Pump Map Control for Short-Shot Fluid Delivery Precision
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional control systems for fluid delivery systems, particularly in applications like explosives blasting in mines, face challenges in achieving precise control over flowrate, composition, and backpressure during short shot times, as they rely on trial and error methods and traditional feedback control schemes that are not responsive enough for rapid pumping sequences.
Innovation Solution
A control system utilizing pump maps to determine control output signals for pumps and backpressure valves, allowing for precise startup and incremental adjustments to maintain desired flowrates and pressures, even in situations where feedback systems are insufficient, and enabling independent operation of each pump with semi-independent control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional feedback control schemes are used, then steady-state control is effective, but short shot time control is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
Pump maps are pre-calculated and stored in the controller, containing the relationship between pump control signals, speeds, and flow rates. During operation, the controller directly references these pre-computed maps to determine required pump speeds, eliminating the need for real-time iterative calculations and enabling rapid response in short shot scenarios
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional iterative feedback control algorithms with a direct lookup approach using pre-computed pump maps. This substitution of computational methodology allows the system to achieve the required control accuracy within the constrained shot time without relying on slow iterative convergence
2Device complexity
If trial and error methods are used for hose withdrawal speed, then system complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The controller pre-calculates the required hose withdrawal speed based on the desired flow rate and references it from pre-computed data. This preliminary determination of withdrawal speed eliminates trial-and-error methods while maintaining system simplicity, achieving both precision and low complexity
3Adaptability or versatility
If trace chemical pumps are controlled as percentage of main pump flow, then adaptability is improved, but control precision deteriorates in short shots
Solution Approach 1:
The controller uses pre-computed pump maps that directly specify the required control signals for trace chemical pumps based on the main pump operating conditions. This pre-determination approach maintains the adaptive percentage-based control while achieving precise flowrate control by eliminating real-time calculation delays and errors
4Ease of operation
If all pumps are started and stopped simultaneously, then operation simplicity is maintained, but control precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts pump startup and shutdown sequences based on real-time operating conditions and pre-computed pump maps. The controller determines optimal individual pump control signals that account for different pump characteristics and system requirements, achieving precise flowrate control while maintaining operational simplicity through automated dynamic coordination
Data Source
AI summary
A control system for controlling operation of a fluid delivery system that includes a first and second pumps for delivering first and second fluids for mixing. A controller includes a first pump map having a first pump flow rate mapped against a control output signal, and a second pump map having a second pump flow rate mapped against a control output signal. The controller determines the control output signal for the first pump to obtain a desired flow rate from the first pump, and the control output signal for the second pump to obtain a target flow rate and a target percentage of the second fluid relative to the first fluid or a target percentage of the second fluid relative to an overall fluid flow. The output signals for the first and second pumps are determined using the first and second pump maps.