Pressure Transmitter Impulse Line Plugging Diagnostic
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pressure transmitters lack effective automatic diagnostics for impulse line plugging, leading to erroneous pressure measurements and false alerts due to reliance on noise signatures under varying process flow conditions.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of automatic impulse line plugging diagnostic algorithms that utilize ambient temperature and process pressure changes, using baseline data to determine if an impulse line is plugged, allowing for accurate diagnostic alerts and reducing false alarms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If noise signature method is used for plug diagnostic, then automatic detection capability is improved, but false alerts increase due to varying process flow conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the diagnostic parameter from noise signature analysis to temperature-based pressure change analysis. By monitoring how pressure changes with temperature (or lack thereof), the system achieves reliable automatic detection without false alerts from flow variations. This parameter change fundamentally resolves the contradiction between automation and reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple input parameters are used under varying process flow conditions, then diagnostic coverage is improved, but false alerts increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the temperature-pressure relationship as the sole diagnostic parameter, eliminating other input parameters that cause false alerts. By focusing only on how pressure should change with temperature in a plugged versus unplugged state, the system achieves both versatility and reliability without the noise of multiple varying parameters.
3Reliability
If manual intervention is used for plug identification, then diagnostic accuracy is maintained, but response time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service through automatic temperature-based diagnostics that continuously monitor pressure-temperature relationships and autonomously identify plugs. This eliminates the need for manual technician intervention while maintaining high detection accuracy, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and response time.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables reliable automatic detection of impulse line plugging, reducing erroneous measurements and false alerts, and providing accurate diagnostic alerts by comparing real-time pressure and temperature changes against baseline data.
Implementation Method 1
a temperature sensor (143) in the electronics housing (153) that continuously measures the air temperature around the pressure transmitter (140)
Implementation Method 2
a pressure sensor (142) in the pressure case (141) that measures a process pressure
Data Source
AI summary
A pressure transmitter includes at least one impulse line for coupling a fluid pipe or tank to a pressure sensor that measures a process pressure of a process fluid, a temperature sensor measuring an ambient temperature, and a processor accessing baseline data for the process pressure and ambient temperature. The processor implements an automatic impulse line plugging diagnostic (ILPD) algorithm stored in memory. The processor runs the ILPD algorithm implementing utilizing process measurements including a process pressure from the pressure sensor and an ambient temperature from the temperature sensor, comparing a magnitude of the process pressure to a baseline pressure predicted from the baseline data corresponding to the ambient temperature, and uses results of the comparing to determine whether the impulse line is plugged. The comparing can involve comparing a process pressure change to a baseline pressure change predicted corresponding to an ambient temperature change.