System for monitoring wear parts in a pressure vessel

Abstract

The invention relates to a first system (10) for monitoring wear parts (104) in a pressure vessel (102), comprising a memory unit (12) which can be associated with a wear part (104), a control unit (14) which is situated outside the pressure vessel (102) and is designed to read data from the memory unit (12) and, if necessary, write data to the memory unit (12), a communication unit (16) which is provided inside the pressure vessel (102) and is designed to establish a communication connection with the memory unit (12), and a pressure-resistant signal feed-through (18) which is designed to establish a signaling connection between the control unit (14) and the communication unit (16) through the pressure vessel (102). The invention further relates to an installation (100) for processing a pressurized gas, said installation comprising such a system (10), and to a method for operating such a system.

Description

[0001] System for monitoring wear parts in a pressure vessel

[0002] Description

[0003] The present invention relates to a system for monitoring wear parts in a pressure vessel, a system for processing a pressurized gas comprising at least one such system, and a method for operating such a system.

[0004] It is known that certain types of equipment for processing pressurized gases use wear parts, such as dryer or filter cartridges, which have a maximum design-related service life and must be replaced at the appropriate time to guarantee the intended operation of the equipment. Furthermore, since such wear parts are essential components of the respective equipment, it must be ensured that only suitable types of such wear parts are used and that operation of the equipment with an unapproved or unsuitable type of such wear part, or even without the wear part altogether, is not possible.

[0005] If such a wear part, such as the aforementioned dryer or filter cartridge, is used inside a pressure vessel, monitoring the wear part is made more difficult by the fact that there is usually no data connection or similar from a control device of the system located on the outside of the pressure vessel into the pressure vessel. Therefore, for example, in EP 1 479 012 A1, an operational monitoring device for compressors or similar working machines has been proposed in which the condition of a filter cartridge through which pressurized gas flows is determined indirectly via a temperature sensor and a subsequent evaluation of the correspondingly recorded data.However, this shows that the corresponding operational monitoring device is relatively complex and can only determine parameters of a corresponding wear part, in this case the filter cartridge, which can be derived using temperature profiles, thus the proposed system lacks flexibility and desired functionalities.

[0006] Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to enable the monitoring of wear parts in a pressure vessel in a more flexible and comprehensive manner, thereby reliably ensuring the correct operation of a system equipped with such a system.

[0007] To solve this problem and to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art, the invention first proposes a system for monitoring wear parts in a pressure vessel, comprising a storage unit assignable to a wear part, a control unit arranged outside the pressure vessel which is configured to read data from the storage unit and optionally write data to the storage unit, a communication unit arranged inside the pressure vessel which is configured to establish a communication connection with the storage unit, and a pressure-resistant signal feedthrough which is configured to establish a signal connection between the control unit and the communication unit through the pressure vessel.

[0008] Accordingly, the system according to the present invention makes it possible to directly read data about the wear part stored on a storage unit associated with the corresponding wear part and, if necessary, also to write data to it, so that it is possible to directly access predetermined data associated with the wear part, which represent the suitability of the wear part to ensure the intended operation of the higher-level system. In particular, the storage unit can be an RFID tag and, consequently, the communication unit can be an RFID antenna, especially an RFID RF antenna, which can preferably be formed by conductor tracks on a circuit board.Such a combination of an RFID tag and an RFID antenna is characterized by the fact that the corresponding components are not very susceptible to environmental conditions, making them particularly suitable for the intended application of use in a pressure vessel. Furthermore, RFID tags are characterized by their ability to reliably and sustainably store large amounts of data at low acquisition costs and by their low energy consumption for both writing and reading.

[0009] Alternatively, other wireless or wired variants or combinations of storage media and communication units would of course be conceivable, whereby, in the aforementioned example of an RFID antenna, it can be coated in a suitable manner to make it even less sensitive to the conditions prevailing in the pressure vessel, whereby in such an embodiment the changes in the properties of the antenna caused by the coating can be compensated for in a suitable manner by an adapted control of the communication unit by the control unit.

