Heat Exchanger Diagnosis Using Sensor Rules Matrices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for monitoring heat exchangers provide limited information to operators, failing to automatically diagnose issues or events effectively.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing online sensors and a controller to evaluate measurement data against a rules matrix, determining likely diagnoses based on operating parameters and displaying them on a display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If online sensors are used to monitor heat exchanger performance, then real-time operational data is available, but the information provided to operators remains limited and does not enable automatic diagnosis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary diagnostic system that includes a controller and a rules matrix. The controller receives raw sensor data, processes it through predetermined rules in the rules matrix, and generates diagnostic conclusions. This intermediary layer transforms incomplete sensor information into comprehensive diagnostic insights without requiring direct operator analysis of raw data, thus resolving the contradiction between information completeness and system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service diagnosis through automated rule evaluation. The controller automatically evaluates sensor data against the rules matrix to identify likely causes of performance issues without operator intervention. This self-diagnostic capability provides complete diagnostic information while keeping the system relatively simple, as the automation handles the complex analysis independently.
2Extent of automation
If a rules matrix with multiple diagnoses is implemented, then automatic diagnosis capability is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-programming the rules matrix with predetermined rules and diagnostic logic before operation. The rules matrix contains pre-established relationships between sensor parameters and potential diagnoses. During operation, the controller simply evaluates current sensor data against these pre-prepared rules, achieving automatic diagnosis without requiring complex real-time decision-making algorithms, thus balancing automation extent with device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for evaluating performance of a heat exchanger, such as a condenser, using rules-based logic. A plurality of sensors can measure various operating properties of the heat exchanger and transmit corresponding measurement information to a controller. The controller can (i) evaluate the measurement information for a plurality of rules in which each rule considers an operating parameter of the heat exchanger that is based on the measurement information to provide a set of operating values; (ii) compare the set of operating values to a rules matrix in which each of a plurality of possible diagnoses for the heat exchanger are associated with a corresponding set of predetermined values from a set of the plurality of rules; and (iii) based on the comparison, determine at least one likely diagnosis for the heat exchanger from among the plurality of possible diagnoses.