Method and device for operating a pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10400762-B2
Application number	US-201515524477-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 5, 2015
Priority date	Nov 5, 2014
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and to a device for calibrating a pump ( 1 ) provided in a pump line ( 6 ), the device comprising an actuator ( 2 ) for setting the pumping capacity of the pump ( 1 ), and a control unit ( 3 ). The device comprises a flow monitor ( 4 ) in the fuel line ( 6 ). The control unit ( 3 ) is designed to substantially steadily vary the controlled variable of the actuator ( 2 ), when starting the pump ( 1 ), up to the switch point (SP) of the flow monitor ( 4 ), and to ascertain and store a controlled variable associated with the respective switch point (SP), to ascertain a controlled variable difference value (Δf) between a reference controlled variable (fR) stored for the pump ( 1 ) and the flow monitor ( 4 ) and a calibration controlled variable (fK) ascertained during the calibration, and to calibrate the controlled variable of the actuator ( 2 ) of the pump ( 1 ) based on the controlled variable difference value (Δf).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for operating a pump, and in particular a measurement circuit pump for measuring fuel consumption on an engine test stand, wherein a flow monitor having a certain switch point (SP) is provided in the pump line, the method being characterized by the following steps:
in advance, when the pump is new, ascertaining once a reference controlled variable (f R ) for an actuator of the pump by
starting the pump by substantially steadily varying a controlled variable of the actuator up to the switch point (SP); and
ascertaining the controlled variable associated with the switch point (SP), and storing this controlled variable as the reference controlled variable (f R );

prior to use of the pump, carrying out a calibration step on the same pump by:
starting the pump by substantially steadily varying the controlled variable of the actuator up to the switch point (SP);
ascertaining the controlled variable associated with the switch point (SP), and defining this controlled variable as the calibration controlled variable (f K );
ascertaining a controlled variable difference value (Δf) between the reference controlled variable (f R ) stored for the pump and the flow monitor and the calibration controlled variable (f K ); and
calibrating the actuator of the pump based on the controlled variable difference value (Δf).

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the density and/or the viscosity of the pumped medium are ascertained via a density and/or viscosity sensor, and the difference between the density and/or viscosity of the medium during the ascertainment of the reference controlled variable and the density and/or viscosity of the medium during the calibration step is taken into consideration in the calibration of the actuator.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a wear value identifying the wear of the pump is ascertained during the calibration step based on the controlled variable difference value (Δf).

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein a replacement point in time is ascertained for the pump based on the wear value.

5. A device for calibrating a pump ( 1 ) provided in a pump line ( 6 ), the device comprising an actuator ( 2 ) for setting the pumping capacity of the pump ( 1 ) and a control unit ( 3 ), wherein the device comprises a flow monitor ( 4 ) in the pump line ( 6 ), the control unit ( 3 ) being designed to
substantially steadily vary a controlled variable of the actuator ( 2 ), when starting the pump ( 1 ), up to the switch point (SP) of the flow monitor ( 4 ), and to ascertain and store a controlled variable associated with the respective switch point (SP);
ascertain a controlled variable difference value ( 4 f ) between a reference controlled variable (f R ) stored for the pump ( 1 ) and the flow monitor ( 4 ) and a calibration controlled variable (f K ) ascertained during the calibration; and
calibrate the controlled variable of the actuator ( 2 ) of the pump ( 1 ) based on the controlled variable difference value (Δf).

6. The device according to claim 5 , wherein the flow monitor ( 4 ) is integrated in the pump ( 1 ).

7. The device according to claim 5 , wherein the flow monitor ( 4 ) is a binary sensor.

8. The device according to claim 5 , wherein the flow monitor ( 4 ) is provided on the pressure side of the pump ( 1 ).

9. The device according to claim 5 , wherein the device comprises a density sensor ( 5 ) and/or a viscosity sensor for the pumped medium.

10. The device according to claim 5 , wherein the device is a fuel consumption measuring device for an engine test stand, wherein the pump ( 1 ) is a fuel pump, and in particular a measurement circuit pump ( 17 ) provided in a measurement circuit of the fuel consumption measuring device.

11. The use of a device according to claim 5 for ascertaining a maintenance and/or replacement point in time for a pump.

Assignees

• Avl List Gmbh

Inventors

• Burazer Vedran
• Buchner Michael
• Lichtenegger Georg

Classifications

• F04B51/00 Primary

  Testing machines, pumps, or pumping installations · CPC title

• F04B2205/09

  Flow through the pump · CPC title

• F04B2205/14

  Viscosity · CPC title

• F04B49/00 Primary

  Control {, e.g. of pump delivery, or pump pressure} of, or safety measures for, machines, pumps, or pumping installations, not otherwise provided for, or of interest apart from, groups F04B1/00 - F04B47/00 · CPC title

• F04B2201/00

  Pump parameters · CPC title