[0010] Furthermore, it is conceivable that the control unit of the system according to the invention is operationally coupled or integrated with a central control unit of a higher-level system, thus enabling direct integration of the system according to the invention into the higher-level system. In this context, it is conceivable, among other things, that data recorded when reading the storage unit about the wear part is directly made available to the central control unit of the higher-level system, so that it can make corresponding adjustments to the system's operation based on the supplied data. Furthermore, by coupling or integrating the control unit of the system with the central control unit of the higher-level system, or optionally directly through the control unit of the system, a connection to external instances, for example to a cloud server, can be established.In this way, data obtained from the wear part by reading the storage unit can be compared with data stored in a cloud, or the data itself can be stored there and accessed separately. It is also conceivable, for example, to access data stored in a cloud via the corresponding data connection for verification of the wear part.

[0011] As mentioned above, the system may also include a cartridge acting as a consumable part, in particular a dryer or filter cartridge, which is designed to be housed within the pressure vessel during operation. Such dryer or filter cartridges are characterized by the fact that they become saturated after a certain operating period and consequently can no longer adequately fulfill their intended function. Therefore, regular replacement of such cartridges is necessary, and it must also be ensured that a suitable cartridge type is always used in the main system.

[0012] Accordingly, the system according to the invention can, among other things, determine the type of such a cartridge based on data stored on the storage unit and compare it with predefined permitted cartridge types, while on the other hand it is also conceivable to determine an accumulated operating time of such a cartridge by the control unit and write it to the storage unit at the appropriate time in order to ensure that the intended operating time of the cartridge is not exceeded, for example, even if the higher-level system is temporarily taken out of service and the cartridge continues to be used after its restart, or if the cartridge is used in different systems during its service life.Furthermore, this prevents, for example, an already exhausted cartridge from being accidentally reinserted into a corresponding system and the system subsequently being put into operation if its operating time has already been stored on the cartridge's memory unit.

[0013] Accordingly, the data stored on the storage unit can include at least one piece of information specific to the wear part and information relating to the operation of the wear part, and / or the data stored on the storage unit can be at least partially encrypted. Examples of such stored data are the aforementioned type or design of the wear part and its completed operating time, as well as a type number for the unique identification of the corresponding wear part or, where applicable, part-specific information such as a production date, a serial number, or a link to a datasheet. As already indicated, this information can be read by the control unit using the communication unit, and selected properties can be written to or overwritten by the control unit in the same way.

[0014] Accordingly, the system according to the invention, in addition to preventing the use of unsuitable types of wear parts, also makes it possible to exclude the reuse of already used wear parts that have reached their intended service life and, for example, to make predictions about their remaining service life under current operating conditions. This, in turn, enables the provision of proactive services, such as spare parts delivery, via the online connection already mentioned.

[0015] Furthermore, to prevent the use of incorrect cartridges, such as industrial air cartridges in breathing air systems, in the specific case of dryer or filter cartridges, a unique identifier for each cartridge can be stored on the storage unit as already indicated. The control unit can also have access to data regarding approved cartridges, for example, in the form of tables stored within it. As an additional security measure, the storage unit can include an open and an encrypted section, whereby all information is stored redundantly and can be checked for plausibility by the control unit.Furthermore, as will be discussed in more detail below, it is conceivable to perform a matching process when a wear part is used for the first time in a corresponding system and to write system information, for example a serial number and / or type designation, to the storage unit of the wear part, after which the wear part can no longer be used in any other system.

[0016] Furthermore, it is conceivable that a user of such a system could use the control unit of the system according to the invention to read out data on the wear parts in real time, for example, remaining service life or material requirements. Depending on the available connectivity options at the system, this could be done using a mobile device on-site or remotely. It is also conceivable that, in the case of mobile systems, the system location could be queried, transmitted, and / or written to the storage unit by providing a GPS module in the control unit.

