PROCESS FOR DETECTING A CHANGE OF STATE IN AN UNDERWATER SYSTEM

Description

1 / 13 “PROCESS FOR DETECTING A CHANGE OF STATE IN AN UNDERWATER SYSTEM” Description

[001] The present invention relates to a process for detecting a change of state in an underwater system, a calculation unit and a computer program for its implementation, as well as an underwater system. Background of the invention

[002] Subsea systems, such as offshore oil or gas transportation installations, comprise a plurality of piping systems in which process valves are employed, with which the volumetric flow of the medium to be transported can be controlled and interrupted. As such installations are operated at great depths in the sea, their components are exposed to heavy loads due to environmental conditions. If these loads lead to malfunction, for example, of the process valves, considerable damage may occur. Dissemination of the invention

[003] According to the invention, a process for detecting a change of state in an underwater system, a calculation unit and a computer program for its implementation, as well as an underwater system with the characteristics of the independent claims, are proposed. Advantageous configurations are the subject of the dependent claims as well as the following description.

[004] The underwater system has a plurality of underwater devices, which contain at least one actuator and at least one vibration sensor. In the case of underwater devices, these may be, for example, linear or rotary actuators for operating process valves. These may especially feature an electric or electro-hydraulic drive unit. Petition 870250090351, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 9 / 33 2 / 13 and / or electropneumatics, which comprises an electrical / electronic control. Other examples of underwater devices are pumps and / or compressors, which may also contain an electrical / electronic control. At least one vibration sensor may be disposed within the respective underwater device and be electrically connected to its control, so that these vibration sensor signals can be received. Specifically, the vibration sensor is disposed on a circuit board, for example, a mainboard (the so-called Mainboard or Motherboard), of the control or the respective underwater device, or in an actuator. The underwater devices may be disposed in different positions in an underwater system, spaced apart from each other and connected to each other, at least partially, for example, via a piping system.

[005] Through vibration sensors, changes of state in such a subsea system can be monitored, for example, to recognize early and prevent malfunctions of individual components. In addition, with this, for example, the actual opening positions, such as the opening cross-sections, of the process valves can be determined in the subsea system.

[006] In detail, in the process according to the invention, a vibration sensor signal is received from at least one of said plurality of underwater devices. Said signal (from an underwater device) or several signals (from several underwater devices) may be received by a calculation unit that is designed to evaluate one or more vibration sensor signals and, in that case, for example, to perform frequency analysis. A calculation unit may be one or more controls of the underwater devices and / or a separate calculation unit. The Petition 870250090351, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 10 / 33 3 / 13 The vibration sensor signal from said one of said plurality of underwater devices can be received continuously or at certain time intervals for a given period of time. Said at least one or several received vibration sensor signals can be stored by the computing unit, for example, for later analysis, etc.

[007] The received signal is compared with a reference signal from the vibration sensor for said at least one underwater device. In the case of the reference signal, it may be a signal that the vibration sensor emits in a predetermined reference state (e.g., valve, valve stop, fault-free device, etc., see below) of said at least one underwater device. The reference signal may be determined with the aid of a plurality of vibration sensor signals that have been verified in the predetermined reference state. For example, the calculation unit may comprise an AI model (“artificial intelligence”), which has been trained with the aid of the plurality of vibration sensor signals, to calculate the reference signal of said at least one underwater device.If, in the case of the underwater device, it is, for example, a linear actuator for an underwater process valve, then the reference state could be, for example, a closed state or a fully open state of the process valve. It is equally possible that a corresponding reference signal is determined for a plurality of vibration sensors in a reference state of the entire underwater system, where the reference state could be, for example, a disturbance-free operation of the underwater system.

[008] In the context of comparison, a deviation between the reference signal and the received signal is verified. The deviation can be determined, for example, by detecting a difference between a signal ba Petition 870250090351, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, p. 11 / 33 4 / 13 seated in time, the signal received by the vibration sensor over a predetermined period of time and the reference signal. In this case, the deviation itself can represent a time-dependent signal, whose amplitudes, frequencies, etc., can be evaluated. Alternatively or additionally, the vibration sensor signal and the reference signal can be transformed to the frequency range using a Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT), and the deviation can be determined, for example, with the aid of an amplitude and / or frequency difference between the two signals. It is also possible that the deviation can be ascertained using so-called Artificial Intelligence (AI, i.e., a so-called machine learning process or machine pattern recognition process).To achieve this, the AI ​​can be trained with a plurality of reference signals as well as a plurality of vibration sensor signals from detected state changes, which can be stored in a data memory. The trained AI can then detect a deviation of the received vibration sensor signal from the reference signal using pattern recognition.

