Process vessel isolator monitoring

Abstract

An industrial process vessel isolator monitoring system for monitoring an isolated section of a process vessel containing process material includes one or more condition sensors and a controller. The condition sensor is configured to sense at least one environmental condition, such as temperature, humidity, humidity, and / or chemical composition, and generate a condition output indicative of the corresponding sensed condition. The controller is configured to detect at least one segment condition related to the isolated segment based on the condition output and generate condition information related to the at least one detected segment condition. Examples of segment conditions include thermal resistance of the isolator of the isolated segment, damage or degradation of the isolator of the isolated segment, corrosion of the process vessel at the isolated segment, conditions that promote corrosion of the process vessel, and moisture intrusion into the isolator.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application 201811579563.5, filed on December 21, 2018, entitled “Process Vessel Insulation Monitoring”. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to industrial process control systems for industrial plants. More specifically, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to monitoring the health of process vessel thermal insulation. BACKGROUND

[0003] In an industrial context, control systems are used to monitor and control inventories of industrial and chemical processes, among others. Thermal insulation systems are critical assets within typical industrial plants, such as oil refineries, chemical plants, and food and beverage production facilities. Such systems generally utilize insulation material surrounding process vessels, such as pipes, conduits, or tanks, and reduce heat transfer between process material within the process vessel and the surrounding environment. Damage to the insulation system, due to physical damage or environmental influences, can result in decreased operational efficiency and product quality. SUMMARY

[0004] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an industrial process vessel insulation monitoring system, an industrial process vessel insulation monitoring device, and a method of monitoring an insulated section of a process vessel containing process material. One embodiment of the system includes one or more condition sensors and a controller. The one or more condition sensors are configured to sense at least one environmental condition, such as temperature, humidity, moisture, and / or chemical composition, at or within the insulated section of the process vessel. Each of the one or more condition sensors is configured to generate a condition output indicative of the corresponding sensed condition. The controller is configured to detect at least one section condition related to the insulated section based on the condition outputs and generate condition information related to the at least one detected section condition. Examples of section conditions include thermal resistance of the insulation of the insulated section, damage or degradation of the insulation of the insulated section, corrosion of the process vessel at the insulated section, conditions that promote corrosion of the process vessel, and moisture intrusion to the insulation.

[0005] One embodiment of the industrial process vessel insulation monitoring device includes a section of insulation and a plurality of condition sensors attached to the insulation. The plurality of condition sensors are configured to sense at least one environmental condition at or within the section of insulation. Examples of environmental conditions include temperature, humidity, moisture, and / or chemical composition. Each of the plurality of condition sensors is configured to generate a condition output indicative of the corresponding sensed condition.

[0006] In one embodiment of the method for monitoring an isolated process vessel, the aforementioned isolation monitoring device is provided. Multiple condition sensors are used to generate condition outputs. Each condition output indicates a corresponding sensed condition. A controller is used to detect at least one segment condition related to a segment of the isolation and the process vessel based on the condition outputs. Examples of segment conditions include the thermal resistance of the isolation segment, damage or degradation of the isolation segment, corrosion of the process vessel at the isolation segment, conditions promoting corrosion of the process vessel, and moisture intrusion into the isolation. The controller is used to generate condition information related to at least one detected segment condition.

[0007] This summary is provided to present the chosen concepts in a simplified form, which will be further described below in detail. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to help determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The claimed subject matter is not limited to embodiments that address any or all of the shortcomings mentioned in the background art. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a simplified diagram of an exemplary industrial process measurement or control system 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0009] Figure 2 This is a simplified cross-sectional view of an exemplary isolation monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] Figure 3 It is a typical section taken along line 3-3 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 2 A simplified cross-sectional view of the equipment.

[0011] Figure 4 These are graphs according to embodiments of the present disclosure, including exemplary graphs of measured interface and process temperatures over time, graphs of the difference between interface and process temperatures, and graphs of threshold temperature differences.

