US-12624773-B2 - Wireless opening meter, valve maintenance support system and support method

US12624773B2US 12624773 B2US12624773 B2US 12624773B2US-12624773-B2

Abstract

A wireless opening meter includes measurement portions that measures an opening, a pneumatic pressure supplied to an operation device, and a temperature at an outlet side of the control valve; a failure diagnosis portion that calculates an index of a change leading to a failure of the valve based on a measurement value, and executes failure diagnosis of the valve based on the index; a wireless communication portion that wirelessly transmits the index and a result of the failure diagnosis to a valve maintenance support device; and an adjustment portion that compares the index with a predetermined index determination threshold, and in response to determining that a progression degree towards a failure of the valve is small, perform thinning processing of an operation time of the wireless opening meter by extending an operation cycle of the wireless opening meter to be longer than an initial value.

Inventors

Itsuki Tanabe
Fumiaki Yamasaki
Masato Tanaka

Assignees

AZBIL CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20241204
Priority Date: 20240213

Claims (13)

1 . A wireless opening meter, which is a battery-powered type wireless opening meter attached to a control valve, comprising: a measurement portion, configured to measure at least one of an opening of the control valve, a pneumatic pressure supplied to an operation device of the control valve, and a temperature at an outlet side of the control valve; a failure diagnosis portion, configured to calculate an index of a change leading to a failure of the control valve based on a measurement value obtained by the measurement portion, and to execute failure diagnosis of the control valve based on the index; a wireless communication portion, configured to wirelessly transmit the index and a result of the failure diagnosis to a valve maintenance support device; and an adjustment portion, configured to compare the index with a predetermined index determination threshold, and in response to determining that a progression degree towards a failure of the control valve is small, perform thinning processing of an operation time of a wireless opening meter by extending an operation cycle of a wireless opening meter to be longer than an initial value, and in response to determining that the progression degree is large, set the operation cycle to the initial value to stop the thinning processing.
2 . The wireless opening meter according to claim 1 , wherein a failure of the control valve targeted for the failure diagnosis is a gradually progressing failure specific to the control valve.
3 . The wireless opening meter according to claim 1 , wherein in a case of simultaneously observing a progress of a plurality of types of failures of the control valve, the index determination thresholds corresponding to the plurality of types of failures are preset respectively such that periods from when the thinning processing is stopped based on a comparison between the index and the index determination threshold until a failure is detected are equivalent for the plurality of types of failures.
4 . A valve maintenance support system comprising: a battery-powered type wireless opening meter attached to a control valve; and a valve maintenance support device, wherein the wireless opening meter comprises: a measurement portion, configured to measure at least one of an opening of the control valve, a pneumatic pressure supplied to an operation device of the control valve, and a temperature at an outlet side of the control valve; a failure diagnosis portion, configured to calculate an index of a change leading to a failure of the control valve based on a measurement value obtained by the measurement portion, and to execute failure diagnosis of the control valve based on the index; a first wireless communication portion, configured to wirelessly transmit the index and a result of the failure diagnosis to the valve maintenance support device; and an adjustment portion, configured to compare the index with a predetermined index determination threshold, and in response to determining that a progression degree towards a failure of the control valve is small, perform thinning processing of an operation time of the wireless opening meter by extending an operation cycle of the wireless opening meter to be longer than an initial value, and in response to determining that the progression degree is large, set the operation cycle to the initial value to stop the thinning processing, and the valve maintenance support device comprises: a second wireless communication portion, configured to receive the index and a result of the failure diagnosis transmitted from the wireless opening meter; and a diagnostic result present portion, configured to present the index and a result of the failure diagnosis received by the second wireless communication portion.
5 . A valve maintenance support system comprising: a battery-powered type wireless opening meter attached to a control valve; and a valve maintenance support device, wherein the wireless opening meter comprises: a measurement portion, configured to measure at least one of an opening of the control valve, a pneumatic pressure supplied to an operation device of the control valve, and a temperature at an outlet side of the control valve; a first wireless communication portion, configured to wirelessly transmit a measurement value obtained by the measurement portion to the valve maintenance support device, and to receive a command wirelessly transmitted from the valve maintenance support device; and a controller, configured to set an operation cycle of the wireless opening meter in response to the command, the valve maintenance support device comprises: a second wireless communication portion, configured to receive the measurement value transmitted from the wireless opening meter; a failure diagnosis portion, configured to calculate an index of a change leading to a failure of the control valve based on the measurement value received by the second wireless communication portion, and to execute failure diagnosis of the control valve based on the index; a diagnostic result present portion, configured to present the index and a result of the failure diagnosis; and an adjustment portion, configured to compare the index with a predetermined index determination threshold, and in response to determining that a progression degree towards a failure of the control valve is small, perform thinning processing of an operation time of the wireless opening meter by generating a command to set an operation cycle of the wireless opening meter to a value longer than an initial value, and in response to determining that the progression degree is large, stop the thinning processing by generating a command to set the operation cycle to the initial value, and the second wireless communication portion is configured to wirelessly transmit a command generated by the adjustment portion to the wireless opening meter.
