Wireless Opening Meter for Control Valve Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing control valve maintenance technologies require high-spec positioners, which may be difficult or impossible to replace due to valve specifications or installation conditions, hindering efficient maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A battery-powered wireless opening meter with measurement, failure diagnosis, and wireless communication capabilities, allowing failure diagnosis without a high-spec positioner, and adjusting operation time based on failure progression to reduce battery consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a high-spec positioner is used to implement failure diagnosis, then measurement precision and diagnostic capability are improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the failure diagnosis functionality into separate modules: a simple opening meter for measuring valve opening, a positioner for basic control, and a diagnostic unit that processes data from multiple sources. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, achieving high diagnostic capability without requiring an overly complex positioner.
Solution Approach 2:
The opening meter is designed to serve multiple functions: it measures valve opening position, provides data for failure diagnosis, and can operate with different types of positioners. This multi-functionality allows the same measurement device to work across various valve configurations without requiring specialized high-spec positioners for each application.
2Measurement precision
If the operation cycle of the wireless opening meter is shortened to monitor failure progression, then measurement precision is improved, but battery consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The operation cycle of the wireless opening meter is made dynamic rather than fixed. The system automatically adjusts the measurement interval based on the monitored failure progression: when the valve is healthy, measurements are taken less frequently to conserve battery; when degradation signs appear, the system increases measurement frequency to closely monitor the progression. This dynamic adjustment optimizes both monitoring accuracy and energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (measurement cycle duration) based on the state of the valve. By monitoring indicators of valve health and adjusting the sampling frequency accordingly, the system maintains high measurement precision when needed while minimizing battery consumption during normal operation. This parameter adaptation allows the system to respond to changing conditions optimally.
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless opening meter includes measurement portions that measures an opening, a pneumatic pressure supplied to an operation device, and a temperature at an outlet side of the control valve; a failure diagnosis portion that calculates an index of a change leading to a failure of the valve based on a measurement value, and executes failure diagnosis of the valve based on the index; a wireless communication portion that wirelessly transmits the index and a result of the failure diagnosis to a valve maintenance support device; and an adjustment portion that compares the index with a predetermined index determination threshold, and in response to determining that a progression degree towards a failure of the valve is small, perform thinning processing of an operation time of the wireless opening meter by extending an operation cycle of the wireless opening meter to be longer than an initial value.