[0012] Figure 5 This is a simplified side cross-sectional view of an exemplary isolator monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for monitoring isolated process containers using an isolation monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0014] In the following description, embodiments of the present disclosure are described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Elements identified by the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. Various embodiments of the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the specific embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0015] Figure 1 This is a simplified diagram of an exemplary industrial process measurement or control system 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. System 100 can be used to process process materials 102, such as fluids (i.e., liquids or gases), solids (i.e., particulate or powdered materials), slurries, etc., to transform materials from a less valuable state into more valuable and useful products, such as petroleum, chemicals, paper, food, etc. For example, an oil refinery performs industrial processes that can process crude oil into gasoline, fuel oil, and other petrochemical products.

[0016] Process material 102 can be contained or transported through process container 104 (e.g., tank, pipe, or other process container). Process container 104 can be isolated using a suitable thermal insulator 106, such as... Figure 1 As shown. As discussed above, insulator 106 may degrade over time, which affects its thermal resistance (i.e., R-value). Furthermore, the degradation of insulator 106 may affect the health of the vessel 104 itself. For example, degradation of insulator 106 can lead to moisture at the interface between the outer surface of the process vessel 104 and the interior of insulator 106, resulting in in-insulator corrosion (CUI) at the outer surface of the vessel 104.

[0017] Embodiments of this disclosure relate to a process container isolation body monitoring system 110, which is configured to monitor and / or detect one or more conditions related to process container 104 and / or isolation body 106, such as thermal resistance of isolation body 106, CUI condition, moisture intrusion and / or other conditions related to container 104 and / or isolation body 106.

[0018] Some embodiments of the monitoring system 110 include one or more condition sensors 112 (generally referred to as 112) and a controller 114. In some embodiments, the sensors 112 of the monitoring system 110 include one or more sensors for sensing conditions at the isolated section 116 in relation to the insulator 106 and the process vessel 104, and generating one or more outputs (generally referred to as 118) indicating the sensed conditions.

[0019] In some embodiments, sensor 112 may include one or more temperature sensors 112A having a temperature output 118A, one or more humidity sensors 112B having a humidity output 118B, one or more chemical composition sensors 112C having a chemical composition output 118C, one or more humidity sensors 112D having a humidity output, and / or sensors 112 configured to monitor other environmental conditions of the isolated section 116. Thus, one or more condition sensors 112 may be configured to sense temperature, humidity, humidity, chemical composition, and / or other environmental conditions related to the isolated section 116 of container 104 and generate one or more condition outputs 118 indicating the sensed conditions. Controller 114 detects one or more conditions related to the process container isolator 106 based on the one or more sensed environmental conditions indicated by the condition outputs 118.

[0020] One or more temperature sensors 112A can be configured to monitor the temperature associated with the isolated section 116 of the process vessel 104 and generate a temperature output 118A related to the sensed temperature. As discussed in more detail below, the controller 114 can use the temperature sensor output 118A to measure the thermal resistance of the isolator 106, detect missing, damaged, or degraded isolators 106, and detect conditions that may indicate or lead to, for example, a CUI condition. The one or more temperature sensors 112A can utilize any suitable temperature sensor, such as a resistance temperature detector, a negative temperature coefficient thermistor, a thermocouple, a semiconductor-based temperature sensor, or other suitable temperature sensor.

[0021] One or more humidity sensors 112B are configured to monitor the humidity associated with the isolated section 116 of the process vessel 104 and generate a humidity output 118B related to the detected humidity. The controller 114 can use the humidity output 118B to detect conditions that may lead to CUI conditions, damage to the isolation chamber 106, and other conditions of the isolated section 116. The one or more humidity sensors 112B may include humidity detection cables or other suitable humidity sensors.

[0022] One or more chemical composition sensors 112C can be used to detect the presence of corrosive chemicals (e.g., acids, bases, and / or salts) and / or corrosion byproducts (e.g., metal oxides) and generate a chemical composition output 118C indicating the detection of such corrosion byproducts. Therefore, the controller 114 can use the chemical composition output 118C to detect, for example, CUI conditions. The one or more chemical composition sensors 112C can take any suitable form. Exemplary sensors 112C include pH sensors, oxygen reduction potential sensors, conductivity sensors, and isolator resistance sensors.