6 . The valve maintenance support system according to claim 4 , wherein a failure of the control valve targeted for the failure diagnosis is a gradually progressing failure specific to the control valve.
7 . The valve maintenance support system according to claim 5 , wherein a failure of the control valve targeted for the failure diagnosis is a gradually progressing failure specific to the control valve.
8 . The valve maintenance support system according to claim 4 , wherein in a case of simultaneously observing a progress of a plurality of types of failures of the control valve, the index determination thresholds corresponding to the plurality of types of failures are preset respectively such that periods from when the thinning processing is stopped based on a comparison between the index and the index determination threshold until a failure is detected are equivalent for the plurality of types of failures.
9 . The valve maintenance support system according to claim 5 , wherein in a case of simultaneously observing a progress of a plurality of types of failures of the control valve, the index determination thresholds corresponding to the plurality of types of failures are preset respectively such that periods from when the thinning processing is stopped based on a comparison between the index and the index determination threshold until a failure is detected are equivalent for the plurality of types of failures.
10 . The valve maintenance support system according to claim 6 , wherein a failure of the control valve targeted for the failure diagnosis includes at least one of stick-slip, deterioration of V-packing, deterioration of diaphragm of operation device, deterioration of diaphragm of valve body, deterioration of parts due to heat cycle, damage of bellows seal, and rupture of bellows seal.
11 . A valve maintenance support method comprising: a first step in which a battery-powered type wireless opening meter attached to a control valve measures at least one of an opening of the control valve, a pneumatic pressure supplied to an operation device of the control valve, and a temperature at an outlet side of the control valve; a second step in which the wireless opening meter calculates an index of a change leading to a failure of the control valve based on a measurement value obtained in the first step; a third step in which the wireless opening meter executes failure diagnosis of the control valve based on the index; a fourth step in which the wireless opening meter wirelessly transmits the index and a result of the failure diagnosis to a valve maintenance support device; a fifth step in which the wireless opening meter compares the index with a predetermined index determination threshold, and in response to determining that a progression degree towards a failure of the control valve is small, performs thinning processing of an operation time by extending an operation cycle of the wireless opening meter to be longer than an initial value; and a sixth step in which the wireless opening meter compares the index with the index determination threshold, and in response to determining that the progression degree is large, sets the operation cycle to the initial value to stop the thinning processing.
12 . A valve maintenance support method comprising: a first step in which a battery-powered type wireless opening meter attached to a control valve measures at least one of an opening of the control valve, a pneumatic pressure supplied to an operation device of the control valve, and a temperature at an outlet side of the control valve; a second step in which the wireless opening meter calculates an index of a change leading to a failure of the control valve based on a measurement value obtained in the first step; a third step in which the wireless opening meter executes failure diagnosis of the control valve based on the index; a fourth step in which the wireless opening meter wirelessly transmits the index and a result of the failure diagnosis to a valve maintenance support device; a fifth step in which the valve maintenance support device receives the index and a result of the failure diagnosis transmitted from the wireless opening meter; a sixth step in which the valve maintenance support device presents the index and a result of the failure diagnosis received in the fifth step; a seventh step in which the wireless opening meter compares the index with a predetermined index determination threshold, and in response to determining that a progression degree towards a failure of the control valve is small, performs thinning processing of an operation time by extending an operation cycle of the wireless opening meter to be longer than an initial value; and an eighth step in which the wireless opening meter compares the index with the index determination threshold, and in response to determining that the progression degree is large, sets the operation cycle to the initial value to stop the thinning processing.
