Pump Casing Liner Wear Monitoring via Homogeneous Sensor

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current wear monitoring systems for pump casing liners are not accurate due to material differences between sensors and the components being monitored, leading to inconsistent wear rates and difficulty in determining the need for timely repair.

Innovation Solution

A wear detector system with a housing and circuit made from the same material as the pump casing liner, featuring a nose positioned flush with the liner and circuit loops that break proportionally with liner wear, allowing for continuous monitoring and accurate thickness measurement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If wear sensors made of different materials are used to monitor pump casing liner wear, then the monitoring system can be implemented, but the sensor wear rate becomes inconsistent with the component wear rate, reducing measurement accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemonitoring system implementationVSAvoidwear measurement accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The wear sensor housing is made from the same material as the pump casing liner being monitored. This ensures that the sensor and the component wear at the same rate, maintaining consistent material properties and wear characteristics throughout the monitoring period, thereby eliminating measurement accuracy issues caused by differential wear rates

Inventive Principle:
Principle #33Homogeneity

2Duration of action of stationary object

If periodic liner refurbishment is performed based on reduced discharge flow rates, then pump lifecycle can be improved, but it becomes difficult to identify which specific pump requires repair when multiple pumps serve a single outlet

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepump lifecycleVSAvoidpump identification capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of stationary objectVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The wear sensor provides continuous feedback about the liner thickness through circuit loop integrity. When the liner wears to a critical thickness, the circuit loop breaks, providing immediate feedback that triggers an alarm or shutdown signal. This real-time feedback enables identification of the specific pump requiring repair even when multiple pumps serve a single outlet, as each pump has its own independent monitoring system

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Measurement precision

If the wear detector housing is made from the same material as the casing liner, then wear consistency and measurement accuracy are improved, but the housing must be positioned flush with the liner inner surface requiring precise installation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewear measurement accuracyVSAvoidhousing installation precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The wear detector housing is designed with an equipotential surface that is substantially flush with the inner surface of the pump casing liner. This design ensures that the housing and liner wear simultaneously and uniformly, maintaining the flush alignment throughout the wear process. The equipotential design eliminates the need for complex adjustment mechanisms and simplifies installation while preserving measurement accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #12Equipotentiality

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

Enables precise, continuous monitoring of pump casing liner wear, allowing for timely repair and reducing maintenance costs by differentiating between screw and liner replacement needs, thereby optimizing pump lifecycle and operational efficiency.

Implementation Method 1

the circuit has at least one circuit loop electrically coupled to a conductor, the conductor coupled to a controller

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectrical conductivity: Conduction (electrical)

Data Source

PatentEP2694815B1System and method for monitoring pump lining wear
Publication Date: 2019.06.26 CIRCOR PUMPS NORTH AMERICA LLC
  • EP2694815B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2694815B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP2694815B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A system for monitoring wear of pump casing liners is disclosed. The system may include a wear sensor disposed in proximity to the pump casing liner so that the sensor wears at substantially the same rate as the lining. The wear sensor may include a plurality of circuit loops having different lengths. As the pump casing liner and the sensor wear during use, the plurality of circuit loops are sequentially breached. A control system monitors the signals from the plurality of circuit loops to develop liner wear information. This information is employed to signal a user when one or more predetermined wear thresholds are exceeded. Other embodiments are described and claimed.