[0023] One or more humidity sensors 112D can be used to sense humidity levels and generate a humidity level output 118D indicating the sensed humidity level. Therefore, the controller 114 can use the humidity level output 118D to detect conditions that may facilitate, for example, a CUI condition. The one or more humidity sensors 112D can take any suitable form.

[0024] The monitoring system 110 may also include a process temperature sensor 120, configured to detect the temperature of the process material 102 and generate a process temperature output 122 indicating the sensed temperature. Figure 1 As shown, the process temperature sensor 120 can be a component of the field device 124 coupled to the process. The controller 114 can use the process temperature output 122 to detect, for example, the thermal resistance of the isolator and other conditions of the isolation section 116.

[0025] The monitoring system 110 may also include an ambient temperature sensor 126 configured to detect the ambient temperature at or near the isolated section 116 of the process container 104 and generate an ambient temperature output 128 based on the sensed temperature. The controller 114 may use the ambient temperature output 128 to assess or detect the condition of the isolated section 116 (e.g., thermal resistance of the insulator 106 or damage to the insulator 106).

[0026] In some embodiments, the monitoring system 110 includes a transmitter 130 configured to receive output signals (e.g., status output 118, process temperature output 122, and ambient temperature output 128) from one or more sensors and send segment information based on the output signals to the control unit 132. For example, as... Figure 1 As shown, the control unit 132 can be located remotely from the transmitter within the control room 134. The control unit 132 can be communicatively coupled to the transmitter 130 via a suitable physical communication link (e.g., a two-wire control loop 136 or a wireless communication link). Communication between the control unit 132 and the transmitter 130 can be performed on the control loop 136 according to conventional analog and / or digital communication protocols.

[0027] In some embodiments, control loop 136 includes a 4-20 mA control loop, wherein one or more sensor outputs (e.g., status output 118, process temperature output 122, and ambient temperature output 128) can be represented by the level of the loop current I flowing through control loop 136. Exemplary digital communication protocols include, for example, modulating digital signals onto the analog current level of two-wire control loop 136 according to the HART® communication standard. Other purely digital technologies may also be employed, including Fieldbus and Profibus communication protocols.

[0028] Transmitter 130 can also be configured to communicate wirelessly with control unit 132 using conventional wireless communication protocols. For example, transmitter 130 can be configured to implement wireless mesh network protocols such as WirelessHART® (IEC 62591) or ISA 100.11a (IEC 62734), or another wireless communication protocol such as WiFi, LoRa, Sigfox, BLE, or any other suitable protocol.

[0029] Power can be supplied to transmitter 130 from any suitable power source. For example, the transmitter can be driven entirely by the current I flowing through control loop 136. Transmitter 130 can also be driven using a suitable power source, such as an internal or external battery. A generator (e.g., solar panel, wind turbine, etc.) can also be used to power transmitter 130 and / or charge the internal or external battery source of transmitter 130.

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, controller 114 may represent a component of a transmitter and / or control unit. For example, controller 114 includes one or more processors (i.e., microprocessors, central processing units, etc.) that perform one or more functions described herein in response to the execution of instructions, which may be locally stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium or memory (e.g., memory 138) of the control unit or in the memory of the transmitter. In some embodiments, the processor of controller 114 is a component of one or more computer-based systems, such as control unit 132. Controller 114 may include one or more control circuits, a microprocessor-based engine control system, one or more programmable hardware components, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), for controlling components of monitoring system 110 and / or performing one or more functions described herein. Controller 114 may also represent other conventional industrial process transmitter or control unit circuitry.

[0031] In some embodiments, the controller 114 detects one or more conditions related to the isolated segment 116 of the process container 104 based on one or more detections in the condition outputs 118 from the sensor 112. Additionally, the controller 114 is configured to generate condition information 140 related to the detected one or more conditions of the segment 116 of the process container 104.

[0032] When the controller 114 is wholly or partially contained within the transmitter 130, the transmitter 130 can transmit status information 140 to the control unit 132 as the aforementioned transmitted segment information. Alternatively, the controller 114 of the control unit 132 can generate status information 140 using the segment information related to status output 118 transmitted by the transmitter 130.

