Method and system for monitoring powered anode drive level

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019203977-A1
Application number	US-201916239113-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 3, 2019
Priority date	Dec 29, 2017
Publication date	Jul 4, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A powered anode current drive device is configured to automatically determine an anode drive current that offsets galvanic corrosion in a vessel. A method alerts a user on a change of an output of a powered anode current drive device. The method includes receiving an anode drive level output of the powered anode current drive device, determining electrical characteristics of the anode drive level output, analyzing the determined electrical characteristics for anomalous behavior, and generating an alert of the anomalous behavior.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of alerting on a change of an output of a powered anode current drive device, the powered anode current drive device configured to automatically determine an anode drive current that offsets galvanic corrosion in a vessel, the method comprising:
receiving an anode drive level output of the powered anode current drive device; determining electrical characteristics of the anode drive level output; analyzing the determined electrical characteristics for anomalous behavior; and generating an alert of the anomalous behavior.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving an anode drive level output of the powered anode current drive device comprises receiving an anode drive level output that includes an observable notch in a curve of current versus voltage for anode current, the observable notch representing a balance point of an electrical response of the anode to conditions including at least one of changes in fluid chemistry, changes in fluid temperature, changes in fluid level in the vessel, and combinations of the above, the observable notch visualized as a change of polarity or large change in slope of the anode drive level output.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising determining operating conditions of the vessel based on changes in anode drive current represented by the notch.

4 . The method of claim 3 , determining operating conditions of the vessel based on changes in anode drive current comprises determining at least one of a change in fluid input rate to the vessel or fluid output rate from the vessel, a temperature variation over time of the fluid in the vessel, a failure of a heating element of the vessel, an energization condition of the heating element, and an amount of failed liner in the vessel, and a fluid level of the vessel.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the determined electrical characteristics for anomalous behavior comprises analyzing the determined electrical characteristics for anomalous behavior using an anomaly detector device.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein analyzing the determined electrical characteristics for anomalous behavior using an anomaly detector device comprises analyzing the determined electrical characteristics for anomalous behavior using at least one of a supervised anomaly detector device, a semi-supervised anomaly detector device, and an unsupervised anomaly detector device.

7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein analyzing the determined electrical characteristics for anomalous behavior comprises analyzing the determined electrical characteristics for an anode current output that is limited wherein the anode current is continuously driven to a maximum value.

8 . The method of claim 5 , wherein analyzing the determined electrical characteristics for anomalous behavior comprises analyzing the determined electrical characteristics for one or more input signals into the powered anode current drive device having an amount of noise greater than a predetermined range.

9 . The method of claim 5 , wherein analyzing the determined electrical characteristics for anomalous behavior comprises determining an increased frequency of the powered anode current drive device automatically determining an anode drive current.

10 . The method of claim 5 , wherein analyzing the determined electrical characteristics for anomalous behavior comprises determining that a time period that the powered anode current drive device takes to automatically determine an anode drive current has increased from previous time periods.

11 . A powered anode current drive device comprising:
an anode drive power supply; a powered anode positionable in a fluid-filled vessel and electrically couplable to the anode drive power supply; and an anode drive controller comprising one or more processors communicatively coupled to one or more memory devices, the one or more processors communicatively couplable to an anode drive current sensor and an anode drive voltage sensor communicatively coupled to the anode drive controller and the anode drive power supply, the one or more processors configured to:
receive an anode drive level output of the powered anode current drive device;
determine electrical characteristics of the anode drive level output;
analyze, by an output analyzer, the determined electrical characteristics for anomalous behavior; and
generate an alert of the anomalous behavior, the alert displayable on a screen and transmittable electronically to a user.

12 . The powered anode current drive device of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
vary an electrical power input driving the powered anode between an upper range limit and a lower range limit; locate a discontinuity or change in polarity of a slope of a trace of the anode drive current versus anode drive voltage; and determine an operational parameter of the vessel based on changes in the discontinuity, the operational parameter including at least one of a change in fluid input rate to the vessel or fluid output rate from the vessel, a temperature variation over time of the fluid in the vessel, a failure of a heating element of the vessel, an energization condition of the heating element, and a fluid level of the vessel.

13 . The powered anode current drive device of claim 11 , wherein the output analyzer is a standalone device separate from and accessible to the powered anode current drive device.

14 . The powered anode current drive device of claim 11 , wherein the output analyzer comprises at least one of a supervised anomaly detector device, a semi-supervised anomaly detector device, and an unsupervised anomaly detector device.

15 . The powered anode current drive device of claim 11 , wherein the output analyzer comprises a neural network.

16 . The powered anode current drive device of claim 15 , wherein the output analyzer further comprises a database communicatively coupled to the neural network.

17 . A method of anomaly detection in a powered anode control device associated with a vessel, the method comprising:
varying an electrical power input driving a powered anode through a range of values of a first electrical parameter, the range defined by an upper range limit and a lower range limit; measuring a current value of a second electrical parameter of the electrical power input during the varying; using an anomaly detection device, determining when the powered anode control device fails to locate at least one of change in polarity and a slope between the measured current values of the first and corresponding second electrical parameters and measured previous values of the first and second electrical parameters within a predetermined time period; and generating an alert indicating a failure of the powered anode control device.

18 . The method of anomaly detection of claim 17 , wherein determining when the powered anode control device fails to locate at least one of change in polarity and a slope between the measured current values of the first and corresponding second electrical parameters and measured previous values of the first and second electrical parameters within a predetermined time period comprises determining when the powered anode control device fails to locate at least one of change in polarity and a slope after a predetermined number of attempts.

19 . The method of anomaly detection of claim 17 , further comprising, using the anomaly detection device, determining at least one of a change in fluid input rate to the vessel

Assignees

• Emerson Electric Co

Inventors

• Arensmeier Jeffrey N

Classifications

• C23F13/04

  Controlling or regulating desired parameters · CPC title

• C23F13/20

  Conducting electric current to electrodes · CPC title

• G08B21/182

  Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold · CPC title

• F24H9/0047 Primary

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F24H9/2021

  Storage heaters · CPC title