[0017] In a specific hardware embodiment, the system can further comprise a lid for the pressure vessel, wherein the signal feedthrough is integrated into the lid, which is preferably screwable onto the pressure vessel. This enables simplified integration of the system according to the invention with the pressure vessel, allowing for the use of largely existing components and thus avoiding unnecessary costs in the manufacture of the pressure vessel.

[0018] In particular, in such an embodiment, a first pole of the signal transmission can be formed by an electrically insulated pin, and a second, opposite pole by the cover or a screw connection. This allows for a simple yet robust design of the signal transmission in view of the considerable pressures expected within the pressure vessel. In this context, the cover or screw connection can also be provided with a conical shoulder, which seals it in the event of a pressure increase within the pressure vessel, and / or the cover can be provided on its outer and / or inner surface with a connector for connecting a cable to the control unit. This allows for increased modularity and flexibility of the system according to the invention, for example, by enabling the cable to be detached.

[0019] As already indicated above, the present invention further relates to a system for processing a pressurized gas, in particular comprising a gas drying and / or filtering unit, comprising a system according to the invention of the type just described, and a wear part which is operationally involved in the processing of the gas. A specific such system could, for example, be a processing plant for filling breathing air, in which a corresponding cartridge is provided downstream of a compressor in a pressure vessel in order to ensure the specified quality of the breathing air to be filled.

[0020] The system according to the invention can further comprise a central control unit, which is operationally coupled or integrated with the control unit of the system according to the invention and is particularly designed to measure the operating time of the wear part. Thus, the service life of the wear part can be closely monitored at this point, ensuring that it is not used beyond its intended lifespan.

[0021] In particular, the system can also be configured to initiate at least one predetermined action when the wear part reaches its maximum permissible operating time, in particular shutting down the system or simply notifying an operator of the system via a suitable human-machine interface. According to a further aspect, the present invention relates to a method for operating a system according to the invention of the type described above, optionally in a system according to the invention as described above, comprising, upon commissioning of the system, comparing data stored on the storage unit with at least one predetermined condition and, only if the condition is met, enabling operation of the wear part and / or during ongoing operation of the system, writing information concerning the operation of the wear part to the storage unit.

[0022] This procedure, as explained above, ensures on the one hand that only permissible types of wear parts are used in a higher-level system and on the other hand that the operation of the wear part and thus of the higher-level system is linked to the fact that a permissible maximum operating time of the wear part has not yet been reached.

[0023] Accordingly, the predetermined condition may relate to a design type, previous use and / or manipulation of the wear part and / or the release of the wear part to operation may correspond to the commissioning of the plant.

[0024] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become even clearer from the following description of one embodiment thereof, when considered together with the accompanying figures. These show in detail:

[0025] Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a system according to the invention for monitoring wear parts in a pressure vessel;

[0026] Figure 2 shows a sectional view of the signal feedthrough of the system from Figure 1;

[0027] Figure 3 shows a representation of the signal transmission from Figure 2 in a configuration mounted in a pressure vessel; and Figure 4 shows a flowchart of a method according to the invention for operating the system according to the invention.

[0028] Figure 1 schematically shows a system according to the invention for monitoring wear parts in a pressure vessel, which is generally designated by reference numeral 10. Here, the system 10 forms part of a larger system 100 according to the invention, additional components of which are also schematically shown, wherein the pressure vessel already mentioned, which forms part of the system 100, is designated by reference numeral 102.

[0029] The wear part to be monitored in the case shown here is a dryer or filter cartridge 104, housed in the pressure vessel 102 and known per se with regard to its effect and function. It can be considered both part of the system 10 and part of the plant 100. It should be noted that such a cartridge 104 is designed for a certain operating time, after which it is exhausted and must be replaced to ensure the correct functioning of the plant 100. Furthermore, it should be noted that although the following will consistently refer to the cartridge 104 as an example, other types of wear parts could also be monitored with the system 10.

