Apparatus, system and method for identifying pneumatic leaks

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods of identifying pneumatic leaks are disclosed herein. An example apparatus includes an interface circuit, machine readable instructions, and at least one processor circuit. The at least one processor circuit is programmed by the machine-readable instructions to: generate an array of average relay position values for relay beams comprising a locator associated with the control valve, the array comprising a first one of the average relay position values; performing a comparison of the first average relay position value to a threshold rule; and causing an alert indicative of the locator leakage status to be output for presentation at the user device based on the comparison.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to control valves and, more particularly, to apparatus, systems, and methods for identifying pneumatic leaks. Background Art

[0002] Control valves typically include a throttling element for regulating the flow of fluid through a pipe or other conduit. A pneumatic actuator can use a fluid under pressure (e.g., air, gas) to control the position of the throttling element. A positioner (e.g., a servo controller) can control the fluid pressure supplied to the actuator. Summary of the Invention

[0003] A first aspect of the present disclosure provides an apparatus for identifying pneumatic leaks, the apparatus comprising: an interface circuit; machine-readable instructions; and at least one processor circuit programmed by the machine-readable instructions to perform the following operations: generate an array comprising average relay position values ​​of a relay beam of a positioner associated with a control valve, the array comprising a first average relay position value among the average relay position values; perform a comparison of the first average relay position value with a threshold rule; and, based on the comparison, cause an indicator representing a leakage status of the positioner to be output for presentation at a user device.

[0004] In a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of the present disclosure, one or more of the at least one processor circuits are used to perform the following operations: output a first indicator when the difference between the first average relay position value and the threshold rule is a first amount; and output a second indicator when the difference between the first average relay position value and the threshold rule is a second amount different from the first amount.

[0005] In a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the threshold rule is a first threshold rule, and one or more of the at least one processor circuits are used to perform the following operations: perform a comparison of the first average relay position value with a second threshold rule, the second threshold rule being different from the first threshold rule; when the first average relay position value does not satisfy the first threshold rule and the second threshold rule, cause a first indicator to be output; when the first average relay position value satisfies the first threshold rule but does not satisfy the second threshold rule, cause a second indicator to be output; and when the first average relay position value satisfies the second threshold rule, cause a third indicator to be output.

[0006] In a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of the present disclosure, one or more of the at least one processor circuits are configured to generate a heat map for presentation at the user device, the heat map including the indicator.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of the present disclosure, one or more of the at least one processor circuits are configured to perform the following operations: updating the array to include a second average relay position value, the first average relay position value being associated with a first time, the second average relay position value being associated with a second time after the first time; performing a second comparison of the second average relay position value with the threshold rule; and, based on the second comparison, causing a second indicator representing a second leakage state of the locator to be output for presentation at the user device.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of the present disclosure, one or more of the at least one processor circuits are configured to perform the following operations: calculate the first average relay position value as a rolling mean based on a first data point indicating the position of the relay beam at a first time and a second data point indicating the position of the relay beam at a second time.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of the present disclosure, one or more of the at least one processor circuits are configured to perform the following operations: filtering a relay position data point array including the first data point and the second data point based on corresponding travel feedback data of an actuator operably coupled to the positioner to generate a filtered relay position data point array; and calculating the average relay position value based on the filtered relay position data point array.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the stroke feedback data indicates that the control valve is in a fully closed position or a fully open position.

[0011] A second aspect of the present disclosure provides an apparatus comprising: an interface circuit; machine-readable instructions; and at least one processor circuit programmed by the machine-readable instructions to perform the following operations: calculating a first average relay beam position value of a relay beam of a relay of a positioner operably coupled to a control valve; calculating a second average relay beam position value of the relay beam; performing a comparison between the first average relay beam position value and the second average relay beam position value and a threshold; predicting a likelihood that a third average relay beam position value of the relay beam meets the threshold based on the comparison; and outputting an alarm indicating a predicted leakage state of the positioner based on the prediction.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the second aspect of the present disclosure, the alarm is a first alarm, and wherein one or more of the at least one processor circuits are configured to: perform a second comparison of the second average relay beam position value with the threshold; and cause a second alarm to be output based on the second comparison, indicating a determined leakage state of the positioner, the second alarm being output before the first alarm.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the second aspect of the present disclosure, the alert includes a first visual representation to be displayed at the user device.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the second aspect of the present disclosure, the at least one processor circuit is configured to perform the following operations: calculate the first average relay beam position value based on a first subset of relay beam position data points associated with a first time interval, and calculate the second average relay beam position value based on a second subset of relay beam position data points associated with a second time interval.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the second aspect of the present disclosure, the at least one processor circuit is used to filter the relay beam position data points to remove the relay beam position data points indicating that the control valve is in a fully closed position or a fully open position, and the first subset and the second subset include the relay beam position data points remaining after the filtering.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the second aspect of the present disclosure, the alarm is a first alarm, and the at least one processor circuit is configured to generate a heat map including the first alarm and a second alarm indicating a leakage status of the second locator.

[0017] A third aspect of the present disclosure provides at least one non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising machine-readable instructions, the machine-readable instructions being used to cause at least one processor circuit to at least perform the following operations: generate a first array of average relay position values ​​for a relay of a first positioner associated with a first control valve; determine, based on a first comparison of the first average relay position value of the first array with a threshold value, that the first average relay position value corresponds to a first leakage state of the first positioner; and cause a first indicator of the first leakage state of the first positioner to be output.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the third aspect of the present disclosure, the machine-readable instructions are used to cause one or more of the at least one processor circuits to perform the following operations: generate a second array of average relay position values ​​for a second relay of a second positioner associated with a second control valve; determine that the second average relay position value corresponds to a second leakage state of the second positioner based on a second comparison of the second average relay position value of the second array of average relay position values ​​with the threshold value; and cause a heat map including the first indicator and a second indicator of the second leakage state of the second positioner to be output.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment of the third aspect of the present disclosure, the machine-readable instructions are configured to cause one or more of the at least one processor circuits to perform the following operations: detecting a change in the leakage state of the first positioner from the first leakage state to a second leakage state based on a second average relay position value of the first array of average relay position values ​​of the first positioner, the first average relay position value being associated with a first time interval and the second average relay position value being associated with a second time interval after the first time interval; and changing the first indicator to a second indicator based on the detection.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment of the third aspect of the present disclosure, the machine-readable instructions are used to cause one or more of the at least one processor circuits to calculate a rolling mean of relay position data points generated over time for the relay of the first positioner, and the average relay position value of the first array corresponds to the rolling mean.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the third aspect of the present disclosure, the machine-readable instructions are used to cause one or more of the at least one processor circuits to perform the following operations: filtering the array of relay position data points based on travel feedback data indicating the position of the first control valve to generate an array of filtered relay position data points; and calculating the rolling mean based on the filtered array of relay position data points.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment of the third aspect of the present disclosure, the first indicator comprises a visual representation to be displayed at the user equipment.

[0023] A fourth aspect of the present disclosure provides a method, comprising: generating an array of average relay position values ​​of a relay beam of a positioner associated with a control valve, the array including a first average relay position value among the average relay position values; performing a comparison of the first average relay position value with a threshold rule; and based on the comparison, causing an indicator representing a leakage status of the positioner to be output for presentation at a user device.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: when the difference between the first average relay position value and the threshold rule is a first quantity, causing a first indicator to be output; and when the difference between the first average relay position value and the threshold rule is a second quantity different from the first quantity, causing a second indicator to be output.

[0025] A fifth aspect of the present disclosure provides an apparatus, comprising: an array generation module, the array generation module being configured to generate a first array of average relay position values ​​of a relay of a first positioner associated with a first control valve; a leakage state determination module, the leakage state determination module being configured to determine, based on a first comparison between a first average relay position value of the first array and a threshold value, that the first average relay position value corresponds to a first leakage state of the first positioner; and an alarm generation module, the alarm generation module being configured to output a first indicator of the first leakage state of the first positioner.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment of the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the array generation module is used to generate a second array of average relay position values ​​of a second relay of a second positioner associated with a second control valve; the leakage state determination module is used to determine that the second average relay position value corresponds to a second leakage state of the second positioner based on a second comparison of the second average relay position value of the second array of average relay position values ​​with the threshold value; and the alarm generation module is used to output a heat map including the first indicator and a second indicator of the second leakage state of the second positioner.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment of the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the array generation module is used to calculate a rolling mean of relay position data points generated over time for the relay of the first positioner, and the average relay position value of the first array corresponds to the rolling mean. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an example system including an example control valve, an example actuator, an example positioner, and an example leak detection circuit for identifying a pneumatic leak associated with the positioner.

[0029] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a leakage detection circuit is shown.

[0030] Figure 3 Shown by Figure 2 An exemplary heat map generated by a leakage detection circuit for output at a user device.

[0031] Figure 4It is meant to be performed, instantiated and / or implemented by an example programmable circuit to implement Figure 2 A flow chart of example machine-readable instructions and / or example operations of a leakage detection circuit.

[0032] Figure 5 is a block diagram of an example processing platform including programmable circuitry configured to execute, instantiate, and / or implement example machine-readable instructions and / or implement Figure 4 Example operation to achieve Figure 2 Leak detection circuit.

[0033] In general, like reference numerals are used to refer to like or similar parts throughout one or more of the drawings and the accompanying written description.The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] As mentioned above, the position of a control valve's throttling element can be controlled by a pneumatic actuator to regulate the flow of fluid through the valve. The actuator, in turn, is controlled by a positioner that controls the fluid pressure supplied to the pneumatic actuator. However, leaks can occur in the positioner and / or actuator, which can affect the operation of the control valve. For example, leaks can occur at the inlet or outlet of the positioner, including at the outlet that outputs pressurized fluid to the actuator. Over time, leaks at the positioner can affect the performance of the control valve and, in some cases, shorten its lifespan.

