Monitoring condition of a valve plug in a valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12553538-B2
Application number	US-202218070685-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2022
Priority date	Nov 29, 2022
Publication date	Feb 17, 2026
Grant date	Feb 17, 2026

Abstract

A monitoring unit is configured for use on a valve. These configurations may include sensors that can generate data consistent with physical condition of a closure member, like a valve “plug,” when the valve is in service on a process line. Analysis of this data may indicate erosion on the plug that is often due to highly-erosive working fluids or other process (or application) conditions. Signals or alerts from the process control system, or DCS, may alert operators to perform timely maintenance that avoids problems that may arise as a result of physical changes in the valve plug.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A valve, comprising:
a valve plug with a surface having a coating disposed thereon; a valve body having a flow path to receive the valve plug; a carrier block resident in the valve body; a sensor unit resident in the carrier block, the sensor unit generating a signal that changes in response to surface defects in the coating on the surface of the valve plug; and a metal foil interposed between the sensor unit and flow in the flow path, wherein the metal foil is configured to protect the sensor unit from flow in the flow path but not interfere with operation of the sensor unit.

2 . The valve of claim 1 , wherein the sensor unit has a sensing location that generates a field into the flow path that interacts with the surface to generate the signal.

3 . The valve of claim 1 , wherein the sensor unit has more than one sensing location that generates a field into the flow path that interacts with the surface to generate the signal.

4 . The valve of claim 1 , wherein the sensor unit comprises a property-sensitive device that generates the signal.

5 . The valve of claim 1 , wherein the sensor unit comprises a property-sensitive device that generates the signal in response to changes in a field that penetrates through the metal foil.

6 . The valve of claim 1 , wherein the sensor unit comprises a Hall effect sensor in position to interact with the surface to generate the signal.

7 . The valve of claim 1 , further comprising:
an aperture in valve body, wherein the sensor unit comprises a property-sensitive device that generates the signal, and wherein the carrier block resides in the aperture.

8 . The valve of claim 1 , further comprising:
an aperture in the valve body with an opening at the flow path, wherein the the metal foil is in position at the opening.

9 . The valve of claim 1 , wherein the coating comprises metal.

10 . The valve of claim 1 , wherein the signal changes in response to an area at which the defect exposes the surface of the valve plug.

11 . A valve, comprising:
a valve plug with a surface having a coating disposed thereon; a valve body having a flow path to receive the valve plug; a carrier block resident in the valve body; a property-sensitive device resident in the carrier block, the property-sensitive devices configured to generate a field that interacts with the coating to generate a signal that changes in response to surface defects in the coating on the surface; and a metal foil interposed between the property-sensitive device and flow in the flow path, wherein the metal foil is configured to protect the sensor unit from flow in the flow path but not interfere with operation of the sensor unit.

12 . The valve of claim 11 , wherein the property-sensitive device comprises a Hall effect sensor.

13 . The valve of claim 11 , wherein the field comprises a magnetic field.

14 . The valve of claim 11 , wherein the coating comprises metal.

Assignees

• Dresser LLC

Inventors

• Sakthivel Navin
• Vlassoff Cyril
• Anisimov Mikhail
• Amirthasamy Stanley
• Dodan George

Classifications

• F16K1/36 Primary

  Valve members (for double-seat valves F16K1/44 {; for butterfly valves F16K1/222, F16K1/223}) · CPC title

• F16K37/0033

  using a permanent magnet, e.g. in combination with a reed relays · CPC title

• F16K37/0041 Primary

  for measuring valve parameters (F16K37/0033 takes precedence) · CPC title