[009] Depending on the deviation observed, for example, when a parameter (e.g., maximum amplitude, amplitude for the determined frequencies or orders, etc.) of the observed deviation exceeds a predetermined limit value, a change of state is detected in the underwater system. If, for example, a maximum value of the difference between the time-based vibration sensor signal and the reference signal and / or the amplitude / frequency difference described above exceeds a predetermined limit value, then a change of state in the underwater system can be concluded.

[0010] According to one embodiment, a measurement can be performed when a change of state is detected. Speci Petition 870250090351, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 12 / 33 5 / 13 Additionally, the calculation unit can introduce / perform other measures / actions based on the detected state change, to react to the state change. In this case, it can, for example, send information such as an analog or digital signal to a higher control.

[0011] According to one embodiment, a change of state in the underwater system can occur through the opening or closing of an underwater process valve. For this purpose, at least one of a plurality of underwater devices may be designed to actuate an underwater process valve. As described above, this may be, depending on the type of underwater process valve, for example, a linear or rotary actuator, with which the underwater process valve can be opened and closed. The vibration sensor of the underwater device, in this case, may also be located next to / inside / on the linear or rotary actuator.During the opening and closing of the process valve, a significant volumetric flow rate change occurs through the process valve and in a pipeline connected to it, from a certain deviation from the opening position, which corresponds to a certain size of the opening cross-section. This change in volumetric flow rate causes a change in vibrations (e.g., noise) that can be transmitted mechanically and detected by the vibration sensor. In other words, at a moment after an actuator control, a volumetric flow rate through the process valve (beginning of process valve opening) is released, reaches a plateau (end of process valve opening), begins to decrease (beginning of process valve closing), or ends (end of process valve closing), whereby a state of the underwater device is altered. The respective change in vibration thus caused can be detected by means of a sensor. Petition 870250090351, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, p. 13 / 33 6 / 13 of the vibration sensor signal deviation from its reference signal. Intermediate positions may also be detectable depending on noise development.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the measurement that can be performed when a change of state is detected can be a determination of an opening position of the underwater process valve during opening or closing, the determination being made by means of a signal from the vibration sensor of said at least one underwater device for actuating the underwater process valve. In one configuration, when the beginning of the opening and / or closing of a process valve is detected, for example, a signal can be received from the vibration sensor of the underwater device for a predetermined time and / or until the end of opening or closing is detected and compared with its reference signal. This means that, after the detection of a first change of state, namely: after the beginning of the opening or closing of the process valve, the vibration sensor signal continues to be recorded and compared with the reference signal.The predetermined time during which the vibration sensor signal continues to be recorded can be determined, for example, based on previously detected process valve opening and closing times. In this case, the predetermined time can be longer than the previously determined process valve opening and closing times, to safely detect / record the vibration signal during a complete opening or closing process. With the aid of a detected start or end position, or with the aid of a start position or opening or closing times, intermediate positions can be chronologically interpolated.

[0013] In addition, the device's vibration sensor signal Petition 870250090351, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 14 / 33 7 / 13 underwater can be aligned, for example, with a process valve opening position sensor. For example, the start of process valve opening can be determined by the deviation of the vibration sensor signal detected as a change of state relative to the reference signal and associated with a corresponding opening position indication from the opening position sensor. With the aid of a characteristic line of the process valve, which forms a relationship between the opening cross-section (position) and the volumetric flow through the valve, the flow rate through the process valve can be directly determined from the vibration sensor signals.

[0014] According to one embodiment, a change of state can occur in the underwater system through the occurrence of an anomaly in at least one of the plurality of underwater devices. It can be caused, for example, by a defect in an underwater device or by a change in a pipe cross-section due to a disturbance / defect in the piping system. The change in pipe cross-section, or the change in flow associated with it, can lead to a change in vibration in the piping system, which can be detected by a mechanical coupling / connection (a) to the piping system or by sound waves from its vibration sensors.