[0035] Some known leak detection methods include operator-initiated tests, which involve taking a control valve offline (e.g., shutting down the valve and / or associated components) for a period of time to perform tests on the positioner, actuator, and / or valve. However, such operator-initiated tests for identifying leak events can be inefficient due to interruptions in control valve operation, resource consumption, and the like. Furthermore, in systems with multiple control valves, it can be difficult for operators to identify leaks between the multiple control valves, routinely perform leak detection tests on each of the multiple valves, and so on. Some known leak detection tests are at least partially automated, as they identify potential leaks based on sensor data. For example, some known leak detection tests assess leak events at a positioner based on data from multiple sensors (e.g., pressure sensors at various locations within the positioner). However, such tests typically rely on several variables to identify leaks, which can affect the reliability of the resulting leak detection analysis. Furthermore, such sensor-based tests are typically user-initiated, and therefore, an operator may still need to determine whether a leak exists before performing the analysis.

[0036] Disclosed herein are exemplary devices, systems, and methods that provide dynamic detection of leaks associated with control valves, particularly leaks associated with positioners of control valves. The disclosed examples can detect, for example, leak events associated with the outlet of a positioner of a pneumatic actuator fluidically coupled to the position of a control valve. The disclosed examples use relay position data, representing the position of a relay beam of the positioner over time and generated based on output from a sensor of the positioner, to identify instances of leaks to atmosphere at the positioner. Specifically, the relay beam rotates or pivots to control the output pressure to the actuator. An increase in relay position value over time in a rotational direction associated with increased output pressure can indicate that the relay beam position is changing to compensate for additional fluid flow caused by a leak at the positioner. For example, in response to a leak to atmosphere event at the positioner, the relay beam can move to increase the output pressure so that the positioner can maintain the same output fluid pressure for the actuator as it would in a non-leak condition. Thus, the disclosed examples use relay position data as an indicator for identifying leaks occurring from the supply pressure received at the positioner to the output pressure, leaks at the outlet of the positioner, and leaks in actuators that receive fluid pressure (e.g., air pressure) from the positioner. In examples disclosed herein, time series analysis of relay position data is performed to identify leakage conditions of positioners.

[0037] Examples disclosed herein provide reliable detection of leak events at a positioner based on relay position data. In the examples disclosed herein, a rolling mean of the relay position data is calculated over a period of time, and an array of average relay position values ​​is generated to determine the leakage state of the positioner. Thus, the examples disclosed herein consider the behavior of the positioner over time when identifying the leakage state, thereby reducing anomalies that may affect the analysis results (e.g., reducing false negatives). Furthermore, using a single variable (i.e., relay position data) to identify the leakage state of the positioner improves the efficiency and consistency of leak detection. Before performing the analysis, some examples disclosed herein remove relay position data points associated with the valve being in the fully open or fully closed position, as represented by travel feedback data representing the actuator position. In particular, values ​​associated with the relay beam position in the fully open or fully closed position can inadvertently suggest increasing the change in relay position to compensate for the leak. Therefore, the examples disclosed herein use relay position data associated with the modulation of the control valve for leak detection. Thus, the filtered relay position data reflects the relay behavior associated with the actuator operation that controls the position of the valve between various intermediate positions, removing relay position data that may be irrelevant when the valve is in the fully closed or fully open position.

[0038] The examples disclosed herein provide hierarchical identification of the leakage state of a positioner (e.g., no or possible leakage events, potential leakage events that warrant monitoring, actual or possible leakage events that warrant action). In particular, the examples disclosed herein compare relay position data with threshold values ​​associated with various possible leakage states of the positioner to determine the leakage state of the positioner. The examples disclosed herein analyze changes in relay position data over time to identify changes in leakage states. For example, changes in the rolling mean of the relay beam position can be used to predict or identify that the leakage state of the positioner may or has changed from, for example, a potential leakage event to an actual leakage event. The examples disclosed herein automatically generate and output different levels of alarms (e.g., severe, warning) based on the detected leakage state.

[0039] The examples disclosed herein perform leak detection analysis and monitoring without user involvement. In particular, the examples disclosed herein automatically monitor relay position data over time and generate an alarm based on the determined leakage state of the positioner. The examples disclosed herein enable improved leak detection in environments containing, for example, multiple control valves. In particular, the examples disclosed herein generate a heat map to provide visual indicators (e.g., visual representations) of which valves in the environment may need attention. The examples disclosed herein can continuously monitor the leakage state based on the relay position data and update the heat map when the leakage state of the positioner changes.

[0040] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system in which an exemplary leak detection circuit 100 operates to identify a pneumatic leak associated with a positioner 106 of a control valve 102. Although for illustrative purposes Figure 1 A control valve 102 is shown, but Figure 1 The example system may include additional control valves, each of which is associated with a corresponding positioner. The control valve 102 controls the flow of fluid through a conduit (e.g., a pipe, a tube, etc.) ( Figure 1 The actuator 104 is operably coupled to the control valve 102 to control the position of the stem of the control valve 102, thereby regulating the flow through the control valve 102. Figure 1 In the example shown, the actuator 104 is a pneumatic actuator. A positioner 106 is operatively coupled to the actuator 104 to control the fluid pressure (e.g., air pressure) supplied to the actuator 104. The fluid pressure from the positioner 106 acts on a diaphragm or piston of the actuator 104, resulting in adjustment of the position of the control valve stem. For example, the control valve 102 can be moved between a fully closed position (i.e., no fluid flowing therethrough), a fully open position, and intermediate adjustment positions between the fully closed and fully open positions.

[0041] Figure 1The example positioner 106 includes a processor circuit 116, a current-to-pressure (I / P) converter 118, a relay 120, a displacement sensor 124, and a travel sensor 126. Figure 1 In an example of , the positioner 106 communicates with process control circuitry 108 (e.g., an integrated circuit, a logic circuit, an FPGA, a microprocessor, a CPU, a GPU, a DSP, and / or a microcontroller). The process control circuitry 108 generates instructions or commands to control the operation of the control valve 102 via the positioner 106 and the actuator 104. For example, the process control circuitry 108 outputs a reference signal (e.g., a command signal) to the positioner 106, where the reference signal includes a travel set point representing a specific (e.g., desired, target) position of the actuator 104. The (e.g., desired, target) travel set point can be stored in a memory 130 (e.g., a database, a data storage unit) accessible to the process control circuitry 108. Figure 1 In examples where the system includes other control valves 102 , the process control circuitry 108 is communicatively coupled to the corresponding positioners 106 to control the operation of the other control valves 102 .

[0042] exist Figure 1 In the example of FIG, the positioner 106 compares the reference signal received from the processor control circuit 108 with the position of the actuator 104 (e.g., current position, consistent actuator position). The position of the actuator 104 (e.g., current position) can be identified based on the output of the travel sensor 126. Figure 1 In the embodiment of the present invention, the travel sensor 126 generates an output representing the position (e.g., current position) of the actuator 104 and provides the output to the processor circuit 116. The processor circuit 116 generates travel feedback data indicating the current or actual position of the actuator at a specific time based on the sensor output. The processor circuit 116 of the positioner 106 generates an electronic I / P drive signal to control the I / P converter 118 based on a comparison between a reference signal and the actuator position.

[0043] The I / P converter 118 is operatively coupled to the relay 120 and controls the operation of the relay 120 based on an electronic I / P drive signal from the processor circuit 116. The relay 120 is fluidically coupled to the actuator 104 and a source of pressurized supply fluid. The relay 120 controls the flow of the control fluid supplied to the actuator 104 based on input from the I / P converter 118 via rotation of a relay beam 122. Figure 1The pneumatic actuator 104 includes a diaphragm or piston that divides the housing of the pneumatic actuator 104 into two chambers. The position of the relay beam 122 determines the flow rate of the control fluid supplied to each chamber of the actuator 104. The displacement sensor 124 generates an output representing the position of the relay beam 122 at a given time. The output of the displacement sensor 124 is provided to the processor circuit 116, which generates relay position data representing the position (e.g., angular position) of the relay beam 122 over time based on the sensor output. For example, the relay position data includes relay position data points corresponding to the position of the relay beam 122 at different times based on the output of the displacement sensor 124.

[0044] exist Figure 1 In some examples, relay position data and travel feedback data generated based on the outputs of the corresponding sensors 124 and 126 are shared between the processor circuit 116 of the positioner 106 and the process control circuit 108. For example, the relay position data and travel feedback data can be stored in a memory 130 (e.g., a database, a data storage unit) accessible by the processor circuit 116 and the process control circuit 108 (e.g., a memory implemented at the positioner 106, a cloud device, etc.). In some examples, the process control circuit 108 collects (e.g., retrieves, obtains) the relay position data and / or travel feedback data on a polling schedule (e.g., once a day, twice a day, etc.) and stores the relay position data and / or travel feedback data in the memory 130. In some examples, the relay position data and / or travel feedback data can be collected by the process control circuit 108 or otherwise provided to the process control circuit 108 as a result of user input. In some examples, the processor circuit 116 of the positioner 106 periodically causes the relay position data and / or travel feedback data to be sent to the memory 130 for access by the process control circuit 108. For example, the positioner 106 may transmit relay position data and / or travel feedback data at user-defined intervals (such as once a day, every hour, etc.) as new data is generated.

[0045] exist Figure 1 In the example of FIG, data acquisition circuitry 128 facilitates access to relay position data between memory 130 and leakage detection circuitry 100 via cloud 112. Data acquisition circuitry 128 may be implemented by processor circuitry 110 associated with process control circuitry 108, one or more user devices, one or more cloud-based devices (e.g., one or more servers, processors, and / or virtual machines), and / or the like.

