Reductant Pump Pressure Monitoring for Prognostic Failure Alerts
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing exhaust aftertreatment systems for engines face challenges in detecting pump performance degradation or failure in reductant pumps, leading to unplanned downtime and high maintenance costs due to harsh operating conditions and corrosive fluid use.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize fluid pressure data from reductant pumps to determine operating states and compare health parameters against prognostic failure criteria, outputting alerts for potential pump failures, incorporating a reductant pump control unit with fluid pressure sensors and programmable logic controllers to differentiate between failure modes and alert operators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If reductant pump operates in harsh conditions with corrosive fluid at high injection pressures, then the pump can deliver required performance for SCR device operation, but the pump reliability deteriorates leading to unplanned downtime and expensive repairs
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary monitoring of pump health parameters (pressure build-up time, outlet pressure, flow rate) and compares them against prognostic failure criteria to detect degradation trends before actual failure occurs. This allows proactive maintenance scheduling that prevents unplanned downtime while maintaining required injection pressures for SCR operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit continuously monitors pump performance parameters and provides feedback by comparing actual values against prognostic failure criteria. When degradation is detected, the system generates alerts that feed back into maintenance decision-making, enabling operators to service pumps before failure while maintaining optimal injection pressure performance.
2Reliability
If continuous monitoring of pump health parameters is implemented, then pump failure can be detected early for proactive maintenance, but the system complexity and monitoring costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pump system performs self-diagnosis by monitoring its own health parameters (pressure build-up time, outlet pressure, flow rate) through sensors integrated into the existing pump control architecture. The control unit automatically compares these parameters against prognostic failure criteria and generates alerts, enabling the system to self-monitor without requiring external complex monitoring infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The existing pump control unit is made multi-functional by adding prognostic monitoring capabilities to its existing pressure and flow control functions. The same control unit that manages pump operation also monitors health parameters and generates maintenance alerts, eliminating the need for separate dedicated monitoring hardware and reducing overall system complexity.
3Measurement precision
If different prognostic failure criteria are used for different pump operating states, then accurate failure prediction is achieved, but the control logic complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The prognostic failure criteria are made dynamic by adjusting them based on the current pump operating state (pressure build-up mode vs. metering and control mode). The control unit automatically selects appropriate failure criteria thresholds corresponding to the active operating mode, enabling accurate failure prediction across varying operational conditions without requiring overly complex manual configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
Operating an engine exhaust aftertreatment system includes receiving fluid pressure data of a reductant pump, determining a pump operating state, and comparing a pump health parameter to a prognostic pump failure criterion based upon the determining a pump operating state. Operating an engine exhaust aftertreatment system further includes outputting a pump health alert based upon a difference between the pump health parameter and the prognostic pump failure criterion. Related control logic is also disclosed.