[0030] For this purpose, a storage unit 12 in the form of a readable and writable RFID tag is assigned to the cartridge 104 at its lower end as shown in Figure 1. Various data associated with the cartridge can be stored on this tag, including its type, date of manufacture, date of first commissioning, and elapsed operating time, etc. A suitable encoding of the corresponding data can be used, which may also include encryption for security reasons. Furthermore, the system 10 comprises a control unit 14 located outside the pressure vessel. This control unit 14 is configured to at least read data from the storage unit 12 and preferably also to write data to it. The control unit 14 of the system 10 can be operationally coupled to a central control unit 106 or integrated with it.that in such a case the functionalities of the control unit 14 would already be taken over by the central control unit 106.

[0031] To enable the reading and, if necessary, writing of data to the storage unit 12, a communication unit 16 is arranged inside the pressure vessel 102. In the case shown here, this communication unit is formed by an RFID antenna in the form of conductive traces on a corresponding circuit board. Such a design is particularly suitable for the conditions prevailing inside the pressure vessel 102; however, alternative variants with other wireless or wired communication methods between corresponding pairs of storage units 12 and communication units 16 are also conceivable.

[0032] To establish a connection between the control unit 14 and the communication unit 16, the system 10 further comprises a pressure-resistant signal feedthrough 18, which will be described below with reference to Figures 2 and 3, and a shielded cable 20, which is connected to the control unit 14 and the signal feedthrough 18 respectively by means of appropriate connectors, for example, a BNC / SMC connector 20a shown in Figure 3. By arranging the control unit 14 outside the pressure vessel 102 and the storage unit 12 and the communication unit 16 inside the pressure vessel 102, it is ensured that only the latter two are exposed to the internal pressure, the influences of various gases and liquids with the associated corrosion and possible deposits, etc.and are exposed to varying operating or storage temperatures, whereby, in particular, correspondingly resistant components can be used through the application of RFID technology. With reference to Figures 2 and 3, the signal feedthrough 18 of the system 10 from Figure 1 will now be explained in more detail. Here, the signal feedthrough 18 is integrated into a cover 102a of the pressure vessel 102, which can be screwed onto the pressure vessel, whereby by unscrewing it, access to the cartridge 104 could also be gained in order to replace it.

[0033] In the embodiment of the signal feedthrough 18 shown here, a first pole is formed by an electrically insulated pin 22, while the second, opposite pole, here the negative pole, is formed by the aforementioned cover 102a of the pressure vessel 102. In different variants of the signal feedthrough 18 shown here, the communication unit 16 can be directly coupled to the cover 102a, or connected to the cover 102a via a bracket and a fixing screw / nut 102c. Instead of a wire, the negative pole connection could also be implemented as the sheet metal 16a shown here, which could simultaneously serve as a bracket for the communication unit 16.

[0034] An insulator 24 carries the pin 22 and insulates it from the pressure vessel 102 and its lid 102a. For the insulator 24, a plastic material with sufficient pressure resistance, matched to the maximum operating pressure of the pressure vessel 102, can be used, for example. Since the wall thicknesses of the pressure vessel 102 and its lid 102a can affect the tuning within the electronic circuit during high-frequency communication signals, as well as any coating on the circuit board of the communication unit 16 to protect it from harmful influences within the pressure vessel 102, the control unit 14 is further designed to compensate for these effects.

[0035] The insulator 24 itself is integrated into the cover 102a, which can be made of steel or aluminum, for example, and can be screwed onto or into the pressure vessel 102 by means of a corresponding thread 26, indicated in Figure 3. The type and dimensions of the thread 26 must also be adapted to the intended operating conditions of the pressure vessel 102, whereby experience with standard screw connections for pressure equipment can be drawn upon, for example, straight threads with seals, tapered threads, NPT threads, etc.