[0046] Figure 1The leak detection circuit 100 identifies a pneumatic leak based on a time series analysis of the relay position data and generates an output to be presented via the user device 114 (such as via the display screen 134 of the user device 114). Figure 1 In the example shown, the leakage detection circuit 100 is implemented by a processor circuit 132 of a user device 114 (e.g., a computing device such as a personal computing device (e.g., a desktop computer, a laptop computer), a mobile device (e.g., an electronic tablet, a smartphone), etc.). However, the leakage detection circuit 100 may be implemented by the cloud 112, by the cloud 112 and the user device 114 (e.g., one or more elements of the leakage detection circuit 100 are implemented at the cloud 112, and one or more other elements are implemented at the user device 114), by a processor circuit of another device, etc.

[0047] Figure 1 The leak detection circuit 100 receives, accesses, or obtains as input relay position data including relay position data points corresponding to the position of the relay beam 122 at different times. The leak detection circuit 100 also receives, accesses, or otherwise obtains travel feedback data representing a specific position of the actuator 104 from the process control circuit 108. Based on these inputs (e.g., relay position data points, travel feedback data), the example leak detection circuit 100 determines, for example, whether there is a leak from the supply pressure to the output pressure, whether there is a leak from the positioner output to the atmosphere, etc. In some examples, the leak detection circuit 100 receives as input relay position data points instead of travel feedback data. In such examples, the leak detection circuit 100 can access target or desired travel set point data, or identify a leak event based on the relay position data without filtering based on the travel set point. Although in Figure 1 In the example of FIG, the leak detection circuit 100 obtains relay position data points and travel feedback data stored in the memory 130 via the data acquisition circuit 128 and the cloud 112, and other communication paths can be used to transmit data. For example, in some examples, the leak detection circuit 100 can directly access the memory 130 and / or receive data from the sensors 124, 126 (e.g., directly).

[0048] In some examples, the leak detection circuit 100 uses the travel feedback data to filter the relay position data points to remove relay beam positions associated with the control valve 102 being in the fully closed or fully open position, thereby generating a data set representing the relay beam position during modulation of the control valve 102. The example leak detection circuit 100 calculates an average of the relay position values ​​based on a threshold number of relay position data points collected (e.g., filtered) over time. As additional relay position data points are generated (e.g., based on additional outputs from the displacement sensor 124 representing the position of the relay beam 122 over time), the example leak detection circuit 100 calculates an updated average based on the additional relay position data points. Thus, the example leak detection circuit 100 generates an array of rolling mean values ​​associated with the relay beam position.

[0049] The exemplary leakage detection circuit 100 analyzes a rolling mean of relay beam positions to determine a leakage status (e.g., no leak indicated, possible leak, active leak event) of the locator 106. In some examples, the leakage detection circuit 100 compares the most recently calculated mean value in the array with a threshold value to determine the leakage status of the locator 106. In some examples, the leakage detection circuit 100 analyzes changes in the calculated mean value over time to predict whether a threshold value indicating a leakage event at the locator 106 is likely to be met (e.g., within a threshold time period).

[0050] Figure 1 The exemplary leak detection circuit 100 provides information about the positioner 106 and / or associated control valve 102 (and Figure 1 The visual indicator may be presented via the display screen 134 of the user device 114. In some examples, the leak detection circuit 100 generates a heat map including visual indicators representing the leakage status of multiple locators 106. In some examples, the heat map includes different visual indicators (e.g., colors) representing different levels or states of leak detection for the locators 106 (e.g., red for locators identified as experiencing a leak event, yellow for locators that may be leaking, and green for locators that have no indication of a leak). The example leak detection circuit 100 dynamically updates the heat map to reflect any changes in the leak detection analysis over time. For example, if the analysis performed by the leak detection circuit 100 indicates that a leak event is expected (or is occurring or may occur), the leak detection circuit 100 changes the visual indicators of locators that were previously identified as not experiencing a leak event from green to yellow (or red).

[0051] Additionally or alternatively, when a leak event or potential leak event is detected, the leak detection circuit 100 can cause other types of alerts to be output via the user device 114 (e.g., in addition to or in lieu of the heat map). Alerts can include, but are not limited to, visual alerts (e.g., a light, a warning message on the display screen 134 of the user device 114), audio alerts (e.g., a sound), a combination of visual and audio alerts, and / or any other alerts.

[0052] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 1 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a leak detection circuit 100 for identifying pneumatic leaks based on relay position time series analysis and providing an output indicative of a leak event. Figure 2 The leakage detection circuit 100 may be instantiated (e.g., have an instance of it created, have it active for any length of time, materialize, implement, etc.) by a programmable circuit such as a central processing unit (CPU) executing a first instruction. Additionally or alternatively, Figure 2 The leakage detection circuit 100 can be instantiated (e.g., an instance thereof is created, caused to be in any length of time, embodied, implemented, etc.) by (i) an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and / or (ii) a field programmable gate array (FPGA) constructed and / or configured in response to the execution of the second instruction) to perform the operation corresponding to the first instruction. It should be understood that Figure 2 Some or all of the circuits may be instantiated at the same or different times. Figure 2 Some or all of the circuits of may be instantiated, for example, in one or more threads that execute concurrently on hardware and / or in series on hardware. Figure 2 Some or all of the circuitry may be implemented by microprocessor circuitry executing instructions and / or FPGA circuitry performing operations to implement one or more virtual machines and / or containers.

[0053] Figure 2 The example leakage detection circuit 100 includes an example interface circuit 202 , an example relay position data processing circuit 204 , an example leakage analysis circuit 206 , and an example alarm control circuit 208 .

[0054] In the illustrated example, the interface circuit 202 of the example leakage detection circuit 100 is communicatively coupled to the memory 130 (eg, via the cloud 112) to access or receive information representing Figure 1The interface circuit 202 also receives, from the memory 130, relay position data points 220 representing the position (e.g., angular position) of the relay beam 122 of the positioner 106 at a particular time. Furthermore, the interface circuit 202 accesses or receives, from the memory 130, travel feedback data 222 representing the position of the actuator 104 at a particular time and, thus, indicating the position of the control valve. In other examples, the interface circuit 202 can communicate (e.g., directly) with one or more of the processor circuit 116, the displacement sensor 124, and / or the travel sensor 126 to access the relay position data points 220 and / or the travel feedback data 222. In some examples, the relay position data points 220 and / or the travel feedback data 222 include the time at which each data point was acquired (i.e., data with a timestamp). The example interface circuit 202 stores the relay position data points 220 and the travel feedback data 222 in the memory 209 (e.g., a data storage unit, a database) for access by the relay position data processing circuit 204 for processing (e.g., filtering). The interface circuit 202 can be implemented by any type of interface standard, such as an Ethernet interface, a universal serial bus (USB), a Bluetooth interface, a near field communication interface (NFC), and / or a PCI Express interface. In some examples, the interface circuit 202 is instantiated by a programmable circuit that executes interface instructions and / or is configured to perform operations such as those performed by Figure 4 The flowchart represents those operations.

[0055] Figure 2 The example relay position data processing circuit 204 of the leakage detection circuit 100 accesses the relay position data points 220 and the travel feedback data 222 stored in the memory 209 via the interface circuit 202. The example relay position data processing circuit 204 processes the relay position data points 220 according to the relay position processing rules 210. The relay position processing rules 210 can be defined by user input and stored in the memory 209 accessible to the relay position data processing circuit 204. In some examples, the relay position data processing circuit 204 filters the relay position data points 220 to remove data points associated with the travel feedback data 222 indicating that the control valve 102 is in the fully open position or the fully closed position (e.g., where the association between the relay position data points 220 and the actuator travel feedback data 222 can be determined based on a timestamp). Figure 2In the example of , the relay position processing rule 210 defines that relay position data points 220 associated with the fully open or fully closed position should be removed because the position of the relay beam 122 can change by a greater amount when the valve is in the fully open or fully closed position than when the valve 102 is modulated between intermediate positions. Therefore, when the valve 102 is in the fully open or fully closed position, the relay beam position may skew the leak detection analysis by falsely suggesting that the relay position is increasing in a direction associated with increasing output pressure to compensate for the leak. In other examples, the relay position data processing circuit 204 can identify and remove / replace abnormal relay position data points 220 without using the travel feedback data 222 (e.g., using a target or reference travel setpoint, a signal processing filter, or linear interpolation).

[0056] The example relay position data processing circuit 204 generates a relay position array based on the relay position data points 220 associated with the valve modulation remaining after filtering. The example relay position data processing circuit 204 uses the relay position data points 220 in the relay position array to calculate a rolling mean representing the average relay beam position over time. The time series for which the relay position data processing circuit 204 calculates each rolling mean can be defined by a specific number, subset, or window of relay position data points 220 in the relay position array. For example, the relay position processing rule 210 can define that a rolling mean of the relay beam position should be calculated for a moving time interval or window represented by, for example, 30 relay position data points 220 in the relay position array. In some examples, the relay position data processing circuit 204 does not calculate a rolling mean until the relay position array includes a threshold number of relay position data points 220 defined by the relay position processing rule 210 (e.g., a minimum of 30 data points). For example, once a threshold number of relay position data points 220 are in the array (e.g., a minimum of 30 data points are in the array), the example relay position data processing circuit 204 calculates a first rolling mean of the relay position data points 220 in the relay position array. The relay position data processing circuit 204 calculates another rolling mean in response to another relay position data point 220 being added to the relay position array (e.g., using a data subset that includes the newly added relay position data point and the last 29 relay position data points in the array preceding the newly added data point). As additional relay position data points 220 are added to the relay position array over time, the example relay position data processing circuit 204 continues to calculate the rolling mean of the relay beam position based on a subset defined by the last n relay position data points 220 in the array (e.g., where n is a moving window of relay position data points 220 defined by the relay position processing rules 210 for determining the rolling mean, e.g., n=30).