[0015] Furthermore, as a measure to be carried out, with the aid of comparison between the vibration sensor signal and the reference signal, wear on the underwater process valve can be determined. For this, a plurality of opening and closing processes of the underwater process valve can be monitored with the aid of the vibration sensor signal from its underwater device. In particular, deviations of the vibration sensor signal from the Petition 870250090351, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 15 / 33 8 / 13 Your reference signal can be recorded during the opening and closing process, and changes in deviations can be determined. These changes can indicate, for example, wear on the edges of the process valve and represent a measure of wear. If a change in the deviation of the vibration sensor signal from the reference signal during an opening or closing process exceeds a predetermined value, it can be concluded, for example, about a defect in the process valve.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the measurement that can be performed when a change of state is detected can be a determination of an anomaly position in the underwater system by means of vibration sensor signals from more than one of the plurality of underwater devices. By "anomaly position" is meant a position / location / component from which a high vibration originates that can be detected by means of the vibration sensors of the plurality of underwater devices. Specifically, vibration sensor signals from a plurality of underwater devices in the underwater system placed at a distance from each other can be analyzed when, for example, a deviation of the vibration sensor signal from the reference signal is detected in one of the underwater devices, indicating an anomaly.To do this, deviations of all vibration sensor signals from their reference signals can be investigated, and a cause of the state change can be detected with the aid of a comparison of the individual detected deviations.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the location of the anomaly can be determined by detecting time intervals between vibration sensor signals, for example, between characteristic values ​​of the vibration sensor signals. Such characteristic values ​​can be, for example, a maximum value of the detected deviation. Petition 870250090351, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 16 / 33 9 / 13 when this was determined based on time. According to one embodiment, to determine the characteristic value of the individually detected deviations, alternatively or additionally, a frequency analysis can be performed. In this case, the vibration sensor signal and the reference signal can be transformed to the frequency range, for example, by means of a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). In the case of the characteristic value, it can then be, for example, a maximum amplitude of the deviation between the reference signal and the vibration sensor signal. It may be associated with a certain frequency that may be the same in all analyzed vibration sensor signals from the first and second underwater systems, and the moment when the maximum amplitude occurs, and its value, may differ.By measuring the time intervals between the maximum amplitudes of the vibration sensor signals from the first and second underwater devices, based on known pipe lengths and the velocity between the underwater devices in the underwater system, the location of the disturbance / defect can be determined.

[0018] In addition to the time intervals between the maximum amplitudes of the vibration sensor signals, the amplitude values ​​can also be considered to determine the location of the disturbance. With the aid of the frequency at which the maximum amplitudes of the vibration sensor signals of all underwater devices occur, it is possible to further infer the nature of the disturbance / defect. This information can be sent, for example, to an underwater system evaluation unit, to, for example, introduce a disturbance elimination through a user.

[0019] A unit of calculation according to the invention, for example, a control for an underwater device or a master of Petition 870250090351, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 17 / 33 10 / 13 underwater control is designed, especially from a technical programming point of view, to carry out a process in accordance with the invention.

[0020] Implementing a process according to the invention in the form of a computer program or a computer program product, also for carrying out all procedural steps, is advantageous, since this results in particularly low costs, especially when an executing control device is already in place for other tasks. Suitable data storage media for providing a computer program are especially magnetic, optical and electrical memories, such as hard disks, flash memories, EEPROMs, DVDs, and others. It is also possible to download a program via computer networks (Internet, Intranet, etc.).

[0021] Other advantages and configurations of the invention result from the description and the accompanying drawing.

[0022] It is understood that the characteristics mentioned above and those to be clarified below can be used not only in the respective combinations indicated, but also in other combinations or in isolation, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0023] The invention is represented schematically in the drawings with the aid of embodiments and is described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Description of the figures

[0024] Figures 1a to 1c schematically show an example of a determination of an underwater process valve opening process according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0025] Figure 2 shows schematically an example of a Petition 870250090351, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, p. 18 / 33 11 / 13 construction of an underwater system, in which a cause of a change of state according to another embodiment of the invention can be detected. Detailed description of the drawings

[0026] Figures 1a to 1c schematically show an example of a determination of a process for opening an underwater process valve 40 according to the invention. The underwater process valve 40 is connected to an underwater device 200, which comprises an actuator 20 with a disc 30 as well as a vibration sensor 20.

[0027] In figure 1a a cross-section of the opening of process valve 40 is closed by disc 30, so that no flow (indicated by the arrow in figure 1a) passes through process valve 40.

[0028] The vibration sensor 10 of the underwater device placed next to / inside / on the actuator 20 measures vibrations 10a, 10b, 10c, with which the actuator 20 is subjected. With process valve 40 closed, the actuator 20 is exposed to a basic oscillation 10a of a piping system (not shown), with which the process valve 40 and the underwater device 20 are mechanically connected. This basic vibration 10a is detected by the vibration sensor and can serve as a reference signal to detect changes in the state of the process valve 40 with the aid of changes in oscillations.

[0029] If process valve 40 is opened (figure 1b), then an initial flow (indicated by the thin arrows in figure 1b) through process valve 40 causes a change in oscillation (e.g., an increase in oscillation amplitudes), which is detected by vibration sensor 10. With the aid of a characteristic of the detected oscillation 10b compared to the basic oscillation Petition 870250090351, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 19 / 33 12 / 13 ca 10a (deviation between the reference signal and the received signal), the beginning of the opening of process valve 40 can be detected as a change of state.

