Portable Hydrotest System Automation for Pressure Vessel Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hydrostatic pressure testing methods and equipment face challenges related to timeliness, accuracy, and personnel safety, including manual pressure adjustments, potential hazards, and inaccuracies in test recordkeeping.
Innovation Solution
A Fully-Automatic Portable Hydrotest System that continuously monitors and controls pressure using a hydraulic pump, check valve, and monitoring subsystem, minimizing human intervention and enhancing safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual pressure adjustment is used in conventional hydrotesting, then equipment complexity is reduced, but test accuracy and reliability deteriorate due to human error and inconsistency
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a controller that automatically monitors pressure sensor feedback and controls the hydraulic pump to maintain target pressure, eliminating the need for manual pressure adjustment while ensuring consistent and accurate pressure control throughout the hydrotest
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates a pressure sensor that continuously monitors the actual pressure in the pressure vessel and feeds this information back to the controller, which then adjusts the hydraulic pump operation to maintain the desired test pressure, ensuring high measurement precision
2Measurement precision
If pressure vessel is removed from in-service location for testing, then test accuracy can be improved, but loss of time increases due to dismantling, removing, and shipping requirements
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of moving the pressure vessel to the testing location, the system inverts the approach by bringing the hydrotest equipment directly to the pressure vessel at its in-service location, enabling on-site testing without removal
Solution Approach 2:
The portable hydrotest system is designed as a self-contained unit that can be deployed at various locations, making it universally applicable for testing pressure vessels in different settings without requiring permanent test facilities or vessel relocation
3Measurement precision
If human reads pressure gauges for data acquisition, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision and reliability deteriorate due to reading errors and safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual mechanical pressure gauge reading with an automated electronic data acquisition system that uses pressure sensors and controllers to continuously monitor and record pressure data, eliminating human error and safety risks
Solution Approach 2:
The data acquisition system automatically collects, processes, and stores pressure test data without requiring human intervention, ensuring consistent and accurate measurement while reducing operational complexity
4Ease of operation
If frequent manual pressure adjustment is performed, then ability to reach target pressure improves, but loss of time increases due to repeated adjustments
Solution Approach 1:
The controller continuously monitors pressure sensor feedback and automatically adjusts the hydraulic pump operation to maintain target pressure, eliminating the need for frequent manual adjustments and reducing time loss
Solution Approach 2:
The automated system maintains continuous pressure control throughout the test, ensuring the pressure vessel remains at the desired test pressure without interruption or frequent adjustments, improving both ease of operation and time efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
A method to automatically and continuously control and monitor a pressure required to conduct a hydrotest of a vessel includes using a portable hydrotest system to draw utility water on a hydraulic path in hydraulic communication with the vessel. The method includes opening a shutoff valve mounted in an air flow path to supply pneumatic power to a hydraulic pump on the hydraulic path and pumping the utility water along the hydraulic path. The hydraulic path continues through an inlet valve, a check valve, and an outlet valve. The water is pumped into the vessel to pressurize the water to achieve a test pressure, then holding, using the check valve, the test pressure. The method includes measuring, using a monitoring subsystem, a pressure parameter of the test pressure within the vessel; and reducing, using a drain valve in hydraulic communication with the hydraulic path, the test pressure.