[0057] As an example, assuming that one relay position data point 220 is added to the relay position array each day and that data point is not filtered or removed from the analysis, the relay position data processing circuit 204 can calculate a first rolling mean based on the relay position data points 220 collected on days 1-30. In response to the relay position data point 220 associated with the thirty-first day being added to the array, the relay position data processing circuit 204 can calculate a second rolling mean based on the relay position data points 220 collected on days 2-31. The relay position data processing circuit 204 generates a rolling mean array that includes rolling means calculated from the (e.g., filtered) relay position data points 220 of the relay position array. The relay position array and / or the rolling mean array can be stored in the memory 209.

[0058] The relay position data processing circuit 204 can perform various filtering and / or processing operations on the relay position data points 220 based on the relay position processing rules 210 to generate a trimmed data set. As described above, the relay position data processing circuit 204 calculates the corresponding rolling mean based on a predetermined interval of data point entries (e.g., the latest 5 relay position data points 220, the latest 10 relay position data points 220, the latest 30 relay position data points 220 in the array). In some examples, the relay position data processing circuit 204 excludes a portion of the highest values ​​(e.g., the top 5%, the top 10%) and a portion of the lowest values ​​(e.g., the bottom 5%, the bottom 10%) in the relay position array before calculating the mean (e.g., to exclude potential anomalies). Therefore, the rolling mean array including the rolling mean of the relay beam position can be considered an array of trimmed mean values. In some examples, the relay position data processing circuit 204 is instantiated by a programmable circuit that executes relay position data processing instructions and / or is configured to execute instructions such as those executed by Figure 4 The flowchart represents those operations.

[0059] Figure 2The example leakage analysis circuit 206 of the leakage detection circuit 100 analyzes the rolling mean array to determine the leakage status of the positioner 106. In some examples, when the rolling mean array includes a threshold number of rolling means (e.g., at least 10 rolling means), the relay position data processing circuit 204 provides the rolling mean array for analysis by the leakage analysis circuit 206 (and / or the leakage analysis circuit 206 accesses the rolling mean array for analysis). The threshold number of rolling means can be defined by the relay position processing rules 210. In examples where the rolling mean array does not include the threshold number of rolling means, the relay position data processing circuit 204 continues to calculate rolling means based on additional relay position data points 220 collected over time until the threshold is met. The threshold number of rolling means can be selected based on a minimum time frame within which the relay beam position is monitored to capture the development and progression of a potential leakage event, to explain anomalies in the data, and the like.

[0060] exist Figure 2 In the example of FIG. 1 , the leakage analysis circuit 206 identifies the most recent rolling mean value calculated by the relay position data processing circuit 204 (i.e., the most recently calculated rolling mean value in the rolling mean array). The leakage analysis circuit 206 determines the leakage status (e.g., no leak indicated, possible leak, active leak event) of the locator 106 by comparing the most recent rolling mean value to a threshold value defined by the leakage threshold rule 212. The leakage threshold rule 212 can be defined by user input and stored in the memory 209. The leakage threshold rule 212 can define a threshold relay beam position value that indicates a leakage status or level, such as (a) no or possible leak event, (b) potential or developing leak event, or (c) actual or possible leak event.

[0061] For example, the leakage analysis circuitry 206 may determine that the most recent rolling mean value calculated by the relay position data processing circuitry 204 satisfies the first threshold rule. Because the most recent rolling mean value falls below the first threshold value, this indicates a possible leak at the positioner 106 from the supply pressure received at the positioner 106 (e.g., received by the relay 120) to the output pressure generated by the positioner 106 for the actuator 104. In such an example, the leakage analysis circuitry 206 identifies the positioner leak condition as an actual or possible leak event that warrants action.

[0062] In some examples, the leakage analysis circuitry 206 can determine that the most recent rolling mean value calculated by the relay position data processing circuitry 204 satisfies a first threshold rule but does not satisfy a second threshold rule. For example, the leakage analysis circuitry 206 can determine that the most recent rolling mean value falls between the first threshold value and the second threshold value, indicating possible movement of the relay beam 122 and / or leakage from the supply pressure received at the positioner 106 to the output pressure generated by the positioner 106 for the actuator 104. In such an example, the leakage analysis circuitry 206 identifies the positioner leakage condition as a potential leakage event that warrants monitoring.

[0063] In some examples, the leakage analysis circuitry 206 may determine that the most recent rolling mean value calculated by the relay position data processing circuitry 204 falls between the second threshold value and the third threshold value, indicating that the relay position is within an expected range, and therefore, the positioner 106 does not show or is not expected to show indications of degradation, pressure compensation, etc. In such an example, the leakage analysis circuitry 206 identifies the positioner leakage status as no or likely no leakage event.

[0064] In some examples, the leakage analysis circuit 206 can determine that the most recent rolling mean value calculated by the relay position data processing circuit 204 falls between a third threshold value and a fourth threshold value, indicating an output of a possible leak in the positioner. In this example, the leakage analysis circuit 206 identifies the positioner leak condition as a potential leak event that warrants monitoring.

[0065] In some examples, the leakage analysis circuit 206 can determine that the most recent rolling mean value calculated by the relay position data processing circuit 204 is above a fourth threshold value, indicating a possible leak to atmosphere at the positioner 106 (e.g., at the outlet of the positioner 106). In such an example, the leakage analysis circuit 206 identifies the positioner leak condition as an actual or possible leak event that warrants action. Thus, the example leakage analysis circuit 206 compares the most recent rolling mean value to various threshold values ​​to determine whether one or more leakage threshold rules are met.

[0066] In some examples, the leakage analysis circuit 206 analyzes rolling means selected from the rolling mean array over time to identify changes in relay beam position behavior. In some examples, based on the analysis over time, the leakage analysis circuit 206 can predict that a future rolling mean is likely to meet a threshold value indicating that a leak may develop or has developed in the positioner 106. For example, based on a comparison with the leakage threshold rule 212, the leakage analysis circuit 206 can determine that a first rolling mean selected at a first time is below a threshold value indicating that a leak event is likely to occur (e.g., the fourth threshold value described above). The leakage analysis circuit 206 can determine that a second rolling mean selected at a second time is below the threshold value indicating that a leak event is likely to occur, but the second rolling mean is closer to the threshold value corresponding to a leak event than the first rolling mean. Therefore, the leakage analysis circuit can predict that a subsequently selected rolling mean will indicate that a leak event is likely because the rolling mean is trending toward (e.g., likely to meet or exceed) a threshold value associated with a leak event. Based on the trend of the rolling mean values ​​relative to the leakage threshold rules 212, the leakage analysis circuit 206 can predict a future control failure due to a leakage to atmosphere at the positioner 106 (e.g., because the trend of the rolling mean values ​​indicates that the values ​​may meet a threshold value indicative of a leakage event). In some examples, the leakage analysis circuit 206 is instantiated by a programmable circuit that executes leakage analysis instructions and / or is configured to execute instructions such as those provided by Figure 4 The flowchart represents those operations.

[0067] The alarm control circuit 208 of the example leak detection circuit 100 generates an alarm and / or indicator based on the leak status determined by the leak analysis circuit 206 and in accordance with alarm rules 214. The alarm rules 214 may be defined by user input and stored in the memory 209. The alarm rules 214 define the type of alarm and / or indicator to be generated (e.g., visual, audio, etc.), the characteristics of the alarm and / or indicator to be generated (e.g., color, noise level, etc.), the frequency of the alarm and / or indicator to be generated, etc.

[0068] For example, the alarm control circuit 208 may generate an alarm, such as a visual alarm, such as a flashing icon, and / or an audio alarm, to notify the user via, for example, Figure 1The alarm control circuit 208 generates an indicator for the locator 106 regardless of the determined leak state (e.g., indicating that the locator 106 is likely experiencing a leak or indicating that the locator 106 is unlikely to experience a leak). In other examples, the alarm control circuit 208 generates an alarm only for the locator 106 that the leak analysis circuit 206 determines is experiencing or is likely to experience a leak event. In some examples, the alarm control circuit 208 generates an alarm to indicate that the locator 106 is likely experiencing relay beam movement. In some examples, in addition to the determined leak state, the alarm control circuit 208 also generates an alarm for a predicted or expected leak state at the locator 106.

[0069] In some examples, the alarm control circuit 208 generates a heat map with indicators or alarms corresponding to the leak status of multiple locators 106. In some examples, the heat map includes different visual indicators (e.g., colors) representing different levels or states of leak detection for the locators 106 based on a comparison of a rolling mean with the leak threshold rules 212. In some examples, the heat map includes different visual indicators to distinguish between a determined leak status for a locator 106 and a predicted future leak status for the locator 106. The example leak detection circuit 100 dynamically updates or adjusts the heat map to reflect any changes in the leak detection analysis for a particular locator 106 over time. For example, if the analysis indicates that a leak event is expected to occur (yellow alarm) or is occurring or is likely to occur (red alarm), the leak detection circuit 100 may change the visual indicator for a locator 106 that was previously identified as not experiencing a leak event from green (e.g., indicating no leak event) to yellow (e.g., indicating relay beam movement or possible leak) or red (e.g., indicating an actual or possible leak event). In some examples, the alarm control circuit 208 is instantiated by a programmable circuit that executes alarm control instructions and / or is configured to perform alarm control instructions such as by Figure 4 The flowchart represents those operations.

