Sensorless Pump Coordination for Flow and Pressure Setpoint Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flow control systems in pumping systems face challenges in adapting to changing flow demands without exceeding pressure ratings, optimizing energy use, and efficiently managing multiple pumps, often requiring external sensors and complex sequencing methods.
Innovation Solution
A coordinated sensorless flow control system that uses self-detecting sensorless pumps to correlate power and speed with output properties like pressure and flow, allowing for coordinated control of multiple devices to achieve a setpoint without external sensors, optimizing pump operation and energy use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If external sensors and complex sequencing methods are used to control multiple pumps, then flow demand adaptation and pressure control are improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each pump is equipped with sensorless control capabilities that allow it to autonomously detect its own operating parameters (speed, power consumption) and infer flow and pressure conditions without external sensors. The pump controller performs self-diagnosis and self-adjustment based on motor current, voltage, and speed measurements, eliminating the need for external pressure and flow sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump motor drive serves multiple functions: it acts as both the actuator for pump control and as the sensor system for detecting operating conditions. The controller simultaneously performs motor control, parameter measurement, and system state estimation, making the drive system universal and eliminating the need for separate sensing components.
2Measurement precision
If remote pressure sensors are installed to directly measure system pressure, then pressure control accuracy is improved, but device complexity and installation cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical pressure sensors and flow meters with an electrical measurement system based on motor parameters. By measuring motor current, voltage, frequency, and power consumption, the system infers hydraulic parameters (flow, pressure, head) through mathematical models, substituting mechanical sensing with electrical sensing and calculation.
Solution Approach 2:
The motor acts as an intermediary between the electrical control system and the hydraulic system. Instead of directly measuring hydraulic parameters with sensors, the system measures electrical parameters of the motor and uses the known relationship between motor input and pump output to infer hydraulic conditions, using the motor as a mediating element.
3Productivity
If pump speed is increased to meet higher flow demands, then productivity is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts pump speed based on real-time measurements of actual flow and pressure conditions. Rather than operating at fixed speeds or simple on/off sequencing, the controller continuously varies motor frequency and voltage to match the exact system demand, optimizing the balance between productivity and energy consumption at every operating point.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensorless control system establishes a feedback loop where the controller continuously monitors motor electrical parameters, infers hydraulic conditions, compares actual performance with desired setpoints, and adjusts motor operation accordingly. This closed-loop control ensures energy-efficient operation by matching pump output exactly to system demand without oversupply.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for co-ordinating control of a plurality of sensorless devices. Each device includes a communication subsystem and configured to self-detect one or more device properties, the device properties resulting in output having one or more output properties. The method includes: detecting inputs including the one or more device properties of each device, correlating, for each device, the detected one or more device properties to the one or more output properties, and co-ordinating control of each of the devices to operate at least one of their respective device properties to co-ordinate one or more output properties for the combined output to achieve a setpoint. In some example embodiments, the setpoint can be fixed, calculated or externally determined.