Abstract:
Apparatus, including a pump system, features a controller having a signal processor or processing module configured to: receive signaling containing information about a relationship between frequencies of pump vibration resonances detected around critical pump speeds and a 3-dimensional pump vibration power spectrum in the frequency domain with respect to pump speed and pump temperature change differences; and determine corresponding signaling containing information to adjust the pump speed to avoid the pump vibration resonances around the critical pump speeds, based upon the signaling received. The signal processor or processing module is also configured to provide the corresponding signaling as control signaling to adjust the pump speed.
Abstract:
A discrete valve flow rate converter is provided to obtain a system flow through a valve in a dynamic hydronic pumping system, e.g., based on signaling containing information about the valve's differential pressure and the valve's hydronic characteristics calibration data. The discrete valve flow rate converter resolves the valve system flow rate directly and accurately with the valve's open position and the corresponding valve differential pressure signals associated therewith. The discrete valve flow rate converter may be applied to all kinds of valves as long as their open position and differential pressure associated with is available, e.g., including implementations for control valve applications, e.g., where the valve open position is controlled automatically and accurately, as well as implementations either for pumping system pressure controls with the flow rate known, such as adaptive hydronic system pressure controls, or as an alternative to sensorless pump monitoring and control.
Abstract:
The present invention provides apparatus featuring a signal processor or processing module that may be configured at least to: process signaling containing information about an equilibrium point of pump differential pressure and system pressure formulated in a hydronic domain by utilizing pump and system characteristic curve equations so as to yield system pressure and flow rate at any particular load and time in a pump hydronic system, including using a multi- dimensional sensorless conversion technique; and determine equivalent hydronic system characteristics associated with the pump differential pressure and flow rate to their corresponding motor power and speed reconstructed and remapped by using a discrete numerical approach, based at least partly on the signaling received. The signal processor or processing module may provide corresponding signaling containing information about the system pumping flow rate and pressure determined.
Abstract:
The present invention provides a numerical affinity pump sensorless conversion signal processing technique, e.g. based upon processing the pump differential pressure, flow rate and power at pump maximum speed published by pump manufacturers, as well as the pump affinity law in order to obtain instant pump differential pressures and flow rate directly and numerically. The sensorless converter technique may be applied to any form of pump characteristics distributions simple or complicated, since there is no need to reconstruct and to solve any pump and system characteristics equations. As a result, the computation accuracy is significantly improved.
Abstract:
Apparatus features a controller having a signal processor or processing module configured to: receive signaling containing information about a power profile that is specific to a pumping system having N parallel pumps and based upon data related to one or more of pumping system power, losses and wire-to-water efficiency in real time for the N parallel pumps configured to run in the pumping system to generate a head H and a flow F with an efficiency E, and at least one calculation/prediction of at least one corresponding efficiency of at least one combination/number of N-1 and/or N+1 parallel pumps to achieve a corresponding/same head H and flow F with a corresponding efficiency; and determine corresponding signaling containing information to control the operation of the pumping system that depends on a comparison of the efficiency E and the at least one corresponding efficiency, based upon the signaling received, including staging/destaging a pump to or from the pumping system.
Abstract:
The present invention provides apparatus, including a hydronic sensorless pumping system, that features a signal processor or processing module configured to receive signaling containing information about motor readout values of power and speed, and also about pump and system characteristics equations together with empirical power equations that are constructed by a polynomial best-fit function together with pump affinity laws based upon a pump curve published by a pump manufacturer; and determine corresponding signaling containing information about a pump or system pressure and a flow rate at the motor readout values of power and speed, based upon the signaling received.
Abstract:
Apparatus features a signal processor or processing module configured to respond to signaling containing information about a set point and a speed related to one or more pumps in a pump system, e.g., including a variable speed multiple pump booster system, operating at a substantially constant discharge pressure; and determine an adjustment to the set point to compensate for system friction loss and maintain the substantially constant discharge pressure of the variable speed multiple pump booster system for flow variation, based at least partly on the signaling received. The signal processor or processing module 10a provides corresponding signaling containing information to control the one or more pumps in the variable speed multiple pump booster system.
Abstract:
Apparatus, such as a pump controller, features a signal processor configured at least to: receive signaling containing information about a linear set point control curve based at least partly on an adaptive set point control curve related to fluid being pumped by a pump in a pumping system, and determine a control set point based at least partly on the signaling received. The signal processor may be configured to provide a control signal containing information to control the pump based on the control set point determined.
Abstract:
A pumping system featuring a pump, motor, a bearing assembly, integrated data acquisition system and combined programmable logic controller (PLC), data acquisition and modem. The pump couples to a pump shaft that responds to a pump shaft force to pump a liquid. The motor couples to the pump shaft, responds to VFD/VSD control signaling and provides the pump shaft force to drive the pump shaft. The bearing assembly includes a bearing with the pump shaft arranged therein and couples the pump and the motor. The variable frequency/speed drive (VFD/VSD) receives PLC control signaling and provides the VFD/VSD control signaling to drive the motor. The integrated data acquisition system responds to PLC data acquisition signaling, and provides integrated data acquisition system signaling containing information about an integrated set of pumping system parameters related to the pump, the bearing assembly, the motor and the VFD/VSD in the pump system. The combined programmable logic controller (PLC), data acquisition and modem provides the PLC data acquisition signaling and receive the integrated data acquisition signaling, provides PLC data acquisition modem signaling that exports performance data to the Internet to allow remote manual monitoring of the pump system, and provides the PLC control signaling to control the VFD/VSD and operate the pumping system as a controlled, closed loop system.
Abstract:
A technique for determining a boiler water condition includes a boiler controller (aka PSE unit) having a signal processor that implements a boiler control algorithm to receive signaling containing information about sets of N consecutive probe data samples related to a boiler water condition; determine stable average signaling containing information about a stable average by averaging a set of N consecutive probe data samples in the signaling received; determine present stable average signaling containing information about a present stable average by averaging a present set of N consecutive probe data samples in the signaling received; and determine corresponding signaling containing information about the boiler water condition, based upon whether the present stable average is within an allowable limit and a comparison of the present and previous stable average signaling determined.