[0070] Although Figure 2 The implementation is shown in Figure 1 1. The exemplary embodiment of the leakage detection circuit 100 is shown in FIG. 1 , but may be combined, divided, rearranged, omitted, eliminated, and / or implemented in any other manner. Figure 2 One or more of the elements, processes and / or devices shown in . In addition, Figure 2The example interface circuit 202, the example relay position data processing circuit 204, the example leakage analysis circuit 206, the example alarm control circuit 208, the example memory 209, and / or more generally the example leakage detection circuit 100 can be implemented by hardware alone, or by a combination of hardware and software and / or firmware. Thus, for example, any of the example interface circuit 202, the example relay position data processing circuit 204, the example leakage analysis circuit 206, the example alarm control circuit 208, the example memory 209, and / or more generally the example leakage detection circuit 100 can be implemented by programmable circuitry in combination with machine-readable instructions (e.g., firmware or software), processor circuitry, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, logic circuitry, a programmable processor, a programmable microcontroller, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a programmable logic device (PLD), and / or a field programmable logic device (FPLD) such as an FPGA. Furthermore, Figure 2 An example leakage detection circuit 100 may include Figure 2 One or more elements, processes, and / or devices may be additional or substituted for those shown, and / or multiples of any or all of the shown elements, processes, and devices may be included.

[0071] Figure 3 Shows that it can be Figure 2 The example heat map 300 is generated by the alarm control circuit 208 of the example leakage detection circuit 100. The example heat map 300 can be displayed on, for example, Figure 1 The example heat map 300 includes visual indicators 320, 322, 324, 326, and 328 that represent the determined leak status of the example positioners 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, 316, and 318 at a particular time. In the illustrated example, visual indicator 320 indicates an actual or potential leak from a positioner (e.g., example positioner 302) that warrants action from supply pressure to output pressure. Example visual indicator 322 indicates possible relay beam movement and / or a potential or developing leak from a positioner (e.g., example positioners 306 and 308) that should be monitored from supply pressure to output pressure. Example visual indicator 324 indicates that there may be no leak event at a positioner (e.g., example positioners 312-318). Example visual indicator 326 indicates that a positioner output (e.g., at the outlet of example positioner 310) should be monitored for a potential leak. The example visual indicator 328 represents an actual or potential leak of the positioner output to atmosphere at a positioner (e.g., at the outlet of the example positioner 304). The example heat map 300 can be updated by the leak detection circuit 100 to reflect changes in the determined leak status of the corresponding positioners 302-318 over time.

[0072] In the illustrated example, the heat map 300 is arranged according to the leak status and the corresponding priority. For example, the example locators 302 and 304 identified as experiencing a leak event are listed first, followed by the locators 306-310 identified as potentially leaking, and then the locators 312-318 without leak indications. In other examples, the heat map is arranged based on the physical location of the locators 302-318 in the environment. In some examples, the user of the user device 114 can filter the heat map 300 and / or decide the arrangement of the heat map 300.

[0073] In the example shown, the heat map 300 includes five visual indicators 320-328 representing different leakage states of the locators 302-318. In other examples, the heat map 300 may include fewer (e.g., 2, 3) or more visual indicators representing different leakage states of the locators 302-318. The example heat map 300 includes visual indicators 320-328 shown as different patterns. The heat map 300 may include visual indicators that vary according to any characteristic (e.g., color, size, shape, etc.) or a combination of characteristics to distinguish leakage states. For example, the heat map 300 may display visual indicators in colors such as green (e.g., indicating no leakage event), yellow (e.g., indicating relay beam movement or possible leakage), and red (e.g., indicating actual or possible leakage events). In some examples, the heat map 300 includes different visual indicators to indicate that a leakage event is a predicted leakage event rather than an identified leakage event. For example, the heat map 300 may indicate an identified actual or possible leakage event with a red square, and may indicate a predicted actual or possible future leakage event with a red circle. In some examples, a user of the user device 114 can control the characteristics of the visual indicators used by the heat map 300. Furthermore, while the example heat map 300 shows positioners 302-318, in other examples, the heat map 300 can associate leak conditions with control valves associated with the positioners 302-318 and display visual indicators associated with the control valves rather than the positioners.

[0074] Figure 4 A flowchart representing example machine-readable instructions that may be executed by programmable circuitry to implement and / or instantiate Figure 2 The leakage detection circuit 100 and / or representation may be implemented and / or instantiated by a programmable circuit. Figure 2 The machine-readable instructions may be used by a programmable circuit such as the following in conjunction with an example operation of the leakage detection circuit 100. Figure 5The programmable circuit 512 shown in the example processor platform 500 discussed herein may be one or more executable programs or portions of one or more executable programs, and / or may be one or more functions or portions of functions to be performed by the example programmable circuit (e.g., FPGA). In some examples, machine-readable instructions cause operations, tasks, etc. to be performed and / or implemented in an automated manner in the real world. As used herein, "automated" means without human involvement.

[0075] The program may be embodied in instructions (e.g., software and / or firmware) stored on one or more non-transitory computer-readable and / or machine-readable storage media, such as cache memory, magnetic storage devices or disks (e.g., floppy disks, hard disk drives (HDDs), etc.), optical storage devices or disks (e.g., Blu-ray discs, compact disks (CDs), digital versatile disks (DVDs), etc.), redundant arrays of independent disks (RAIDs), registers, ROMs, solid-state drives (SSDs), SSD memories, non-volatile memories (e.g., electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), flash memories, etc.), volatile memories (e.g., any type of random access memories (RAMs), etc.), and / or any other storage devices or storage disks. The instructions of the non-transitory computer-readable and / or machine-readable media may be programmed and / or executed by programmable circuitry located in one or more hardware devices, but the entire program and / or portions thereof may alternatively be executed and / or instantiated and / or embodied in dedicated hardware by one or more hardware devices other than programmable circuitry. The machine-readable instructions may be distributed across multiple hardware devices and / or executed by two or more hardware devices (e.g., a server and a client hardware device). For example, the client hardware device may be implemented by an endpoint client hardware device (e.g., a hardware device associated with a human and / or machine user) or an intermediate client hardware device gateway (e.g., a radio access network (RAN)) that may facilitate communication between the server and the endpoint client hardware device. Similarly, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may include one or more media. Furthermore, although reference is made to Figure 4The flowchart shown in the flowchart describes an example procedure, but many other methods of implementing the example leakage detection circuit 100 may be used instead. For example, the order of execution of the blocks of the flowchart may be changed, and / or some of the blocks described may be changed, eliminated, or combined. Additionally or alternatively, any or all of the blocks of the flowchart may be implemented by one or more hardware circuits (e.g., processor circuits, discrete and / or integrated analog and / or digital circuits, FPGAs, ASICs, comparators, operational amplifiers (op-amps), logic circuits, etc.) configured to perform the corresponding operations without executing software or firmware. The programmable circuitry may be distributed across one or more hardware devices (e.g., single-core processors (e.g., single-core CPUs), multi-core processors (e.g., multi-core CPUs, XPUs, etc.) at different network locations and / or locally. For example, the programmable circuitry may be a CPU and / or FPGA located in the same package (e.g., the same integrated circuit (IC) package or two or more separate housings), one or more processors in a single machine, multiple processors distributed across multiple servers in a server rack, multiple processors distributed across one or more server racks, etc., and / or any combination thereof.

[0076] The machine-readable instructions described herein may be stored in one or more of a compressed format, an encrypted format, a segmented format, a compiled format, an executable format, a packaged format, and the like. The machine-readable instructions as described herein may be stored as data (e.g., computer-readable data, machine-readable data, one or more bits (e.g., one or more computer-readable bits, one or more machine-readable bits, etc.), a bitstream (e.g., a computer-readable bitstream, a machine-readable bitstream, etc.), etc.) or a data structure (e.g., as part of an instruction, code, a representation of code, etc.) that can be used to create, manufacture, and / or generate machine-executable instructions. For example, the machine-readable instructions may be segmented and stored on one or more storage devices, disks, and / or computing devices (e.g., servers) located in the same or different locations (e.g., on a cloud, on an edge device, etc.) on a network or collection of networks. The machine-readable instructions may need to be installed, modified, adapted, updated, combined, supplemented, configured, decrypted, decompressed, unpacked, distributed, redistributed, compiled, and the like so that they can be directly read, interpreted, and / or executed by a computing device and / or other machine. For example, machine-readable instructions may be stored in multiple portions that are separately compressed, encrypted, and / or stored on separate computing devices, where the portions, when decrypted, decompressed, and / or combined, form a set of computer-executable and / or machine-executable instructions that implement one or more functions and / or operations that may together form a program such as described herein.

[0077] In another example, the machine-readable instructions may be stored in a state in which they can be read by programmable circuitry, but the addition of a library (e.g., a dynamic link library (DLL)), a software development kit (SDK), an application programming interface (API), etc., may be required in order to execute the machine-readable instructions on a particular computing device or other device. In another example, the machine-readable instructions and / or corresponding program may need to be configured (e.g., stored settings, data inputs, recorded network addresses, etc.) before the machine-readable instructions and / or corresponding program can be executed in whole or in part. Thus, as used herein, a machine-readable, computer-readable, and / or machine-readable medium may include instructions and / or programs regardless of the specific format or state of the machine-readable instructions and / or programs.

[0078] The machine-readable instructions described herein may be represented by any past, present, or future instruction language, scripting language, programming language, etc. For example, the machine-readable instructions may be represented using any of the following languages: C, C++, Java, C#, Perl, Python, JavaScript, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Structured Query Language (SQL), Swift, etc.

