Monitoring of energy usage in flow control devices

Abstract

A flow control device configured to monitor energy usage. These configurations may include a controller that delivers a signal for pressurizing a pneumatic actuator. This controller can have software that can calculate energy usage based on the pressure of the signal and changes in, for example, the position of a valve. This feature can provide real-time data that an operator can use to identify potential problems on the operator's process line. In one embodiment, the operator can flag devices that exhibit energy usage trending away from a baseline level. These devices can have inherent problems that can develop into larger, more critical problems and cause problems with the quality of the final product or may require the operation to completely shut down the process line.

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