Redundant Additive Flow Feedback for Cement Mixing Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cementing operations face inaccuracies and costly mistakes due to uncalibrated or malfunctioning flow meters, which fail to provide reliable feedback for the accurate delivery of liquid additives in cement mixing processes.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an information handling system with a diagnostic feedback loop that includes a flow meter, secondary pump, motor, variable frequency drive, and controller to monitor and control the flow rate of liquid additives, utilizing level sensors and weight scales for redundancy and accurate measurement, ensuring precise delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a flow meter is used to measure and monitor the flow rate of liquid additive, then the flow rate can be measured, but the measurement may be inaccurate if the flow meter is not calibrated or malfunctions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calibration of the flow meter using a master meter before actual cementing operations. This preliminary calibration establishes accurate measurement baselines and ensures the flow meter is properly calibrated, preventing measurement inaccuracies before they occur during critical operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the control system continuously monitors flow meter readings and compares them against expected values or master meter calibration data. When discrepancies are detected, the system can trigger alarms, adjust pump speeds, or initiate recalibration procedures, ensuring continuous measurement reliability throughout the operation.
2Device complexity
If a single flow meter is used for monitoring, then the system is simple, but the system fails when the flow meter malfunctions or provides missing feedback
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a hierarchical monitoring structure with different levels of measurement quality. The master meter provides high-precision reference measurements for calibration, while the flow meter provides continuous operational monitoring. This local differentiation of measurement quality allows the system to maintain simplicity while ensuring reliability through the master meter's authoritative measurements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary calibration using the master meter before relying on the flow meter for continuous monitoring. This preliminary action establishes the flow meter's accuracy against the more reliable master meter, creating a foundation of trust that allows the simpler flow meter to be used during actual operations while maintaining overall system reliability.
3Ease of operation
If manual monitoring and calibration of flow meters is performed, then the system is easier to operate, but it leads to inaccurate measurements and costly mistakes
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service calibration capabilities where the control system automatically compares flow meter readings against master meter data and performs adjustments without requiring manual intervention. The system can automatically detect calibration drift, initiate recalibration procedures, and verify measurement accuracy, maintaining high precision while minimizing the need for manual operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system continuously receives feedback from both the master meter and flow meter, automatically processes this data to detect discrepancies, and triggers appropriate responses such as alarms or automatic adjustments. This automated feedback loop maintains measurement precision without requiring constant manual monitoring, thereby preserving ease of operation while ensuring accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure provides a method of monitoring a flow rate of a liquid additive comprising measuring the flow rate of the liquid additive with a flow meter; transmitting the measurements of the flow rate to a controller; transmitting, from a variable frequency drive (VFD), measurements of a rotational speed of a motor to the controller, wherein the VFD is coupled to the motor; transmitting measurements from a level sensor to the controller; determining whether the flow rate of the liquid additive is a non-zero rate; utilizing the measurements transmitted to the controller as feedback to compare against a designated set point; calculating an error between the feedback and the designated set point to calculate an updated output; and transmitting the updated output to the VFD to change the flow rate of the liquid additive.