Methods and apparatus for pressure-based direct measurement of a final control element variable

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11499880-B2
Application number	US-202016983516-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2020
Priority date	Aug 3, 2020
Publication date	Nov 15, 2022
Grant date	Nov 15, 2022

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for pressure-based direct measurement of a final control element variable are disclosed. An example method includes receiving a signal from a first sensor mounted on a shaft of a valve, converting the signal to a pressure, routing the pressure to a second sensor of a controller operatively coupled to a pneumatic actuator, the pneumatic actuator operatively coupled to the shaft, and determining, by the controller, a first torque on the shaft based on the pressure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving a signal from a first sensor mounted on a shaft of a valve;
converting the signal to a pressure;
routing the pressure to a second sensor of a controller operatively coupled to a pneumatic actuator, the pneumatic actuator operatively coupled to the shaft;
determining, by the controller, a first torque on the shaft based on the pressure; and
comparing the first torque to a second torque determined using a third sensor not mounted on the shaft.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor is a strain gauge, a pressure transducer, an acoustic emission sensor, a temperature sensor, or a rotary position sensor.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second sensor is a pressure sensor.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the signal is a voltage or a current.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the valve is a rotary fluid valve.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second torque is determined based on a pressure applied to the pneumatic actuator via the controller.

7. An apparatus, comprising:
a converter to:
receive a signal from a first sensor mounted on a shaft of a valve;
convert the signal to a pressure; and
route the pressure to a second sensor; and

a controller to:
receive the pressure from the second sensor; and
determine a first torque on the shaft based on the pressure,
wherein the controller is operatively coupled to a pneumatic actuator, the pneumatic actuator operatively coupled to the shaft, the controller to compare the first torque to a second torque determined using a third sensor not mounted on the shaft.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first sensor is a strain gauge, a pressure transducer, an acoustic emission sensor, a temperature sensor, or a rotary position sensor.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the second sensor is a pressure sensor.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the converter is a voltage-to-pressure converter or a current-to-pressure converter.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the signal is a voltage or a current.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the valve is a rotary fluid valve.

13. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the controller is to determine the second torque based on a pressure applied to the pneumatic actuator.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:
receive a first pressure, the first pressure converted from a signal from a first sensor mounted on a shaft of a valve;
determine a first torque on the shaft based on the first pressure;
receive a second pressure, the second pressure provided to a pneumatic actuator operatively coupled to the valve;
determine a second torque on the shaft based on the second pressure; and
compare the first torque to the second torque.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to determine the second torque based on a pressure applied to the pneumatic actuator.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to determine a deviation of the second torque from the first torque.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to alert a user to the deviation.

Assignees

• Fisher Controls Int Llc

Inventors

• Demonte Joseph Frank
• Raymond William Sean

Classifications

• G08B21/18

  Status alarms (G08B21/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01L3/108 Primary

  involving resistance strain gauges · CPC title

• G01L3/14 Primary

  wherein the torque-transmitting element is other than a torsionally-flexible shaft · CPC title