[0033] In some embodiments, the condition information 140 generally includes information about each detected condition, such as an identifier of the detected condition, a value of the sensed condition related to the detected condition (e.g., temperature measurement result, humidity measurement result, moisture content measurement result, chemical composition measurement result, etc.), and / or other information. For example, the condition information 140 may be as follows: Figure 1 The information is recorded in the memory of system 110 or may be transmitted to a desired data storage system or computing device. Controller 114 may issue notifications related to status information 140, including displaying status information 140 on a display (e.g., display 142 of control unit 132 or another display), triggering alarms, and / or providing another type of notification.

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, some embodiments of the industrial process container isolation body monitoring system 110 include an industrial process container isolation body monitoring device 150. The industrial process container isolation body monitoring device 150 generally includes a section 152 of an isolation body 106 and one or more of the aforementioned condition sensors 112, said one or more condition sensors 112 being connected to the isolation body section 152. (Refer to...) Figure 2 and Figure 3 An exemplary embodiment of the isolation body monitoring device 150 is described. Figure 2 This is a simplified cross-sectional view of an exemplary isolation monitoring device 150. Figure 3 It is a typical section taken along line 3-3 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 2 A simplified cross-sectional view of device 150.

[0035] like Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the isolation section 152 may include a sleeve that completely surrounds the isolation section 106 that isolates the process container 104 (e.g., a pipe). For example, the isolation section 152 may be configured to be wound around the process container 104. Alternatively, the isolation section 152 may form only a portion of the isolation section 106 that isolates the process container 104.

[0036] Device 150 may include one or more temperature sensors 112A located at various positions between the outer surface 154 of process vessel 104 and the outer surface 156 of insulator section 152. For example, device 150 may include one or more interface temperature sensors 112A-1 at the interface 158 between insulator section 152 and the outer surface 154 of process vessel 104, one or more embedded temperature sensors 112A-2 within insulator section 152, and / or one or more external temperature sensors 112A-3 at the outer surface 156 of insulator section 152, such as... Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown. Interface temperature sensor 112A-1 can be attached to the inner surface 160 of the isolator section 152, or located between the inner surface 160 of the isolator section 152 and the outer surface 154 of the process vessel 104 when the isolator section 152 is mounted on the process vessel 104. External temperature sensor 112A-3 can be attached to or embedded in the outer surface 156 of the isolator section 152 using any suitable technique. Therefore, in some embodiments, one or more temperature sensors 112A include at least two temperature sensors located at different radial distances from the longitudinal axis 162 of the process vessel 104 or the isolator section 152, such as... Figure 2 As shown.

[0037] In some embodiments, the interface temperature sensor 112A-1 is used to detect the temperature that promotes CUI conditions. For example, when the interface temperature indicated by the output 118A-1 of the interface temperature sensor 112A-1 is within the temperature range that promotes corrosion of the process vessel 104, the controller 114 may generate condition information related to the detection, such as a notification indicating the presence or potential development of CUI conditions.

[0038] The interface temperature sensor 112A-1 can also be used to detect damage or degradation of the insulator segment 152. In some embodiments, the controller 114 compares the temperature indicated by the output 118A-1 with a desired temperature or temperature range expected to be detected by the interface temperature sensor 112A-1, and detects damage to the insulator segment 152 when the difference between the detected interface temperature and the desired interface temperature or temperature range exceeds a corresponding threshold 164, which may, for example, be stored in the memory 138 of the control unit 132. Figure 1 In this context, the controller 114 can generate status information 140 related to detected damage or degradation of the isolator segment 152, which may include notification of the degradation status of the isolator segment 152. In some embodiments, the controller 114 sets a desired interface temperature based on the process temperature sensed by the process temperature sensor 120 and / or the ambient temperature sensed by the ambient temperature sensor 126.