[0079] As mentioned above, Figure 4The example operations can be implemented using executable instructions (e.g., computer-readable and / or machine-readable instructions) stored on one or more non-transient computer-readable and / or machine-readable media. As used herein, the terms non-transient computer-readable medium, non-transient computer-readable storage medium, non-transient machine-readable medium, and / or non-transient machine-readable storage medium are explicitly defined to include any type of computer-readable storage device and / or storage disk, and exclude propagation signals and exclude transmission media. Examples of such non-transient computer-readable media, non-transient computer-readable storage medium, non-transient machine-readable medium, and / or non-transient machine-readable storage medium include optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, HDDs, flash memories, read-only memories (ROMs), CDs, DVDs, caches, any type of RAM, registers, and / or any other storage devices or storage disks, wherein information is stored for any duration (e.g., an extended period of time, permanently, temporarily, for temporary buffering, and / or for caching of information). As used herein, the terms "non-transitory computer-readable storage device" and "non-transitory machine-readable storage device" are defined to include any physical (mechanical, magnetic, and / or electrical) hardware to retain information over a period of time, but to exclude propagating signals and to exclude transmission media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable storage devices and / or non-transitory machine-readable storage devices include any type of random access memory, any type of read-only memory, solid-state memory, flash memory, optical disks, magnetic disks, disk drives, and / or redundant arrays of independent disks (RAID) systems. As used herein, the term "device" refers to a physical structure, such as a mechanical and / or electrical device, hardware, and / or circuitry, that may or may not be configured with computer-readable instructions, machine-readable instructions, etc. and / or manufactured to execute computer-readable instructions, machine-readable instructions, etc.

[0080] Figure 4 is a flow chart representing example machine-readable instructions and / or example operations 400 that may be executed, instantiated, and / or performed by programmable circuitry to identify a valve associated with a control valve (e.g., Figure 1 of the control valve 102) (e.g., Figure 1 Pneumatic leakage associated with the positioner 106). Figure 4The example machine-readable instructions and / or example operations 400 begin at block 402, where the relay position data processing circuit 204 determines whether the relay position data points 220 (e.g., received via the interface circuit 202) include a data point associated with travel feedback data 222 indicating that the control valve 102 is fully closed or fully open (e.g., where the association can be determined based on a timestamp). If the relay position data points 220 do not include a data point associated with such travel feedback data 222 (e.g., block 402 returns a “no” result), the relay position data processing circuit proceeds to block 406. If the relay position data points 220 include a data point associated with such travel feedback data 222 (e.g., block 402 returns a “yes” result), the relay position data processing circuit proceeds to block 404.

[0081] At block 404, the relay position data processing circuit 204 removes data points associated with the travel feedback data 222 that indicate the valve is fully closed or fully open from the relay position data points 220 (e.g., removing data points that may skew the leak detection analysis by falsely suggesting that the relay position change is increasing in the direction associated with increasing output pressure to compensate for the leak). After removing those data points, the relay position data processing circuit 204 defines an array of (remaining) relay position data points 220 that represent the relay beam position during modulation of the control valve 102 (block 406). Figure 4 In example operation 400 , the relay position data processing circuit 204 uses the relay position data points 220 in the relay position array (e.g., a moving window of the relay position data points 220 in the array) to calculate a rolling mean representing an average relay beam position over time to generate a rolling mean array (block 408 ).

[0082] At block 410, the leakage analysis circuit 206 determines whether the number of rolling means in the rolling mean array satisfies a threshold (e.g., defined by the relay position data processing circuit 204). If the leakage analysis circuit 206 determines that the threshold is not satisfied (e.g., block 410 returns a “no” result), control passes to block 422, where the relay position data processing circuit 204 determines whether additional relay position data points 220 have been received to enable the relay position data processing circuit 204 to continue calculating rolling means until the threshold is satisfied. If the leakage analysis circuit 206 determines that the threshold is satisfied (e.g., block 410 returns a “yes” result), control passes to block 412.

[0083] At block 412, the leakage analysis circuit 206 identifies the most recently calculated rolling mean from the rolling mean array. At block 414, the leakage analysis circuit 206 compares the most recently calculated rolling mean to a leakage state threshold value defined by the leakage threshold rule 212. At block 416, the leakage analysis circuit 206 determines or predicts a positioner leakage state based on the comparison. For example, if the most recently calculated rolling mean falls between two threshold values ​​defining the expected relay beam position, the leakage analysis circuit 206 may determine that the leakage state of the positioner 106 is no or likely no leakage event. Alternatively, when the most recently calculated rolling mean is above the threshold value, the leakage analysis circuit 206 may determine that the leakage state indicates an ongoing or likely leakage event.

[0084] In some examples, at block 416, the leakage analysis circuitry 206 predicts the likelihood of a leakage event based on the trend over time of the rolling mean value selected for analysis relative to the threshold value. For example, if a previously generated rolling mean value is close to a threshold value associated with a leakage event, the leakage analysis circuitry 206 may predict that a subsequent rolling mean value of the relay position is likely to meet a threshold rule indicating that a leakage event is likely to occur.

[0085] At block 418, the alarm control circuit 208 determines an indicator / alarm that identifies the leak status of the locator determined by the leak analysis circuit at block 418. At block 420, the alarm control circuit 208 outputs an indicator / alarm that identifies the leak status of the locator. In some examples, the alarm control circuit 208 generates and outputs a heat map that represents the determined leak status of multiple locators at a particular time. For example, the alarm control circuit 208 may generate Figure 3 An example heat map 300 is shown to illustrate the leakage status of the locators 302-318 in the environment. In some examples, the alarm control circuit 208 can cause the indicator / alarm to be displayed on the Figure 1 on the display screen 134 of the example user device 114.

[0086] At block 422, the relay position data processing circuit 204 determines whether additional relay position data points 220 have been received (e.g., via the interface circuit 202). If additional relay position data points 220 have been received (e.g., block 422 returns a "yes" result), control returns to block 402 to, for example, filter the newly received relay position data points 220. If no additional relay position data points 220 have been received (e.g., block 422 returns a "no" result), then Figure 4 The example operation 400 ends.

[0087] Figure 5 is constructed to execute and / or instantiate Figure 4 Example machine-readable instructions and / or example operations to implement Figure 2The programmable circuit platform 500 can be, for example, a server, a personal computer, a workstation, a self-learning machine (e.g., a neural network), a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet computer such as an iPad), or a computer programmable circuit platform 500. TM ), personal digital assistants (PDAs), internet appliances, headsets (e.g., augmented reality (AR) headsets, virtual reality (VR) headsets, etc.) or other wearable devices, or any other type of computing and / or electronic device.

[0088] The programmable circuit platform 500 of the illustrated example includes a programmable circuit 512. The programmable circuit 512 of the illustrated example is hardware. For example, the programmable circuit 512 can be implemented by one or more integrated circuits, logic circuits, FPGAs, microprocessors, CPUs, GPUs, DSPs, and / or microcontrollers from any desired family or manufacturer. The programmable circuit 512 can be implemented by one or more semiconductor-based (e.g., silicon-based) devices. In this example, the programmable circuit 512 implements the example leakage detection circuit 100, the example relay position data processing circuit 204, the example leakage analysis circuit 206, and the example alarm control circuit 208.

[0089] The programmable circuit 512 of the illustrated example includes local memory 513 (e.g., cache, registers, etc.). The programmable circuit 512 of the illustrated example communicates with main memories 514 and 516, including volatile memory 514 and non-volatile memory 516, via a bus 518. The volatile memory 514 can be implemented by synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), RAMBUS dynamic random access memory (RDRAM), and / or any other type of RAM device. The non-volatile memory 516 can be implemented by flash memory and / or any other desired type of memory device. Access to the main memories 514 and 516 of the illustrated example is controlled by a memory controller 517. In some examples, the memory controller 517 can be implemented by one or more integrated circuits, logic circuits, microcontrollers, or any other type of circuit from any desired family or manufacturer to manage the flow of data to and from the main memories 514 and 516.

[0090] The programmable circuit platform 500 of the illustrated example also includes an interface circuit 520 (e.g., Figure 2 The interface circuit 520 may be implemented by hardware according to any type of interface standard, such as an Ethernet interface, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, a Bluetooth interface, a Near Field Communication (NFC) interface, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) interface, and / or a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) interface.

[0091] In the example shown, one or more input devices 522 are connected to the interface circuitry 520. The input devices 522 allow a user (e.g., a human user, a machine user, etc.) to input data and / or commands into the programmable circuitry 512. The input devices 522 may be implemented by, for example, an audio sensor, a microphone, a camera (still or video), a keyboard, buttons, a mouse, a touch screen, a trackpad, a trackball, an isopoint device, and / or a voice recognition system.

[0092] One or more output devices 524 are also connected to the interface circuit 520 of the illustrated example. The output device 524 can be implemented, for example, by a display device (e.g., a light emitting diode (LED), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, an in-place switch (IPS) display, a touch screen, etc.), a tactile output device, a printer, and / or a speaker. Thus, the interface circuit 520 of the illustrated example typically includes a graphics driver card, a graphics driver chip, and / or a graphics processor circuit such as a GPU.

[0093] The interface circuitry 520 of the illustrated example also includes communication devices, such as transmitters, receivers, transceivers, modems, residential gateways, wireless access points, and / or network interfaces, to facilitate data exchange with external machines (e.g., any kind of computing device) over a network 526. Communication can occur through, for example, an Ethernet connection, a digital subscriber line (DSL) connection, a telephone line connection, a coaxial cable system, a satellite system, a beyond-line-of-sight wireless system, a line-of-sight wireless system, a cellular telephone system, an optical connection, and the like.

[0094] The programmable circuit platform 500 of the illustrated example also includes one or more mass storage disks or devices 528 to store firmware, software, and / or data. Examples of such mass storage disks or devices 528 include magnetic storage devices (e.g., floppy disks, drives, HDDs, etc.), optical storage devices (e.g., Blu-ray discs, CDs, DVDs, etc.), RAID systems, and / or solid-state storage disks or devices, such as flash memory devices and / or SSDs.

