Weighted median method for PST control signal determination

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10814339-B2
Application number	US-201716334543-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2017
Priority date	Sep 20, 2016
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

A controller for controlling a slurry flowing from incoming piping and entering hydrocyclones arranged in a battery configuration, featuring a signal processor that receives signaling containing information about respective individual cyclone control signaling x(i) for each individual cyclone being evaluated and controlled, median control signaling {tilde over (x)} of all of the respective individual cyclone control signaling x(i), a scale factor A i and a number N of the individual cyclones being evaluated and controlled; and determine/provides primary control signaling C containing information to control the slurry flowing from the incoming piping and entering the hydrocyclones arranged in the battery configuration by taking the median control signaling {tilde over (x)} and adding a correction factor, where the correction factor is determined by taking a sum of a respective difference of each of the respective individual cyclone control signaling x(i) and the median control signaling {tilde over (x)}, applying the scaling factor A i to each respective difference, and normalizing the sum by the number N of the individual cyclones being evaluated and controlled, based upon the signaling received.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A controller for controlling a slurry flowing from incoming piping and entering hydrocyclones arranged in a battery configuration, comprising:
a signal processor configured to
receive signaling containing information about respective individual cyclone control signaling x(i) for each individual cyclone being evaluated and controlled, median control signaling {tilde over (x)} of all of the respective individual cyclone control signaling x(i), a scale factor A i and a number N of the individual cyclones being evaluated and controlled; and
determine primary control signaling C containing information to control the slurry flowing from the incoming piping and entering the hydrocyclones arranged in the battery configuration by taking the median control signaling {tilde over (x)} and adding a correction factor, where the correction factor is determined by taking a sum of a respective difference of each of the respective individual cyclone control signaling x(i) and the median control signaling {tilde over (x)}, applying the scaling factor A i to each respective difference, and normalizing the sum by the number N of the individual cyclones being evaluated and controlled, based upon the signaling received.

2. A controller according to claim 1 , wherein the signal processor is configured to determine the primary control signaling C using the following equation:

C
=

x
~

+

Σ
N

⁡

(

x
⁡

(
i
)

-

x
~

)

*

A
i

N

.

(

Equation
⁢

⁢
1

)

3. A controller according to claim 1 , wherein the signal processor is configured to provide the primary control signaling C to control the flow rate and pressure of the slurry flowing from incoming piping and entering hydrocyclones.

4. A controller according to claim 1 , wherein the correction factor may takes the form of the equation:

x
~

+

Σ
N

⁡

(

x
⁡

(
i
)

-

x
~

)

*

A
i

N

.

5. A controller according to claim 1 , wherein the respective individual cyclone control signaling x(i) contains information about the particle size P(i) of particles passing through each of the individual cyclones being evaluated and controlled; and
the respective individual cyclone control signaling x(i) are generated by individual cyclone sensors arranged on each of the individual cyclones being evaluated and controlled.

6. A controller according to claim 5 , wherein the individual cyclone sensors are arranged on individual overflows of the individual cyclones being evaluated and controlled.

7. A controller according to claim 1 , wherein the signal processor is configured to remove the respective individual cyclone control signaling x(i) received from one or more out-of-class hydrocyclones in the battery configuration, and determine the primary control signaling C to control the slurry flowing from the incoming piping and entering the hydrocyclones arranged in the battery configuration based upon this removal.

8. A controller according to claim 7 , wherein the signal processor is configured to remove all out-of-class hydrocyclones that deviate from a predetermined median by a certain amount or a certain number of standard deviations away from the predetermined median before an average calculation is performed.

9. A controller according to claim 7 , wherein the signal processor is configured to remove any out-of-class hydrocyclone where the respective difference of each of the respective individual cyclone control signaling x(i) and the median control signaling {tilde over (x)} deviates from a predetermined median by a certain amount or a certain number of standard deviations away from the predetermined median before an average calculation is performed.

10. A controller according to claim 1 , wherein the controller forms part of a particle size tracking (PST) system that is configured to give a particle size indication of the slurry that is passed from individual hydrocyclones in the battery configuration, including from one or more overflow pipes of the individual hydrocyclones.

11. A controller according to claim 1 , wherein the signal processor is configured to combine the respective individual cyclone control signaling x(i) for each individual cyclone being evaluated and controlled into the primary control signaling C determined.

12. A particle size tracking (PST) system for controlling a slurry flowing from incoming piping and entering hydrocyclones arranged in a battery configuration, comprising:
hydrocyclones arranged in a battery configuration having an incoming pipe for passing a slurry to the hydrocyclones,

Assignees

• Cidra Corporate Services Llc
• Cidra Corporate Services Inc

Inventors

• Davis Michael A

Classifications

• B01D17/00

  Separation of liquids, not provided for elsewhere, e.g. by thermal diffusion (devices for separating or removing fatty or oily substances or similar floating material from water, waste water, or sewage C02F1/40; cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water from oil or like materials E02B15/04; arrangements for separating lubricants from refrigerants F25B43/02) · CPC title

• D21G9/0018 Primary

  controlling the stock preparation · CPC title

• G16Z99/00

  Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass · CPC title

• B04C11/00 Primary

  Accessories, e.g. safety or control devices, not otherwise provided for {, e.g. regulators, valves in inlet or overflow ducting}(with electrostatic precipitating arrangements B03C3/14) · CPC title

• B01D21/267

  by using a cyclone · CPC title