[0039] When the isolator section 152 is substantially undamaged, the difference between the interface temperature and the process temperature is small. However, when the isolator section 152 is damaged, its isolation performance decreases and the difference between the interface temperature and the process temperature increases. According to embodiments of this disclosure, this is generally true in... Figure 4 The chart shown includes exemplary measurements of the interface temperature (T). i ) and process temperature (T) p A graph showing the difference between the interface temperature and the process temperature over time (T).d The curve of ) and the threshold temperature difference (T) th The curve of the threshold temperature difference can be stored as threshold 164. Figure 1 One of the following is used to assess the condition of insulator segment 152. In some embodiments, a threshold temperature difference value is selected as the level indicating when insulator segment 152 no longer provides the desired thermal insulation. Figure 4 In the example shown in the graph, near the 14-hour mark, the temperature difference between the interface temperature and the process temperature changes from below a threshold temperature difference to above a threshold temperature difference, indicating that the isolator segment 152 may have been damaged and requires repair or replacement around that time. Therefore, the controller 114 detects this damage or degradation condition of the isolator segment 152 based on the difference between the interface temperature and the process temperature, and generates condition information 140 (e.g., a notification) in response to the detection of this condition.

[0040] As mentioned above, this monitoring of interface temperature relative to process temperature can include compensation for ambient temperature conditions, and the expected interface temperature is somewhat dependent on it. Specifically, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the threshold temperature difference can be adjusted based on the difference between the ambient temperature indicated by the ambient temperature sensor 126 and the process temperature indicated by the process temperature sensor 120. For example, when the difference between the ambient temperature and the process temperature is low, the threshold temperature difference may be reduced due to the expected lower heat transfer between the process vessel 104 and the surrounding environment; when the difference between the ambient temperature and the process temperature is high, the threshold temperature difference may be increased due to the expected higher heat transfer between the process vessel 104 and the surrounding environment. Therefore, the controller 114 can dynamically adjust the threshold temperature difference using the ambient temperature sensed or measured by the sensor 126.

[0041] In some embodiments, controller 114 uses one or more temperature sensors 112 to measure the direct heat flow through the insulator section 152 and / or the thermal resistance (R value) of the insulator section 152. For example, controller 114 can use conventional techniques to calculate the heat flow through the insulator section 152 and / or the thermal resistance of the insulator section 152 using the difference between the interface temperature output 118A-1 of one or more interface temperature sensors 112A-1 and the embedded temperature output 118A-2 from one or more embedded temperature sensors 112A-2 and / or the external temperature output 118A-3 from one or more external temperature sensors 112A-3. Figure 1The ambient temperature output 128 is used to compensate for these heat transfer or thermal resistance measurements. The controller 114 generates status information 140, which can indicate the measured heat flow through the isolation section 152 and / or the thermal resistance of the isolation section 152.

[0042] In some embodiments, the controller 114 compares the calculated heat flux and / or thermal resistance with corresponding threshold heat flux or thermal resistance values ​​(which may be stored as one of thresholds 164 in memory 138) to determine whether the insulator segment 152 is providing the required level of isolation. Status information 140 generated by the controller 114 may indicate whether the heat flux through the insulator segment 152 and / or the thermal resistance of the insulator segment 152 meets the threshold-based expected criteria.

[0043] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, some embodiments of the monitoring device 150 include one or more moisture sensors 112B, which, as mentioned above, may include a moisture detection cable. The moisture detection sensor 112B may be embedded within the isolator 106 and generate a moisture output 118B related to the detected moisture level. This allows the controller 114 to directly monitor moisture intrusion into the isolation section 152, which can lead to degradation and CUI conditions in the isolator section 152. In some embodiments, the controller 114 compares the detected moisture level with a threshold moisture value, which may be stored as a threshold 164 (…). Figure 1 One of the following is true. Controller 114 may generate condition information 140 based on the humidity output 118B and / or a comparison between the detected humidity and a threshold humidity value, which may include the detected humidity and other relevant information. Additionally, when the detected humidity exceeds the humidity threshold, condition information 140 may include notification of potential damage or degradation of the isolator segment 152, and / or notification indicating the presence of a condition that could lead to, for example, a CUI condition.