[0036] In the variant shown here, the pressure seal between the cover 102a and the insulator 24 is achieved via a conical projection 102b, which interacts with a corresponding conical counterpart 24a of the insulator in such a way that, when the internal pressure in the pressure vessel 102 increases, the insulator 24 presses against the cover 102a, thus creating the seal. The insulator 24 with the inserted pin 22 can be fixed in the cover 102a by means of a fixing screw 102c or nut, so that all of the aforementioned components are connected to the cover 102a and can be prefabricated, tested, and screwed together onto or into the pressure vessel 102 as a single assembly.

[0037] Finally, with reference to the flowchart in Figure 4, a method for operating a system 10 in a plant 100, as shown in Figure 1, will be explained. In step S1, a cartridge 104 is first inserted into the pressure vessel 102, and the cover 102a is screwed onto the pressure vessel, so that the plant 100 is in a basically operational state and an initialization process can be carried out in a coordinated manner by the control units 14 and 106 as described below. In different embodiments of such a system, the cover 102a itself can be provided for cartridge replacement, or another access point with a cover can be provided at a different location, allowing for easy cartridge replacement without disconnecting or reconnecting the corresponding cables.

[0038] First, in step S2, a basic plausibility check of the data stored in storage unit 12 is performed by reading it using control unit 14. This check is performed, for example, to verify whether storage unit 12 has been manipulated. One possible approach involves comparing an encrypted part of storage unit 12 with an unencrypted part for consistency. If a discrepancy, manipulation, or similar issue is detected ("Y" in step S2), the process is terminated immediately at step S3, and a corresponding error message can be displayed to the operator, indicating that the inserted cartridge is not authorized. If, however, it is determined that no such discrepancy or similar issue exists ("N" in step S2), the process proceeds to step S4.

[0039] Subsequently, in step S4, the read data is used to check whether the corresponding type of cartridge 104 is generally approved for use in the present system 100. This can be done, for example, by looking up the read cartridge type in a table accessible to the control unit 14, in which all permissible cartridge types are stored. If it is determined that the corresponding cartridge type is not approved ("N" in step S4), the procedure ends in step S5 with the output of a corresponding message in a manner similar to that described above for step S3.

[0040] If, however, step S4 determines that the cartridge type is permissible ("J" in step S4), step S6 then checks whether cartridge 104 has already been used in another system, which is not permitted in the case discussed here. Corresponding data would have been written to storage unit 12 by the aforementioned other system at the start of operation, as will be explained further below with reference to step S8. Accordingly, if such prior use has been documented ("J" in step S6), the procedure ends in step S7 with the output of a notification that a new cartridge must be inserted.Additionally, in step S6, it could also be checked in the same way whether the cartridge 104 used here has already reached its maximum operating time during previous use in the same system, for example, if the system 100 is commissioned after a downtime during which the cartridge 104 was not necessarily replaced. However, if it is determined in step S6 that the cartridge 104 has neither been previously used in another system nor that its maximum operating time has already been reached ("N" in step S6), the procedure proceeds to step S8, in which the cartridge 104 is matched to the system 100, i.e., corresponding data is written to the storage unit 12 indicating that the cartridge 104 has been used in the specific system 100.If, due to a previous use of this cartridge 104 in the system 100, corresponding data is already stored on the storage unit 12, step S8 can be skipped.

[0041] In step S9, the system is either manually started up or an automatic action is performed by the controller. In step S10, during operation, at least one of the control units 14 and 106 continuously records the operating time of the cartridge 104. During operation of the system 100 in step S10, it is periodically monitored, for example, whether the cartridge 104 has reached its permissible maximum operating time (step S11). If this is not the case ("N" in step S11), operation continues in step S10. During this step, the operating time already expended by the cartridge 104 can also be periodically written to the storage unit 12 to document its life cycle, and / or the remaining operating time of the cartridge 104 can be displayed to an operator under the current operating conditions.

