Methods and apparatus of stabilizing a valve positioner when testing a solenoid valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10041610-B2
Application number	US-201615298717-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2016
Priority date	Oct 20, 2016
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

Methods and apparatus of stabilizing a valve positioner when testing a solenoid valve are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a solenoid valve and a valve positioner fluidly and communicatively coupled to the solenoid valve. The valve positioner is to be set in a pressure control state prior to conducting a test of the solenoid valve. The valve positioner is to detect a pressure change across the solenoid valve caused by the solenoid valve transitioning from a first state to a second state and transition the valve positioner from the pressure control state to a saturated state upon detecting the pressure change. The full supply pressure is to stabilize the valve positioner to conduct the test of the solenoid valve. The valve positioner is to maintain the saturated state until the pressure across the solenoid valve returns to the predetermined initial value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a solenoid valve that is to enable an actuator to close an emergency valve; and
a valve positioner fluidly and communicatively coupled to the solenoid valve, the valve positioner to:
be set in a pressure control state to maintain upstream pressure of the solenoid valve at a predetermined initial value prior to conducting a test of the solenoid valve;
detect a pressure change across the solenoid valve caused by the solenoid valve transitioning from a first state to a second state;
transition the valve positioner from the pressure control state to a saturated state upon detecting the pressure change during which the valve positioner provides a full supply pressure, the full supply pressure to stabilize the valve positioner upon the solenoid valve transitioning from the first state to the second state to conduct the test of the solenoid valve; and
maintain the saturated state until the pressure across the solenoid valve returns to the predetermined initial value.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the valve positioner returns to the pressure control state upon the valve positioner determining that the pressure across the solenoid valve has reached the predetermined initial value.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the valve positioner is set to the pressure control state via end-point pressure control to suspend the full supply pressure of the valve positioner to control the upstream pressure of the solenoid valve.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the valve positioner includes a pressure controller that is bypassed to transition the valve positioner from the pressure control state to the saturated state, the pressure controller is to affect the upstream pressure of the valve positioner.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the valve positioner receives a fluctuating supply pressure and maintains the upstream pressure of the solenoid valve to be less than an average supply pressure by a predetermined amount.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the valve positioner is to utilize the predetermined initial value to determine functionality of the solenoid valve.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the valve positioner maintains the predetermined initial value of the upstream pressure to produce consistent pressure characteristics during the test of the solenoid valve.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the valve positioner is maintained in the saturated state during critical flow and subcritical flow of the solenoid valve.

9. A method comprising:
setting, by executing first instructions via a processor, a valve positioner in a pressure control state to maintain upstream pressure of a solenoid valve of an emergency system at a predetermined initial value prior to conducting a test of the solenoid valve;
detecting, by executing second instructions via the processor, a pressure change across the solenoid valve caused by the solenoid valve transitioning from a first state to a second state;
upon detecting the pressure change, transitioning, by executing third instructions via the processor, the valve positioner from the pressure control state to a saturated state during which the valve positioner provides a full supply pressure to stabilize the valve positioner upon the solenoid valve transitioning from the first state to the second state to conduct the test of the solenoid valve; and
maintaining, by executing fourth instructions via the processor, the valve positioner in the saturated state until the pressure across the solenoid valve returns to the predetermined initial value.

10. The method of claim 9 , further including returning the valve positioner to the pressure control state upon determining that the pressure across the solenoid valve reached the predetermined initial value.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein returning the valve positioner to the pressure control state reduces overshoot of the predetermined initial value.

12. The method of claim 9 , further including utilizing the predetermined initial value to determine functionality of the solenoid valve.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the predetermined initial value of the upstream pressure is maintained to produce consistent pressure characteristics during the test of the solenoid valve.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein transitioning the valve positioner to the saturated state upon detecting the pressure change prevents at least one of a communicative, electrical or mechanical delay in transitioning the solenoid valve between the first and second states from affecting the test of the solenoid valve.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein transitioning the valve positioner from the pressure control state to the saturated state includes bypassing a pressure controller of the valve positioner to prevent the pressure controller from affecting the upstream pressure of the valve positioner.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein maintaining the valve positioner in the saturated state after the solenoid valve returns to the first state increases a reset rate at which the pressure across the solenoid valve returns to the predetermined initial value.

17. The method of claim 9 , further including receiving a supply pressure that fluctuates over time via the valve positioner.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein maintaining the upstream pressure of the solenoid valve includes the valve positioner maintaining the upstream pressure to be less than an average supply pressure received by the valve positioner.

19. An apparatus comprising:
means for actuating an actuator to close an emergency valve; and
means for positioning fluidly and communicatively coupled to the means for actuating, the means for positioning to be set in a pressure control state to maintain upstream pressure of the means for actuating at a predetermined initial value prior to conducting a test of the means for actuating, the means for positioning including:
means for detecting a pressure change across the means for actuating caused by the means for actuating transitioning from a first state to a second state; and
means for transitioning the means for positioning from the pressure control state to a saturated state upon detecting the pressure change during which the means for positioning provides a full supply pressure, the full supply pressure to stabilize the means for positioning upon the means for actuating transitioning from the first state to the second state to conduct the test of the means for actuating, the means for transitioning to maintain the saturated state until the pressure across the means for actuating returns to the predetermined initial value.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the means for transitioning returns the means for positioning to the pressure control state upon the means for detecting the pressure change determining that the pressure across the means for actuating reached the predetermined initial value.

Assignees

• Fisher Controls Int Llc

Inventors

• Junk Kenneth
• Jelken Shannon

Classifications

• F15B5/006

  with electrical means, e.g. electropneumatic transducer (F15B5/003 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16K37/0091 Primary

  by measuring fluid parameters · CPC title

• F15B2211/6306

  representing a pressure · CPC title

• F15B19/005

  Fault detection or monitoring · CPC title

• F15B2211/8636

  Circuit failure, e.g. valve or hose failure · CPC title