[0044] When the monitoring device 150 includes one or more of the chemical composition sensors 112C, the controller 114 can use the chemical composition indicated by the corresponding output 118C to detect a CUI condition or a condition that may lead to a CUI condition. The condition information 140 generated by the controller may include information about the detected chemical composition, such as the identifier of the detected component (e.g., iron oxide), the concentration of the detected component, and other information. In some embodiments, the controller 114 is configured to compare the concentration of the detected component with a threshold concentration value, which may be stored as a threshold 164 (…). Figure 1One of them. For example, when the detected concentration level exceeds the threshold concentration value, the condition information 140 may include notification of potential damage or degradation to the process vessel 104, notification of potential damage or degradation to the isolation section 152, and / or notification indicating the presence or potential presence of a CUI condition.

[0045] As discussed above, some embodiments of the monitoring device 150 include one or more humidity sensors 112D. The one or more humidity sensors 112D generate a humidity level output 118D related to the detected humidity level, which the controller 114 can use to directly monitor conditions that lead to a CUI condition. In some embodiments, the controller 114 compares the detected humidity level with a threshold humidity level value, which may be stored as a threshold 164 (…). Figure 1 One of the following. Controller 114 may generate condition information 140 based on the humidity level output 118D and / or a comparison between the detected humidity level and a threshold humidity level value, which may include the detected humidity. Additionally, for example, when the detected humidity level exceeds the humidity level threshold, condition information 140 may include notification of potential damage or degradation to the isolation section 152, and / or notification of the presence of a condition that may lead to a CUI condition.

[0046] As mentioned above, condition sensor 112 can utilize multiple sensors 112 to sense specific conditions such as temperature. Therefore, for example, temperature sensor 112A may include multiple temperature sensors 112A, each used to perform discrete temperature measurements at various locations. For example, interface temperature sensor 112A-1, embedded temperature sensor 112A-2, and / or external temperature sensor 112A-3 may each include multiple temperature sensors displaced relative to each other along the longitudinal axis 162 of the process container 104 or the isolation section 152, such as... Figure 3 As shown.

[0047] The controller can process the temperature sensed by each of the individual temperature sensors 112A to determine an average temperature measurement. Therefore, the temperature sensed by the interface temperature sensor 112A-1 can be processed to determine an average interface temperature, the temperature sensed by the embedded temperature sensor 112A-2 can be processed to determine an average embedded temperature, and the temperature sensed by the external temperature sensor 112A-3 can be processed to determine an average external temperature. The controller 114 can use one or more of these average temperatures to detect one or more conditions related to the isolation section 152. Similarly, the controller can determine average measurements of other environmental conditions (e.g., humidity, moisture content, chemical composition, etc.) by averaging the measurements from multiple condition sensors 112.

[0048] The condition sensor 112 can take any suitable form and may include a wired connection to the transmitter 130 to convey the generated condition output. An exemplary alternative to this arrangement includes using a passive surface acoustic wave sensor 112AW in conjunction with an RF exciter and reader 170, typically as follows: Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 This is a simplified side cross-sectional view of an exemplary isolator monitoring device 150 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Multiple surface acoustic wave sensors 112AW each receive energy from an RF exciter and reader 170, which may be powered by a transmitter 130 and responsively generate RF signals having a change in phase angle or another detectable RF characteristic (e.g., frequency or amplitude) as a function of the measured parameters. The exciter and reader 170 receives signals from the acoustic wave sensors 112AW and delivers a status output 118AW to the transmitter 130. Figure 1 Therefore, one or more temperature sensors 112A, humidity sensors 112B, chemical composition sensors 112C, and moisture sensors 112D can be replaced by suitable surface acoustic wave sensors 112AW, thereby eliminating the need for wired connections to each of the sensors. Alternatively, the embedded measurement device can take the form of a passive RFID sensor, which is powered and read by an RFID reader, which can be powered by the transmitter 130.