[0042] In contrast, if it is determined ("J" in step S11) that the cartridge 104 has reached its maximum operating time, the process proceeds to step S12, in which the central control unit 106 terminates the operation of the system and issues a corresponding message to an operator indicating that a new cartridge 104 must be inserted before operation can be resumed. Such a cartridge 104 exchange can then take place in step S13, after which the process can restart at step S1.

[0043] If, however, in step S10 the operation of the system 100 is temporarily stopped without a complete recommissioning in step S1 being necessary, for example due to a manual intervention by an operator or an automatically executed action of the system 100, then it is possible to proceed to step S14, in which the operating time already achieved by the cartridge 104 can be written to the storage unit 12, in case the system 100 does have to be completely recommissioned, or from which, if the operation of the system is resumed, it is possible to proceed to step S9.

Claims

Claims 1. System (10) for monitoring wear parts (104) in a pressure vessel (102), comprising: - a storage unit (12) attributable to a wear part (104); - a control unit (14) arranged outside the pressure vessel (102), which is configured to read data from the storage unit (12) and, if necessary, to write data to the storage unit (12); - a communication unit (16) arranged inside the pressure vessel (102), which is configured to establish a communication link with the storage unit (12); and - a pressure-resistant signal feedthrough (18) which is designed to establish a signal connection between the control unit (14) and the communication unit (16) through the pressure vessel (102).

2. System (10) according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit (12) is an RFID tag and the communication unit (18) is an RFID antenna, in particular an RFID RF antenna, preferably formed by conductor tracks on a circuit board.

3. System (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (14) is operationally coupled or integrated with a central control unit (106) of a superior system (100).

4. System (10) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a cartridge acting as the wear part (104), in particular a dryer or filter cartridge, which is provided to be included in the pressure vessel (102) during its operation.

5. System (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the data stored on the storage unit (12) comprise at least one of the data specific to the closing part (104). Information and information relating to the operation of the wear part (104), and / or wherein the data stored on the storage unit (12) is at least partially encrypted.

6. System (10) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a cover (102a) of the pressure vessel (102), wherein the signal feedthrough (18) is integrated into the cover (102a), which is preferably screwable onto or can be screwed onto the pressure vessel (102).

7. System (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein a first pole of the signal feedthrough (18) is formed by an electrically insulated pin (22) and a second, opposite pole is formed by the cover (102a).

8. System (10) according to one of claims 6 and 7, wherein the lid (102a) is provided with a conical shoulder (102b) which, in the event of an increase in pressure inside the pressure vessel (102), causes a seal thereon.

9. System (10) according to one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the cover (102a) is provided on its outside with a plug (20a) for connection to a cable (20) to the control unit (14).

10. Plant (100) for processing a gas under pressure, in particular comprising a gas drying and / or filtering unit, comprising at least one system (10) according to one of the preceding claims and a closing part (104) which is operationally involved in the processing of the gas.

11. Annex (100) according to the preceding claim, furthermore comprising a central control unit (106) which is operationally coupled or integrated with the control unit (14) of the system (10) and is in particular equipped to time the operating time of the wear part (104).

12. System (10) according to one of claims 10 and 11, which is further configured to initiate at least one predetermined measure when a maximum permissible operating time of the wear part (104) is reached, in particular shutting down the system and / or notifying an operator.

13. Method for operating a system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, optionally in a plant (100) according to any one of claims 10 to 12, comprising: - upon commissioning of the system (10), comparison of data stored on the storage unit (12) with at least one predetermined condition and, only if the condition is met, enabling operation of the wear part; and / or - during the operation of the system (10), writing information concerning the operation of the wear part (104) to the storage unit (12).

14. Method according to the preceding claim, wherein the predetermined condition relates to a design type, a previous use and / or a manipulation of the wear part.

15. A method according to one of claims 13 and 14, which is carried out in a plant (100) according to one of claims 10 to 12, wherein releasing the operation of the wear part (104) corresponds to a release for commissioning the plant.

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