[0030] Figure 1c shows process valve 40 in the fully open state, except that all the flow (indicated by three equal arrows) passes through process valve 40. The high flow through process valve 40 again alters the vibrations to which the actuator 20 is exposed, so that, with the aid of the altered oscillation characteristic 10c, the fully open position of the process valve can be determined as a change of state by means of the vibration sensor 10. As the vibrations acting on the actuator 20, which are detected by the vibration sensor, change continuously from the beginning of opening until the complete opening of process valve 40, a position of the disc 30 during the opening process can be detected by means of the vibration sensor signal.

[0031] It is understood that the effects described occur in reverse sequence in a process of closing the process valve 40, and this can therefore be detected in the same way.

[0032] Figure 2 schematically shows an example of a construction of an underwater system 100e, in which a cause for a change of state can be detected according to another embodiment of the invention. The underwater system 100 shown comprises three piping systems p1, p2, p3 represented by way of example, to which are connected the underwater devices 200-1, 200-3, 200-3 with the actuators 20-1, 20-1, 20-3 and the vibration sensors 10-1, 10-2, 10-3 by means of the mechanical couplings c1, c2, c3 not represented in detail.

[0033] In the underwater system 100, at a position E of the piping system p1, a disturbance occurs (indicated by the explosion signal). This disturbance may lead to a change in oscillation. Petition 870250090351, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 20 / 33 13 / 13 10d in the piping system p1, which can be transmitted, by means of the mechanical coupling c1, to the underwater device 200-1, to the piping system p1 or, by means of sound waves, to the vibration sensor 10-1. In the example shown, this detects the change in oscillation 10d (deviation between the reference signal of the vibration sensor 10-1 and the received signal) at time t1.

[0034] Since piping system p1 is connected to the other piping systems p2, p3, the oscillation change 10d is also detected by the vibration sensors 10-2, 10-3 of the other underwater devices 2002-200-3. However, due to the different pipe lengths, the latter detect the oscillation change at later times t2, 73. The times t1, t2, 73, at which the oscillation change was detected respectively by the vibration sensors 10-1, 10-2, 10-3, can be stored as time stamps in a calculation unit which can be, for example, a control of the underwater devices and / or an underwater master control. With the aid of the time intervals between the individual times t1, t2, t3 and the known pipe lengths of piping systems p1, p2, p3, the position E of the disturbance can then be calculated.Due to the high speed underwater, the process described can also be used to detect disturbances in adjacent underwater systems. Petition 870250090351, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, p. 21 / 33

Claims

1 / 3 CLAIMS 1. Process for detecting a change of state in an underwater system (100), which has a plurality of underwater devices (200, 200-1 - 200-3), which contain at least one respective actuator (20, 20-1 - 20-3) and at least one vibration sensor (10, 10-1 - 10-3), characterized in that it comprises the steps of: - receiving a signal from the vibration sensor (10, 10-1 - 10-3) of at least one of the plurality of underwater devices (200, 200-1 - 200-3); - comparing the received signal with a reference signal from the vibration sensor (10, 10-1 - 10-3) for said at least one underwater device (200, 200-2 - 200-3); - to ascertain a deviation between the reference signal and the received signal; and - to detect a change of state in the underwater system (200, 200-1 - 200-3), as a function of the determined deviation.

2. Process, according to claim 1, characterized in that a measurement is taken when a change of state is detected.

3. Process, according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the plurality of underwater devices (200, 200-2 - 200-3) is designed to actuate an underwater process valve (40), and a change of state occurs in the underwater system when the underwater process valve is opened or closed.

4. Process, according to any one of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the measure is a determination of a current opening position of the underwater process valve (40) during opening and / or closing by means of the signal from the vibration sensor of said at least one underwater device for actuating the underwater process valve (40).

5. A process, according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a change of state in the underwater system occurs through the occurrence of an anomaly in at least one of a plurality of underwater devices.

6. Process, according to claim 5, characterized in that the measurement is a determination of an anomaly position in the underwater system by means of signals from vibration sensors of more than one of a plurality of underwater devices.

7. Process, according to claim 6, characterized in that the position of the anomaly is determined by verifying time intervals between characteristic values ​​of the vibration sensor signals.

8. A calculating unit characterized by the fact that it is designed to perform a process, as defined in any of the preceding claims.

9. Computer program that causes a computing unit to perform a process, as defined in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it is when it is executed on the computing unit.

10. Machine-readable memory medium characterized in that it has a computer program stored on it, as defined in claim 9.

11. Underwater system characterized in that it comprises: - a plurality of underwater devices (200, 200-1 - 200-3), which contain an actuator (20, 20-1 - 20-3) and at least one vibration sensor (10, 10-1 - 10-3), - at least one piping system (p1, p2, p3), to which the plurality of underwater devices (200, 200-1 - 200-3) are connected, and - a calculating unit, as defined in claim 8.

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