[0049] Further embodiments of this disclosure relate to a method for monitoring an isolated process container 104 using an isolation monitoring device 150. Figure 6This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. At method 180, an industrial process isolation monitoring device 150 formed according to one or more of the above embodiments is provided. In some embodiments, the device 150 includes an isolation section 152 attached to a process container 104, and a plurality of condition sensors 112 attached to the isolation section 152. The condition sensors 112 are each configured to sense at least one environmental condition at or within the isolation section 152, such as temperature, humidity, moisture content, and / or chemical composition. The condition sensors 112 are configured to generate condition outputs 118 indicating the corresponding sensed condition, such as temperature output 118A, moisture content output 118B, chemical composition output 118C, and / or humidity output 118D, etc. Figure 1 As shown.

[0050] At step 182, multiple condition sensors 112 are used to generate condition outputs 118 indicating the corresponding sensed conditions. Then, at step 184, a controller 114 is used to detect at least one condition related to the isolation section 152 based on the condition outputs 118. For example, as discussed above, the controller 114 may detect the thermal resistance of the isolation section 152, damage (i.e., degradation) of the isolation section 152, corrosion of the process vessel 104 or conditions that contribute to the corrosion of the process vessel 104, and / or moisture intrusion into the isolation section 152 based on the condition outputs from the condition sensors 112.

[0051] At method 186, controller 114 is used to generate condition information 140 relating to at least one detected segment condition. As discussed above, condition information 140 may identify the detected condition, including sensed parameters relating to the detected condition, notifications about the detected condition, and / or other information relating to the detected condition. In some embodiments of the method, condition information 140 is transmitted, for example, via control unit 132 (… Figure 1 The status information 140 is transmitted to the user via the display 142. The status information 140 may also include notifications to the user of detected statuses, such as alarms.

[0052] While embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An industrial process vessel insulation monitoring system for monitoring an isolated section of a process vessel containing a process material, the system comprising: one or more condition sensors configured to sense at least one environmental condition at or within the isolated section, the at least one environmental condition comprising temperature, humidity, moisture, and chemical composition, wherein each of the one or more condition sensors is configured to generate a condition output indicative of a corresponding sensed condition; and a controller configured to detect, based on the condition outputs, at least one section condition related to the isolated section and generate condition information related to the at least one detected section condition, the at least one section condition selected from a group comprising thermal resistance of an insulation of the isolated section, damage or degradation of the insulation of the isolated section, corrosion of the process vessel at the isolated section, a condition that promotes corrosion of the process vessel, and moisture intrusion to the insulation, wherein the controller is configured to: compare a difference between a temperature of a process material contained in the process vessel and an interface temperature to a threshold temperature difference, wherein the interface temperature is a temperature at an interface between the process vessel and the insulation of the isolated section, and the threshold temperature difference is selected to indicate when the insulation of the isolated section no longer provides a desired level of thermal isolation, detect, as the at least one section condition, that the insulation of the isolated section has been damaged or degraded around a time of a transition when the difference between the temperature of the process material and the interface temperature transitions from below the threshold temperature difference to above the threshold temperature difference, and generate the condition information related to the damage or degradation of the insulation of the isolated section.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein, the system comprises a transmitter configured to receive the condition outputs and transmit section information based on the condition outputs to an external control unit.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein, the one or more condition sensors comprise one or more temperature sensors, the one or more temperature sensors positioned at a location selected from a group comprising an interface between an exterior of the process vessel and the insulation, within the insulation, and an exterior surface attached to the insulation, each of the one or more temperature sensors configured to generate a temperature output indicative of a corresponding sensed temperature.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein, the one or more temperature sensors comprise a plurality of temperature sensors displaced from one another along a longitudinal axis of the process vessel.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein, the controller detects the at least one section condition based on an average of temperatures indicated by the temperature outputs of the plurality of temperature sensors.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein: the one or more temperature sensors comprise at least one interface temperature sensor positioned at an interface between the process vessel and the insulation, the at least one interface temperature sensor configured to generate an interface temperature output indicative of a temperature at the interface.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein: The system includes a process temperature sensor configured to generate a process temperature output indicative of a temperature of a process material contained in the process vessel.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein, The controller is configured to dynamically adjust the threshold temperature difference based on an ambient temperature external to the insulation.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein, The controller is configured to: decrease the threshold temperature difference when a difference between the ambient temperature and the temperature of the process material is low; and increase the threshold temperature difference when a difference between the ambient temperature and the temperature of the process material is high.