[0095] Can be Figure 4 The machine-readable instructions 532 implemented by the machine-readable instructions may be stored in the mass storage device 528, the volatile memory 514, the non-volatile memory 516, and / or on at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium such as a removable CD or DVD.

[0096] "Include" and "comprising" (and all their forms and tenses) are used herein as open-ended terms. Thus, whenever a claim employs any form of "include" or "comprising" (e.g., "comprises," "includes," "comprising," "including," "having") as a preamble or within any type of claim recitation, it is understood that additional elements, terms, etc. may be present without exceeding the scope of the corresponding claim or recitation. As used herein, the phrase "at least" when used as a transition term, such as in the preamble of a claim, is open-ended in the same manner that the terms "include" and "comprising" are open-ended. The term "and / or," when used, for example, in a form such as A, B, and / or C, refers to any combination or subset of A, B, and C, such as (1) A alone, (2) B alone, (3) C alone, (4) A and B, (5) A and C, (6) B and C, or (7) A and B and C. As used herein in the context of describing structures, components, items, objects, and / or things, the phrase "at least one of A and B" is intended to refer to an implementation that includes any one of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) at least one A and at least one B. Similarly, as used herein in the context of describing structures, components, items, objects, and / or things, the phrase "at least one of A or B" is intended to refer to an implementation that includes any one of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) at least one A and at least one B. As used herein in the context of describing the performance or execution of a process, instruction, action, activity, etc., the phrase "at least one of A and B" is intended to refer to an implementation that includes any one of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) at least one A and at least one B. Similarly, as used herein in the context of describing the performance or execution of a process, instruction, action, activity, etc., the phrase "at least one of A or B" is intended to refer to an implementation that includes any one of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) at least one A and at least one B.

[0097] As used herein, singular references (e.g., "a," "an," "first," "second," etc.) do not exclude a plurality. As used herein, the term "a" or "an" object refers to one or more of the object. The terms "a" (or "an"), "one or more," and "at least one" are used interchangeably herein. Furthermore, although listed separately, multiple devices, elements, or actions may be implemented by, for example, the same entity or object. Additionally, although individual features may be included in different examples or claims, these features may be combined, and inclusion in different examples or claims does not mean that the combination of features is not feasible and / or disadvantageous.

[0098] Unless expressly stated otherwise, descriptors such as "first," "second," "third," etc., are used herein but do not in any way enter or otherwise indicate any meaning of priority, physical order, arrangement in a list, and / or ordering, but are merely used as labels and / or arbitrary names to distinguish elements to facilitate understanding of the disclosed examples. In some examples, the descriptor "first" may be used to refer to an element in the detailed description, while the same element may be referred to in the claims with different descriptors (such as "second" or "third"). In such instances, it should be understood that such descriptors are only used to clearly identify those elements within the context of the discussion (e.g., within the claims), where the elements may, for example, otherwise share the same name.

[0099] As used herein, the phrase "communication" (including variations thereof) encompasses direct communication and / or indirect communication through one or more intermediate components and does not require direct physical (e.g., wired) communication and / or continuous communication, but additionally includes selective communication at periodic intervals, scheduled intervals, non-periodic intervals and / or one-time events.

[0100] As used herein, "programmable circuitry" is defined to include (i) one or more specialized circuits (e.g., application specific circuits (ASICs)) that are constructed to perform specific operations and include one or more semiconductor-based logic devices (e.g., electrical hardware implemented by one or more transistors), and / or (ii) one or more general-purpose semiconductor-based circuits that can be programmed with instructions to perform specific functions and / or operations and include one or more semiconductor-based logic devices (e.g., electrical hardware implemented by one or more transistors). Examples of programmable circuitry include a programmable microprocessor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) that can execute a first instruction to perform one or more operations and / or functions, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) that can be programmed with a second instruction to cause the configuration and / or construction of the FPGA to instantiate one or more operations and / or functions corresponding to the first instruction, a graphics processor unit (GPU) that can execute a first instruction to perform one or more operations and / or functions, a digital signal processor (DSP) that can execute a first instruction to perform one or more operations and / or functions, an XPU, a network processing unit (NPU) that can execute a first instruction to perform one or more operations and / or functions, and / or an integrated circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). For example, the XPU may be implemented by a heterogeneous computing system that includes multiple types of programmable circuits (e.g., one or more FPGAs, one or more CPUs, one or more GPUs, one or more NPUs, one or more DSPs, etc., and / or any combination thereof), and an application programming interface (API) that can assign computing tasks to any of the multiple types of programmable circuits that is suitable and available for performing the computing tasks.

[0101] As used herein, an integrated circuit / circuit is defined as one or more semiconductor packages containing one or more circuit elements, such as transistors, capacitors, inductors, resistors, current paths, diodes, etc. For example, an integrated circuit may be implemented as one or more of an ASIC, an FPGA, a chip, a microchip, a programmable circuit, a semiconductor substrate coupling multiple circuit elements, a system on a chip (SoC), etc.

[0102] In light of the foregoing, it should be understood that exemplary systems, apparatus, articles, and methods have been disclosed that provide dynamic detection of leaks associated with a positioner of a control valve using relay beam position data as an indicator or indicator for detecting leaks. The exemplary systems, apparatus, articles, and methods disclosed herein achieve improved leak detection in an environment containing multiple control valves by performing leak detection analysis and monitoring during the operation of the control valve without taking the control valve offline and without relying on user participation to initiate testing. The exemplary systems, apparatus, articles, and methods disclosed herein allow for improved control valve management by providing hierarchical identification of the leakage state of the positioner, including potential leak events that warrant monitoring and possible leak events that warrant action. The exemplary systems, apparatus, articles, and methods disclosed herein provide increased reliability of leak detection by determining the leakage state of the positioner based on one variable (i.e., a rolling mean of the relay beam position data over time). Thus, the examples disclosed herein can detect a current leak state based on relay position data and predict a future leak state based on changes in the relay position data over time.

[0103] This document discloses example devices, systems, and methods for identifying pneumatic leaks. Other examples and combinations thereof include the following:

[0104] Example 1 includes an apparatus comprising interface circuitry, machine-readable instructions, and at least one processor circuit programmed by the machine-readable instructions to: generate an array comprising average relay position values ​​for a relay beam of a positioner associated with a control valve, the array comprising a first average relay position value of the average relay position values; perform a comparison of the first average relay position value to a threshold rule; and cause an indicator representing a leakage state of the positioner to be output for presentation at a user device based on the comparison.

[0105] Example 2 includes the apparatus of Example 1, wherein one or more of the at least one processor circuits is to output a first indicator when the difference between the first average relay position value and the threshold rule is a first amount, and output a second indicator when the difference between the first average relay position value and the threshold rule is a second amount different from the first amount.

[0106] Example 3 includes the apparatus of Example 1 or 2, wherein the threshold rule is a first threshold rule, and one or more of the at least one processor circuits is configured to perform the following operations: perform a comparison of the first average relay position value with a second threshold rule, the second threshold rule being different from the first threshold rule; cause a first indicator to be output when the first average relay position value does not satisfy the first threshold rule and the second threshold rule; cause a second indicator to be output when the first average relay position value satisfies the first threshold rule but does not satisfy the second threshold rule; and cause a third indicator to be output when the first average relay position value satisfies the second threshold rule.

[0107] Example 4 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 1-3, wherein one or more of the at least one processor circuits is to generate a heat map for presentation at the user device, the heat map including the indicator.

[0108] Example 5 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 1-4, wherein one or more processor circuits of the at least one processor circuit are to: update the array to include a second average relay position value, the first average relay position value being associated with a first time, the second average relay position value being associated with a second time after the first time; perform a second comparison of the second average relay position value to a threshold rule; and based on the second comparison, cause a second indicator representing a second leakage state of the locator to be output for presentation at the user device.

[0109] Example 6 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 1-5, wherein one or more of the at least one processor circuits is configured to calculate the first average relay position value as a rolling mean based on a first data point indicating a position of the relay beam at a first time and a second data point indicating a position of the relay beam at a second time.

[0110] Example 7 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 1-6, wherein one or more of the at least one processor circuits is configured to: filter an array of relay position data points comprising a first data point and a second data point based on corresponding travel feedback data of an actuator operably coupled to the positioner to generate a filtered array of relay position data points; and calculate an average relay position value based on the filtered array of relay position data points.

[0111] Example 8 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 1-7, wherein the travel feedback data indicates that the control valve is in a fully closed position or a fully open position.

[0112] Example 9 includes an apparatus comprising an interface circuit, machine-readable instructions, and at least one processor circuit programmed with the machine-readable instructions to perform the following operations: calculating a first average relay beam position value of a relay beam of a relay of a positioner operably coupled to a control valve; calculating a second average relay beam position value of the relay beam; performing a comparison of the first average relay beam position value and the second average relay beam position value with a threshold; predicting a likelihood that a third average relay beam position value of the relay beam meets the threshold based on the comparison; and causing an alarm to be outputted indicating a predicted leakage state of the positioner based on the prediction.

[0113] Example 10 includes the apparatus of Example 9, wherein the alarm is a first alarm, and wherein one or more processor circuits of the at least one processor circuit are to: perform a second comparison of the second average relay beam position value with the threshold value; and cause a second alarm to be outputted indicating a determined leakage state of the positioner based on the second comparison, the second alarm being outputted before the first alarm.

[0114] Example 11 includes the apparatus of example 9 or 10, wherein the alert comprises a first visual representation to be displayed at the user device.

[0115] Example 12 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 9-11, wherein the at least one processor circuit is configured to calculate a first average relay beam position value based on a first subset of relay beam position data points associated with a first time interval, and calculate a second average relay beam position value based on a second subset of relay beam position data points associated with a second time interval.

