves through a gate of the gate valve;
• a sensor operably connected to the gate valve, the sensor operable to receive the ultrasonic waves passing through the gate of the gate valve defining an ultrasonic wave signal;
• a transmitter operable to transmit data measurements corresponding to the ultrasonic wave signal to a data acquisition and analysis device;
• and
• the data acquisition and analysis device operable to monitor the data measurements received from the transmitter when the gate of the gate valve is in a stationary position and in surface contact with valve seats and/or during slidable movement between surface portions of the gate and surface portions of the valve seats, for data representing an abnormal ultrasonic wave signal, the abnormal ultrasonic wave signal exceeding a normal signal threshold that is associated with normal operating conditions of the gate,
• wherein the data acquisition and analysis device comprises non-transitory memory storing program code, and one or more processors for processing the program code the program code comprising a set of instructions that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the operations of:
• receiving sensor data including the ultrasonic wave signals representing one or more characteristics of the gate-valve seat interface, the one or more characteristics comprising one or more the following:
• level of lubricity, level of friction, level of surface degradation, and leakage rate;
• and
• determining or identifying one or more of the following:
• the level of lubricity between the surface portions of the gate body and the surface portions of the valve seat,
• the level of friction between the surface portions of the gate body and the surface portions of the valve seat,
• the level of surface degradation of the surface portions of the gate body, the surface portions of the valve seat, or both the surface portions of the gate body, and the surface portions of the valve seat, and
• the leakage rate at the gate-valve seat interface,
• wherein the operations further comprise:
• forming a continuum of signatures at different characteristic levels comprising the data measurements, defining a set of corresponding plurality of characteristic level signature models;
• and comparing the received signature or signatures to a subset of the set of the characteristic level signature models to thereby determine the level of the characteristic, and
• wherein the operation of forming a continuum of characteristic level signature models comprises:
• associating each characteristic level signature model of the continuum of characteristic level signature models with a respective back pressure signature model for a respective valve actuator back pressure responsive to the back pressure encountered by a component of a valve actuator utilized to actuate the gate.