10. The system of claim 3, wherein: the one or more temperature sensors include at least two temperature sensors displaced from one another along an axis extending from an interface between the process vessel and the insulation to an outer surface of the insulation; and the at least one zone condition includes a thermal resistance of the insulation.

11. The system of claim 3, wherein, The one or more temperature sensors are each selected from the group consisting of: a resistance temperature detector, a negative temperature coefficient thermistor, a thermocouple, and a semiconductor-based temperature sensor.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein, The one or more condition sensors include a radio frequency exciter and at least one surface acoustic wave sensor.

13. The system of claim 3, wherein: the system includes an ambient temperature sensor configured to generate an ambient temperature output indicative of an ambient temperature external to the insulation; and the controller is configured to detect the at least one zone condition based on the ambient temperature output.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein: the one or more condition sensors include a moisture sensor configured to sense the moisture and generate a moisture output indicative of the moisture; the controller is configured to detect the at least one condition based on the moisture output; and the at least one zone condition includes a moisture intrusion into the insulation.

15. The system of claim 6, wherein: the at least one interface temperature sensor includes a plurality of interface temperature sensors displaced from one another along a longitudinal axis of the process vessel; the one or more temperature sensors include a plurality of outer temperature sensors attached to an outer surface of the insulation, the plurality of outer temperature sensors displaced from one another along the longitudinal axis and configured to generate outer temperature outputs indicative of temperatures of the outer surface of the insulation; and the system includes a moisture sensor attached to the insulation and configured to sense the moisture and generate a moisture output indicative of the moisture; the controller is configured to detect the at least one zone condition based on the interface temperature outputs, the outer temperature outputs, and the moisture output; and the at least one zone condition includes a thermal resistance value and a moisture intrusion condition of the insulation.

16. A method of monitoring an insulated process vessel, comprising: ​ An industrial process barrier monitoring apparatus is provided, the industrial process barrier monitoring apparatus comprising: a section of a barrier attached to the process vessel; and a plurality of condition sensors attached to the barrier and configured to sense at least one environmental condition at or within the section of the barrier, the at least one environmental condition comprising temperature, humidity, moisture, and chemical composition, wherein each of the plurality of condition sensors is configured to generate a condition output indicative of a corresponding sensed condition; generating condition outputs using the plurality of condition sensors, each condition output indicative of a corresponding sensed condition; detecting, using a controller, at least one section condition related to the section of the barrier and the process vessel based on the condition outputs, the section condition selected from a group comprising: thermal resistance of the barrier of the sectioned section, damage or degradation of the barrier of the sectioned section, corrosion of the process vessel at the sectioned section, a condition that promotes corrosion of the process vessel, and moisture intrusion to the barrier; and generating, using the controller, condition information related to the at least one detected section condition, wherein detecting the at least one section condition related to the section of the barrier and the process vessel comprises: comparing, using the controller, a difference between a temperature of a process material contained in the process vessel and an interface temperature, the interface temperature being a temperature at an interface between the process vessel and the barrier of the sectioned section, and the threshold temperature difference being selected to indicate when the barrier of the sectioned section no longer provides a desired level of thermal isolation, and detecting, as the at least one section condition, that the barrier of the sectioned section has been damaged or degraded in a vicinity of a time when the difference between the temperature of the process material and the interface temperature transitions from being below the threshold temperature difference to being above the threshold temperature difference; wherein generating the condition information related to the at least one detected section condition comprises: generating, using the controller, condition information related to the damage or degradation of the barrier of the sectioned section.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: dynamically adjusting, using the controller, the threshold temperature difference based on an ambient temperature outside of the barrier.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein, dynamically adjusting the threshold temperature difference comprises: decreasing the threshold temperature difference when a difference between the ambient temperature and a temperature of a process material contained in the process vessel is low; and increasing the threshold temperature difference when the difference between the ambient temperature and the temperature of the process material is high.

Images