Networked Pump Unit Control Using Statistical Operating Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Operational inefficiencies and energy wastage in pump units with programmable electronic motor controls, due to complex hydraulic measurement and inaccurate characteristic curves, lead to increased costs, noise, and premature wear, despite advanced technology.
Innovation Solution
A method where operating data from multiple pump units is transmitted to a server, processed using statistical algorithms, and used to adapt the programming of individual pump units, allowing for energy-efficient operation and identification of faulty components without hydraulic sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If hydraulic measurement is performed to obtain accurate characteristic curves, then pump control precision is improved, but measurement complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses electrical parameters (current, voltage, power) as proxies or copies of hydraulic parameters (flow rate, pressure, head). Instead of directly measuring complex hydraulic quantities, the system measures easily obtainable electrical parameters from the motor and uses predetermined relationships to derive hydraulic operating points, thereby achieving accurate pump control without complex hydraulic measurement equipment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical/hydraulic measurement systems with electrical measurement systems. By measuring electrical parameters (power, current, voltage) and using predetermined characteristic curves, the system substitutes complex hydraulic sensors and measurement apparatus with simple electrical sensors already present in the frequency converter, dramatically reducing measurement complexity while maintaining precision
2Productivity
If pump units operate at high speeds to meet demand, then productivity is improved, but energy consumption and wear increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors electrical parameters, determines actual hydraulic operating points using predetermined characteristic curves, and compares these with energy-optimized operating points. Based on this feedback, the frequency converter automatically adjusts the pump speed to maintain operation at or near the energy-optimized point, ensuring high productivity when needed while minimizing energy consumption and wear during normal operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic speed adjustment of the pump unit based on real-time operating conditions. Instead of operating at fixed high speeds, the system dynamically varies the motor speed using a frequency converter to match the actual demand, allowing the pump to operate efficiently across different productivity levels and avoid unnecessary energy consumption and wear associated with consistently high-speed operation
3Measurement precision
If individual pump units are measured and characterized, then control accuracy is improved, but the number of measurements required becomes unmanageably large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes universal predetermined characteristic curves and predetermined relationships between electrical and hydraulic parameters that can be applied to entire groups or series of pump units with identical motor-pump combinations. Instead of measuring each individual pump unit, these universal curves serve multiple units simultaneously, dramatically reducing the total number of measurements required while maintaining sufficient accuracy for controlling individual units based on their electrical parameter readings
Data Source
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AI summary
The method serves to operate at least one pump unit (1, 1a, 5) from a plurality of pump units (1, 1a, 5), each of which has a programmable electronic motor control (4, 4a, 6) for individual pumps or groups of pumps and which are at least temporarily connected via a network to a server (8), from which data, in particular parameters and/or operating data of the plurality of pump units (1, 1a, 5), are transmitted via the network to a server (8) and stored there in a database. The stored data are processed according to predefined, typically statistical, calculation rules, according to which the programming of the at least one pump unit is then adjusted via the network based on the processed data.