13 . A valve maintenance support method comprising: a first step in which a battery-powered type wireless opening meter attached to a control valve measures at least one of an opening of the control valve, a pneumatic pressure supplied to an operation device of the control valve, and a temperature at an outlet side of the control valve; a second step in which the wireless opening meter wirelessly transmits a measurement value obtained in the first step to a valve maintenance support device; a third step in which the valve maintenance support device receives the measurement value transmitted from the wireless opening meter; a fourth step in which the valve maintenance support device calculates an index of a change leading to a failure of the control valve based on the measurement value received in the third step; a fifth step in which the valve maintenance support device executes failure diagnosis of the control valve based on the index; a sixth step in which the valve maintenance support device presents the index and a result of the failure diagnosis; a seventh step in which the valve maintenance support device compares the index with a predetermined index determination threshold, and in response to determining that a progression degree towards a failure of the control valve is small, performs thinning processing of an operation time of the wireless opening meter by generating a command to set an operation cycle of the wireless opening meter to a value longer than an initial value; an eighth step in which the valve maintenance support device compares the index with the index determination threshold, and in response to determining that the progression degree is large, stops the thinning processing by generating a command to set the operation cycle to the initial value; a ninth step in which the valve maintenance support device wirelessly transmits the command generated in the seventh step or the eighth step to the wireless opening meter; a tenth step in which the wireless opening meter receives the command; and an eleventh step in which the wireless opening meter sets an operation cycle of the wireless opening meter according to the command received in the tenth step.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the priority benefits of Japanese application No. 2024-019454, filed on Feb. 13, 2024. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification. BACKGROUND Technical Field The disclosure relates to a technology for supporting maintenance work, and specifically to a wireless opening meter, a valve maintenance support system, and a support method for implementing efficient work support for valve maintenance. Description of Related Art Valves (e.g., the control valve in FIG. 15) used in petrochemical plants and the like require particular attention to safety, and therefore undergo periodic maintenance. The control valve shown in FIG. 15 includes a valve main body 100 that opens and closes a passage through which fluid flows, a positioner 101 that converts an input electrical signal to pneumatic pressure, and an operation device 102 that operates the valve main body 100 in response to the pneumatic pressure supplied from the positioner 101. To improve the work efficiency of valve maintenance in plants where valves such as the one shown in FIG. 15 are installed, various technologies have been proposed, including a technology for detecting the occurrence of stick-slip in the sliding portion of the valve (refer to Patent Document 1, Japanese Patent No. 3254624), a technology for determining the hunting state of the valve (refer to Patent Document 2, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2015-114942), and a technology for detecting scale adhesion to the valve (refer to Patent Document 3, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2015-114943). These technologies can be implemented using a positioner that detects the opening position of the valve. The positioner that can be used to implement the failure detection technologies (diagnostic technologies) disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 is of a high-spec type, and in cases where the positioner provided in an existing control valve is not of a high-spec type, it is necessary to replace the positioner. However, due to circumstances such as the specifications of the control valve itself or installation conditions in the plant, it may be difficult or impossible to replace the positioner, and improvements are being sought. The disclosure provides a wireless opening meter, a valve maintenance support system, and a support method that may implement failure diagnosis of a control valve without using a high-spec positioner, and improve the work efficiency of control valve maintenance. SUMMARY The disclosure includes a wireless opening meter, which is a battery-powered type wireless opening meter attached to a control valve, including: a measurement portion, configured to measure at least one of an opening of the control valve, a pneumatic pressure supplied to an operation device of the control valve, and a temperature at an outlet side of the control valve; a failure diagnosis portion, configured to calculate an index of a change leading to a failure of the control valve based on a measurement value obtained by the measurement portion, and to execute failure diagnosis of the control valve based on the index; a wireless communication portion, configured to wirelessly transmit the index and a result of the failure diagnosis to a valve maintenance support device; and an adjustment portion, configured to compare the index with a predetermined index determination threshold, and in response to determining that a progression degree towards a failure of the control valve is small, perform thinning processing of an operation time of a wireless opening meter by extending an operation cycle of a wireless opening meter to be longer than an initial value, and in response to determining that the progression degree is large, set the operation cycle to the initial value to stop the thinning processing. Further, the valve maintenance support system of the disclosure includes: a battery-powered type wireless opening meter attached to a control valve; and a valve maintenance support device. The wireless opening meter includes: a measurement portion, configured to measure at least one of an opening of the control valve, a pneumatic pressure supplied to an operation device of the control valve, and a temperature at an outlet side of the control valve; a failure diagnosis portion, configured to calculate an index of a change leading to a failure of the control valve based on a measurement value obtained by the measurement portion, and to execute failure diagnosis of the control valve based on the index; a first wireless communication portion, configured to wirelessly transmit the index and a result of the failure diagnosis to the valve maintenance support device; and an adjustment portion, configured to compare the index with a predetermined index determination threshold, and in response to determining that a progression degree towards a f