[0116] Example 13 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 9-12, wherein at least one processor circuit is used to filter the relay beam position data points to remove relay beam position data points indicating that the control valve is in a fully closed position or a fully open position, and the first subset and the second subset include the relay beam position data points remaining after filtering.

[0117] Example 14 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 9-13, wherein the alarm is a first alarm, and the at least one processor circuit is to generate a heat map including the first alarm and a second alarm indicating a leak status of the second locator.

[0118] Example 15 includes at least one non-transitory machine-readable medium including machine-readable instructions for causing at least one processor circuit to at least perform the following operations: generate a first array of average relay position values ​​for a relay of a first positioner associated with a first control valve, determine that the first average relay position value corresponds to a first leakage state of the first positioner based on a first comparison of the first average relay position value of the first array with a threshold value, and cause a first indicator of the first leakage state of the first positioner to be output.

[0119] Example 16 includes the apparatus of Example 15, wherein the machine-readable instructions are to cause one or more of the at least one processor circuits to generate a second array of average relay position values ​​for a second relay of a second positioner associated with the second control valve, determine that the second average relay position value corresponds to a second leakage state of the second positioner based on a second comparison of a second average relay position value of the second array of average relay position values ​​with a threshold value, and cause a heat map including the first indicator and a second indicator of the second leakage state of the second positioner to be output.

[0120] Example 17 includes the apparatus of Example 15 or 16, wherein the machine-readable instructions are to cause one or more of the at least one processor circuits to detect a change in the leakage state of the first positioner from a first leakage state to a second leakage state based on a second average relay position value of a first array of average relay position values ​​of the first positioner, the first average relay position value being associated with a first time interval and the second average relay position value being associated with a second time interval after the first time interval, and changing the first indicator to the second indicator based on the detection.

[0121] Example 18 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 15-17, wherein the machine-readable instructions are to cause one or more of the at least one processor circuits to calculate a rolling mean of relay position data points generated over time for the relay of the first positioner, the average relay position value of the first array corresponding to the rolling mean.

[0122] Example 19 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 15-18, wherein the machine-readable instructions are to cause one or more of the at least one processor circuits to perform the following operations: filtering the array of relay position data points based on travel feedback data indicating the position of the first control valve to generate an array of filtered relay position data points, and calculating a rolling mean based on the array of filtered relay position data points.

[0123] Example 20 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 15-19, wherein the first indicator comprises a visual representation to be displayed at the user device.

[0124] The appended claims are hereby incorporated by reference into this detailed description. Although certain example systems, devices, articles, and methods have been disclosed herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all systems, devices, articles, and methods that fully fall within the scope of the claims of this patent.

Claims

1. A device comprising: Interface circuit; machine-readable instructions; as well as at least one processor circuit programmed by the machine-readable instructions to: generating an array comprising average relay position values ​​for a relay beam of a positioner associated with a control valve, the array comprising a first average relay position value among the average relay position values; performing a comparison of the first average relay position value to a threshold rule; as well as Based on the comparison, an indicator representing a leakage status of the locator is caused to be output for presentation at a user device.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein One or more of the at least one processor circuit is configured to: causing a first indicator to be output when the difference between the first average relay position value and the threshold rule is a first amount; as well as When the difference between the first average relay position value and the threshold rule is a second amount different than the first amount, a second indicator is output.

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The threshold rule is a first threshold rule, and one or more of the at least one processor circuits is configured to: performing a comparison of the first average relay position value to a second threshold rule, the second threshold rule being different from the first threshold rule; causing a first indicator to be output when the first average relay position value does not satisfy the first threshold rule and the second threshold rule; causing a second indicator to be output when the first average relay position value satisfies the first threshold rule but does not satisfy the second threshold rule; as well as When the first average relay position value satisfies the second threshold rule, a third indicator is caused to be output.

4. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: One or more of the at least one processor circuits is configured to generate a heat map for presentation at the user device, the heat map including the indicator.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein One or more of the at least one processor circuit is configured to: updating the array to include a second average relay position value, the first average relay position value being associated with a first time, the second average relay position value being associated with a second time subsequent to the first time; performing a second comparison of the second average relay position value with the threshold rule; as well as Based on the second comparison, a second indicator representing a second leakage state of the locator is caused to be output for presentation at the user device.

6. The device according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 5, wherein: One or more of the at least one processor circuits is configured to calculate the first average relay position value as a rolling mean based on a first data point indicating a position of the relay beam at a first time and a second data point indicating a position of the relay beam at a second time.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein One or more of the at least one processor circuit is configured to: filtering an array of relay position data points including the first data point and the second data point based on corresponding travel feedback data of an actuator operatively coupled to the positioner to generate a filtered array of relay position data points; as well as The average relay position value is calculated based on the filtered array of relay position data points.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein The travel feedback data indicates whether the control valve is in a fully closed position or a fully open position.

9. A device comprising: Interface circuit; machine-readable instructions; as well as at least one processor circuit programmed by the machine-readable instructions to: calculating a first average relay beam position value of a relay beam of a relay of a positioner operatively coupled to a control valve; calculating a second average relay beam position value of the relay beam; performing a comparison of the first average relay beam position value and the second average relay beam position value with a threshold value; predicting a likelihood that a third average relay beam position value of the relay beam satisfies the threshold based on the comparing; as well as An alarm is caused to be outputted based on the prediction, indicating a predicted leak condition of the positioner.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein The alarm is a first alarm, and wherein one or more of the at least one processor circuit is to: performing a second comparison of the second average relay beam position value with the threshold value; and A second alarm is caused to be outputted based on the second comparison, indicating a determined leak condition of the positioner, the second alarm being outputted before the first alarm.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein The alert includes a first visual representation to be displayed at a user device.

12. The device according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein: The at least one processor circuit is configured to calculate the first average relay beam position value based on a first subset of relay beam position data points associated with a first time interval, and calculate the second average relay beam position value based on a second subset of relay beam position data points associated with a second time interval.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein The at least one processor circuit is used to filter the relay beam position data points to remove relay beam position data points indicating that the control valve is in a fully closed position or a fully open position, and the first subset and the second subset include the relay beam position data points remaining after the filtering.

14. The device according to claim 12, wherein The alarm is a first alarm, and the at least one processor circuit is to generate a heat map including the first alarm and a second alarm indicating a leak status of a second locator.

15. At least one non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising machine-readable instructions for causing at least one processor circuit to at least: generating a first array of average relay position values ​​for relays of a first positioner associated with a first control valve; determining, based on a first comparison of a first average relay position value of the first array and a threshold value, that the first average relay position value corresponds to a first leakage state of the first positioner; and A first indicator of the first leakage state of the first positioner is caused to be output.

16. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein: The machine-readable instructions are configured to cause one or more of the at least one processor circuit to: generating a second array of average relay position values ​​for a second relay of a second positioner associated with a second control valve; determining, based on a second comparison of a second average relay position value of the second array of average relay position values ​​and the threshold value, that the second average relay position value corresponds to a second leakage state of the second positioner; as well as A heat map including the first indicator and a second indicator of the second leakage state of the second locator is caused to be output.

17. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein: The machine-readable instructions are configured to cause one or more of the at least one processor circuit to: detecting a change in the leakage state of the first positioner from the first leakage state to a second leakage state based on a second average relay position value of the first array of average relay position values ​​of the first positioner, the first average relay position value being associated with a first time interval and the second average relay position value being associated with a second time interval after the first time interval; as well as The first indicator is changed to a second indicator based on the detection.

18. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein: The machine-readable instructions are for causing one or more of the at least one processor circuits to calculate a rolling mean of relay position data points generated over time for the relay of the first positioner, the average relay position value of the first array corresponding to the rolling mean.

19. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein: The machine-readable instructions are configured to cause one or more of the at least one processor circuit to: filtering the array of relay position data points based on travel feedback data indicative of a position of the first control valve to generate an array of filtered relay position data points; as well as The rolling mean is calculated based on a filtered array of the relay position data points.

20. At least one non-transitory machine-readable medium according to any one of claims 15-19, wherein: The first indicator comprises a visual representation to be displayed at a user device.

21. A method comprising: generating an array comprising average relay position values ​​for a relay beam of a positioner associated with a control valve, the array comprising a first average relay position value among the average relay position values; performing a comparison of the first average relay position value to a threshold rule; as well as Based on the comparison, an indicator representing a leakage status of the locator is caused to be output for presentation at a user device.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising: causing a first indicator to be output when the difference between the first average relay position value and the threshold rule is a first amount; as well as A second indicator is caused to be output when the difference between the first average relay position value and the threshold rule is a second amount different than the first amount.

23. An apparatus comprising: an array generation module configured to generate a first array of average relay position values ​​for relays of a first positioner associated with a first control valve; a leakage state determination module for determining, based on a first comparison of a first average relay position value of the first array and a threshold value, that the first average relay position value corresponds to a first leakage state of the first positioner; as well as An alarm generation module is configured to cause a first indicator of the first leakage state of the first positioner to be output.

24. The device according to claim 23, wherein The array generation module is configured to generate a second array of average relay position values ​​for a second relay of a second positioner associated with a second control valve; the leakage state determination module being configured to determine, based on a second comparison of a second average relay position value of the second array of average relay position values ​​and the threshold value, that the second average relay position value corresponds to a second leakage state of the second positioner; as well as The alarm generation module is configured to cause output of a heat map including the first indicator and a second indicator of the second leakage state of the second locator.

25. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein The array generation module is configured to calculate a rolling mean of relay position data points generated over time for the relay of the first positioner, the average relay position value of the first array corresponding to the rolling mean.

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